^°1893^'] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 775 



Guadalajara, through the town of Zapathiu, to a phice kuowu as San 

 Marcos, in the southern part of the State of Jalisco, and on the east 

 base of the volcano of Coliioa. In this locality and in the neighbor- 

 ing Barranca Veltran (or ''Beltran," as it is cominonlj'' known), a num- 

 ber of species were seen for the first time. 



These barrancas, or gorges, produced either by ages of erosion or else 

 by volcanic agency, are often a mile, more or less, deep, and perhaps 3 

 or 4 miles across in places, narrowing down to the width of a small 

 stream at the bottom ; they are therefore rather precipitous, and as 

 they lie in the direct line of travel they give scope for the engineer's 

 abilities. The change from the comparatively barren plateau to trop- 

 ical luxuriance is often so great that the effect is that of entering into 

 one of nature's greenhouses, a grand forcing house, a score or more 

 miles in length, sheltering what unknown treasuries for the botanist 

 and zoologist ! Here are found such birds as Bendrornis, Engyptila, 

 Conurus, and Amazona, besides numerous hummers and other tropical 

 forms. 



A few species are included in this list which were collected at Guay- 

 mas, on the Gulf of California, and also a few from the mountains in 

 Sonora, 32 miles south of the border tow^n of Nogales, notably Parus 

 wollweberi, Dendoica grackv, Columba fasciata, and Cyanocitta macro- 

 lapha. 



It will be seen from the foregoing that most of the species enumerated 

 are from the temperate table-land region most nearly corresponding 

 to our own southern borders of Arizona and New Mexico and although 

 many common tropical birds will be looked for in vain in this list, yet 

 it is hoped that it Avill not prove the less valuable on that account. 



Color notes of the iris and other soft and fading parts of specimens 

 have in all cases been compared with the plates in Ridgway's Nomen- 

 clature of Colors, which is an indispensable companion of the field nat- 

 uralist, and is likewise invaluable in determining the tints of feathers. 

 I am also much indebted to the author for advice and aid in the identi- 

 fication of species. In conclusion, I take pleasure in acknowledging 

 the extreme courtesy received from the officials of the Mexican Gov- 

 ernment in all parts of the country, who did everything in their power 

 to further my objects. Through the interest of Sefior Mariscal, at the 

 request of Minister Ryan, I received an autograph letter from his 

 excellency President Porfirio Diaz, introducing me to the favorable 

 notice of the governors of all the provinces of Mexico. These gentle- 

 men in turn, so far as I traveled, gave me letters current in their 

 respective States, which did much to facilitate traveling in the country. 



Family TURDID^E. 



1. Catharus melpomene clarus, subsp. nov. 



A comparison of two adult male birds from Jalisco with a series from 

 Vera Cruz and Gutemala shows that the western bird is a clearly rec- 



