316 Recently published Ornithological Wa-ks. 



South Kensington^ lias an extensive knowledge of Soutli- 

 American birds; while Lord Brabourne has already visited 

 South America for collecting-purposes^ and is now, we 

 believe, in Peru, endeavouring to improve his personal 

 knowledge of its attractive Avifauna. 



The authors have thought it expedient to commence their 

 labours by a nominal list of the species of birds which they 

 propose to treat of, and in some cases this is, no doubt, a 

 very good plan. But as regards South-American birds 

 the number of species is so large, and many of the districts 

 embraced in its area are so little explored, that a large 

 number of additions and alterations will be required in "the 

 second edition,'^ as we may venture to call it, which may 

 prove to be rather confusing. Besides, the army of 

 " splitters " is daily increasing, and we have no doubt that 

 large additions will be made to the ' List of Sou.th American 

 Birds ' before the authors have finished their work. 



The geographical limits recognized in this List do not 

 quite coincide with those of the Neotropical Region, as 

 Central America, the Antilles, and the Galapagos, all of 

 which certainly belong to the Neotropical Region, are not 

 included. It is true that the West India Islands have been 

 well worked by our friends in the United States, and that 

 the birds of the Galapagos deserve a separate treatment. 

 But we think it would have been better to have included 

 Central America, as it has many representatives of what are 

 strictly South-American types (Cotlnga, Chasmorhynchus , 

 &c.). But Central America has been fully treated in 

 Godman's splendid ' Biologia Centrali-Americana ' and is 

 comprehended in Mr. Ridgway^s great work which is still 

 unfinished, and perhaps hardly requires another investigation 

 at present. 



The systematic arrangement and nomenclature of the 

 present work are those of Sharpe's ' Hand-list ' or nearly 

 so. We note, Avith pleasure, that the authors have not, so 

 far, found it necessary to employ " trinomials," although they 

 threaten to do so in the complete work. We trust, however, 



