﻿57G 
  PliOCEEniNGS 
  of 
  the 
  NATIOXAL 
  MISEVM. 
  

  

  Good 
  collecting 
  ground 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  iu 
  tlie 
  mountains 
  in 
  the 
  

   northwestern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  Negros 
  lies 
  southeast 
  of 
  Panay, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  shal- 
  

   low 
  channel, 
  ap[)arently 
  nowhere 
  more 
  than 
  20 
  fathoms 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  

   but 
  4 
  miles 
  wide 
  at 
  its 
  narrowest 
  point. 
  The 
  greatest 
  length 
  of 
  Negros 
  

   is 
  145 
  miles, 
  its 
  greatest 
  width 
  al)out 
  45. 
  It 
  offers 
  excellent 
  (*ollecting 
  

   ground, 
  as 
  its 
  central 
  chain 
  of 
  mountains, 
  which 
  runs 
  practically 
  the 
  

   whole 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  is 
  abundantly 
  clothed 
  with 
  forest, 
  and 
  may 
  

   be 
  reached 
  in 
  a 
  hundred 
  places. 
  The 
  highest 
  peak 
  of 
  the 
  chain, 
  Malas- 
  

   pina 
  or 
  Canloou, 
  attains 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  8,192 
  feet. 
  

  

  Numerous 
  collectors 
  have 
  worked 
  in 
  the 
  lowlands 
  of 
  Xegros, 
  and 
  three 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  Steere 
  expedition 
  made 
  a 
  short 
  trip 
  into 
  the 
  highlands, 
  

   but 
  Whitehead 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  collector 
  who 
  has 
  ever 
  carried 
  on 
  systematic 
  

   work 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  at 
  any 
  considerable 
  elevation. 
  

  

  Guimaras 
  is 
  to 
  all 
  intents 
  and 
  purposes 
  a 
  i)art 
  of 
  Panay, 
  from 
  which 
  

   it 
  is 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  and 
  shallow 
  passage. 
  Its 
  forest 
  is 
  being 
  

   rapidly 
  cleared 
  away. 
  We 
  found 
  collecting 
  nuich 
  better 
  in 
  1888 
  than 
  

   in 
  1890. 
  

  

  Masbate 
  is 
  an 
  island 
  of 
  irregular 
  outline, 
  its 
  greatest 
  length 
  being 
  

   some 
  70 
  miles. 
  In 
  its 
  interior 
  lie 
  extensive 
  grassy 
  plains. 
  Fairly 
  large 
  

   tracts 
  of 
  forest 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  of 
  Palanoc, 
  

   the 
  capital 
  and 
  chief 
  port 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  Masbate 
  lies 
  some 
  25 
  miles 
  

   northeast 
  of 
  Panay, 
  the 
  deepest 
  water 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  intervening 
  

   channel 
  being 
  31 
  fathoms. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  the 
  only 
  work 
  done 
  

   on 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Masbate 
  has 
  been 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Menage 
  and 
  Steere 
  

   expeditions. 
  

  

  Panay 
  was 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  Sonnerat's 
  work, 
  and 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  visited 
  

   by 
  numerous 
  collectors; 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  forest 
  and 
  the 
  

   difficulty 
  of 
  reaching 
  it 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  island 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  well 
  

   known 
  than 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  ISTegros. 
  We 
  were 
  exceedingly 
  anxious 
  to 
  find 
  

   good 
  collecting 
  ground 
  in 
  Panay, 
  and 
  after 
  wasting 
  much 
  time 
  in 
  fruit- 
  

   less 
  search 
  finally 
  reached 
  fairly 
  well 
  wooded 
  country 
  at 
  Calantas, 
  near 
  

   Batan, 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  The 
  locality 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  

   very 
  unhealthy, 
  however, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  establish 
  our 
  head- 
  

   quarters 
  10 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  forest, 
  so 
  that 
  our 
  work 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  under 
  

   difficulties. 
  

  

  We 
  saw 
  high 
  and 
  apparently 
  well 
  wooded 
  mountains 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  

   west. 
  

  

  One 
  hundred 
  and 
  eighteen 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  are 
  recorded 
  from 
  Panay, 
  

   90 
  from 
  Guimaras, 
  98 
  from 
  Masbate, 
  and 
  171 
  from 
  JSTegros. 
  Eliminating 
  

   the 
  wide-ranging 
  species, 
  which 
  are 
  useless 
  for 
  our 
  purpose, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   fining 
  ourselves 
  to 
  the 
  Philippine 
  forms, 
  we 
  find 
  Panay 
  has 
  55, 
  Guima- 
  

   ras 
  48, 
  ]\[asbate 
  50, 
  and 
  Xegros 
  80. 
  

  

  We 
  must 
  take 
  Negros 
  as 
  our 
  standard, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  known, 
  and 
  

   upon 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  distribution 
  list 
  we 
  shall 
  find 
  that 
  almost 
  without 
  

   exception 
  those 
  species 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  iu 
  Panay, 
  Guimaras, 
  

   and 
  Masbate, 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  iu 
  Negros 
  also. 
  

  

  