1883.] MR. A. BOUCARD ON BIRDS FROM YUCATAN. 435 



bicera, Ortyx nigrogularis, Melopelia leucoptera, Granatellus sallcei, 

 and others. A few of the others are- the usual North-American 

 species found all over America. One species seems to be very- 

 abundant near Merida, namely Eumomota superciliaris, originally dis- 

 covered in Nicaragua. I have also received this species from 

 Tehuantepec, from my friend Sumichrast ; so that up to this time 

 we may consider the extreme limits, north and south, known for this 

 species to be between Tehuantepec and Yucatan on the north and 

 Panama on the south, I never met with this species in South 

 Mexico. I have been surprised not to find among the birds of 

 Yucatan more of the species of the Antilles, the only exception 

 being Perisoglossa tigrina,Petrochelidonfulva, and Zenaida amabilis. 

 This shows clearly that the bird-fauna of Yucatan has hardly any 

 affinity with that of the Antilles, and that if the 25i'omontory of 

 Yucatan has ever been united with the Antilles, it must liave been 

 a very long time ago. Even if the island of Cuba has ever been 

 united to the continent, the distance between the coast of Yucatan 

 and the said island being comparatively small, it is rather strange 

 that more species of Yucatan arc not found in Cuba, or vice versa. 

 When Mr. Gaumer went to Yucatan, I confess that I was under 

 the impression that he would find there many of the peculiar 

 species of the Antilles ; but the years which he devoted in that 

 country to collecting all the species of birds shows clearly that 

 this idea must be given up altogether. Mr. George N. Law- 

 rence, of New York, who purchased the remainder of Gaumer's 

 duplicates, has lately described three supposed new species from 

 this source ; these are : — Leptoptila fidviventris (so closely allied 

 to L. albifrons ^ that I do not admit it as a good species) ; Formi- 

 carius pallidus'^ (closely allied to F. moniliger'), which I consider 

 a good species, because the characters given by Mr. Lawrence are 

 constant ; and Chatura gaumeri ^ which is closely allied to C. vauxi. 

 On this last-named species I cannot give my opinion, not having 

 received any specimens. Although the collection made by Mr. 

 Gaumer is not large, considering the time spent in collecting, it is 

 of great scientific interest in consequence of the great rarities which 

 he met with, some of which were known only by unique specimens, 

 and still more for the notes which he took on the country and on 

 the habits of birds. These notes can be well depended upon, Mr. 

 Gaumer being a very laborious naturalist and a careful observer. 

 All his observations agree exactly with those I made on many of the 

 same species of birds during my different travels in Mexico. 



Mr. Gaumer writes as follows about the climate and seasons of 

 Yucatan: — 



" I reached Yucatan on the 14th of October 1878, in the first 

 heavy norther of the season. The weather had been good for some 

 ten days before, the summer rains having ceased about ten days 

 (at least upon the coast). During October, November, and 

 December norther followed norther every ten to fourteen days, with 



^ Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sc. ii. p. 287. 



- Tom. cit. p. 288. 3 Tom. cit. p. 245. 



