326 Mr. W. A. Forbes on Eleven Weeks 



The total number of species of birds of -which I obtained or 

 observed specimens during my trip was 116. In the following 

 list they are treated of in systematic order, according to the 

 nomenclature of Messrs. Sclater and Salvin^s ' Nomenclator 

 Avium Neotropicalium/ unless otherwise stated. I am 

 much indebted to Mr. Sclater for having kindly gone 

 through and named the greater number of my birds for me, 

 whilst Mr. Salvin was good enough to give me the names of 

 the few others. 



As far as can be judged from the results of a short trip 

 like mine, the avifauna of Pernambuco is essentially South- 

 east Brazilian, with few, if any, Amazonian forms. It would 

 appear from my observations on the birds, and from the 

 general features of the country, that Pernambuco is far less 

 rich ill birds than either Bahia or Para, the comparative 

 poverty no doubt being due to the long time that the country, 

 at least near the sea, has been colonized, and to the consequent 

 destruction of the primaeval forests. Moreover, as the forest 

 only forms a comparatively narrow zone along the coast, with 

 a dry and elevated " campos""^ country behind, there has been 

 no possible retreat towards the interior for the original inhabi- 

 tants of the coast forests, and many of the most characteristic 

 forms have, in consequence, disappeared or become scarce. Of 

 course my collections do not represent any thing like the 

 total number of species to be found in Pernambuco ; Imt I 

 think the above conclusion will be confirmed by further 

 collections from that district. 



From what I heard of the nature of the country, Ceara, 

 and most likely Maranhao as well, must probably be included 

 within the limits of the South-east Brazilian fauna, so that 

 the boundary between it and the Amazonian province must 

 lie still further north-west on the coast, whilst in the interior 

 it may correspond to the watershed between the Tocantins 

 and the Paranahyba. 



The following is an account of the birds of which I ob- 

 tained or observed specimens. The specimens are mostly 

 deposited in Mr. Sclater^s collection. 



