Distribution of Birds. 543 



" Aves " of the ' Biologia/ when completed, aa likely to 

 give us an alraoi-t perfect account of the Transpanamanic 

 Avifauna. 



It may not he necessary to mention numerous smaller 

 contributions to our knowledge of the birds of Central 

 America, but I may say that Mr. G. N. Lawrence, Mr. 

 Ridgway, and other ornithologists of the United States have 

 by no means neglected the subject. Senor J. C. Zeledon 

 has devoted special attention to the birds of his native 

 country, Costa Rica, and by his latest list (106) has shown us 

 that no less than 708 species are already known to him as 

 occurring within the limits of this Repul)lic. Mr. C. C. Nut- 

 ting has also given us a valuable contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the Birds of Nicaragua (107). 



3. The Andean Subregion. 



To trace out the limits of the Andean Subregion with any 

 degree of exactitude would, I fear, be a very difficult task. 

 But it appears to me, nevertheless, that the avifauna of the 

 higher Andean Ranges extending from Trinidad through 

 Venezuela and Colombia into Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia 

 cannot well be associated with the Amazonian Subregion on 

 ■the one side or the Transpanamanic on the other. It must, 

 however, be confessed that in some parts of its long extent it 

 assimilates rather to the Transpanamanic district, and in 

 others to the Amazonian. 



Of the birds of Venezuela we still lack a connected account, 

 and although many smaller contributions have been made to 

 this subject, much still remains to be done. I can think of 

 no more attractive ground for an enterprising ornithological 

 collector than the mountain-range of the Northern Andes, 

 commencing from above La Guayra and passing through 

 the Andes of Merida and Colombia. Although enormous 

 collections of native-made skins have been received from 

 Bogota during the last half-ce,ntury, little information has 

 been acquired about the exact localities and habits of the 

 numerous bii'ds of Colombia, and there is still much to be 

 learnt on this subject. There have been, of course, numerous 



