542 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Geographical 



the U.S. National Museum (91-98) . Mr. Cory has published 

 two illustrated volumes on the Birds of Haiti (99) and the 

 Bahamas (100)^ and has besides prepared a complete catalogue 

 of the Birds ol-; the West Indies (101, 102), of which the last 

 edition was issued in 1889. We may thus assume to have 

 already a pretty good general knowledge of the avifauna of 

 the Antillean Subregion, although it is still necessary that 

 each of the numerous islands should be carefully explored 

 (which is by no means yet the case) before our knowledge 

 of the subregion can be deemed to be anything like perfect. 

 With a view of contributing towards this desirable result 

 I may add that a joint committee of members of the British 

 Association for the Advancement of Science and of the 

 Boyal Society has been formed in London for the purpose 

 of investigating the Zoology and Botany of the West-India 

 Islands, and that several energetic collectors have already 

 been despatched to the scene of action (103, 104) . 



2. The Transpanamanic Subregion. 

 Enormous progress has been made in our knowledge of 

 the birds of Central America during the past twenty years, 

 and this avifauna has now become one of the best known of 

 the whole Neotropical Region. This result has been mainly 

 obtained by the exertions and enterprise of my friends 

 Mr. O. Salvin and Mr. F. D. Godman, whose names will 

 ever be associated together as the planners and executors of 

 the ' Biologia Cenirali-Americana ' (105), one of the best- 

 executed and most important natural history works of the 

 present epoch. Of the portion relating to the bii'ds, the 

 first volume (containing the Osciniue Passeres) is already 

 complete, and the second is making rapid progress. The 

 collections made in every part of Central America by expe- 

 rienced collectors for the use of this work have been de- 

 posited in the British Museum, so that they will always 

 remain accessible to the scientific student. A supplement, 

 no doubt, will be necessary before the bird-portion of the 

 'Biologia' is finally concluded, as even now novelties are 

 continually turning up; but M^e may look forward to the 



