70 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ORNITHOLOGY, VOL. I. 



Cacti are common, and away from the river very few trees have 

 foliage. By ascending the mountains to the north of the town, 

 green trees and brooks of cool water may be found, but these all 

 disappear long before reaching the valley. Perhaps the most striking 

 object in the landscape of the valley is the tree cactus (Cereus), 

 which is the especial home of the Santa Cruz woodpecker (C. sancta- 

 cruzi] and the cactus wren (H. capistratus) . Its fruit is much sought 

 by orioles and the long-tailed jays. Birds were fairly abundant. 

 In addition to the species secured here, may be mentioned the man- 

 grove swallow (7. albilinea) and the killdeer (0. vociferus), neither 

 of which is represented in the collection. 



Los Amates, elevation about 60 feet, is in the rubber country. 

 The village is on the bank of the Motagua River, and the region 

 immediately surrounding it is densely covered with a great variety 

 of vegetation. It is practically useless to attempt to collect away 

 from the railroad or a path of some sort. Two weeks were spent at 

 Finca Chapulco, a rubber plantation, three or four miles from the 

 village. Mr. William McFarlane, manager of this estate, is not 

 only a good host but a most agreeable companion, and the stay there 

 was pleasant as well as profitable, notwithstanding the rain which 

 fell twelve out of the fourteen days. This region, away from the 

 river, offers occasional ridges covered with pine (P. caribaea), and 

 also open savannas bearing a coarse grass as high as one's head. 

 Many species of birds occur, but few of them are abundant, and the 

 rank nature of the vegetation makes collecting rather slow. 



Puerto Barrios was visited in February for the purpose of sending 

 specimens to Chicago. The steamer was a day late, and an attempt 

 was made to do some collecting. The place is a swamp, the only 

 way out being over the railway. Birds were scarce and well nigh 

 impossible to obtain. 



Gualan is at the head of canoe navigation on the Motagua River, 

 and just within the limits of the semi-arid area which extends up the 

 Motagua Valley far beyond El Rancho. Its altitude is about 250 

 feet. Its proximity to the swamp country makes it a particularly 

 good collecting ground, inasmuch as both lowland and upland species 

 are to be found, and in winter there are comparatively few obstruc- 

 tions to travel in any direction. The way from El Rancho to Guate- 

 mala City is mountainous, and until the Pacific side of the divide 

 was reached, perhaps 20 miles northeast of the city, very few birds 

 were seen. 



The collecting at Lake Amatitlan was in the neighborhood of 



