TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 103 



4. The South-BrazUian Subrer/ion, coutaiuing tho wood-region of S.E. Brazil and 

 Paraguay and adjoining districts. 



5. Tho^ Pdtagotiian Subrer/ian, containing Chili, La Plata, Patagonia, and tlio 

 Falklands. 



Besides these we have : — 

 ■ G. The Galapagos, which, whether or not they can he assigned to any other Suh- 

 region, must be spoken of separately. 



1. The Central iXjviEEiCAN Sueregion 



was, up to twenty years ago, very little k-nown, hut has recently heen explored in 

 nearly every part, and is perhaps now more nearly worked out than any other of 

 tho above-mentioned Subregions. There is, however, as yet no complete work on 

 the zoology of any portion of it ; and the discoveries of Sallt?, Boucard, de Saussure, 

 aud Sumic'hrast in Mexico, of Salvin in Guatemala, of v. Frantzius and Ilottman in 

 Costa Rica, of Bridges and Arce in Veragua, and of M'Leaunan in Panama, together 

 with those of numerous other collectors, are spread abroad among the scientitic 

 periodicals of Em'ope and America. Even of Mexican zoology, long as it has been 

 more or less known, we have no general account. To meution all these memoirs 

 in detail * would be impossible within the limits of this address; but I will say a 

 few words about the more important of them that have lately appeared. 



The French are now publishiug a worlc on the results of their scientific expedition 

 to Mexico during the short-lived Empire. Three parts on the- Reptiles, by llumeril 

 and Bocourt, were issued in 1870 ; and a part on the fishes, by Vaillant and Bocoxu-t, 

 has recently appeared (35). 



A paper on the Mammals of Costa Rica has lately l^ecn published by v. Frantzius 

 in Wiegmann's Archiv (36). Unfortunately, 4t seems to have been drawn up mainly 

 from notes, without reference to the specimens in the Berlin Museum, but neverthe- 

 less contains much that is useful and of interest. 



Dr. Giinther's admirable memoir of the Fishes of Central America, published in 

 the Zoological Society's Transactions in 1869 (37), is based upon the collections 

 made by Capt. Dow in various pai-ts of the coast, and by Messrs. Sah-in and God- 

 man in the freshwater lakes of the highlands of Guatemala and in other localities. 

 Its value in relation to om- general knowledge of the fishes of this portion of 

 America, heretofore so imperfectly Imown, can hardly be overestimated. 



As regards the Birds of Central America, it is much to be regretted that we have 

 at present no one authority to refer to. The collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman 

 embraces very large series from different parts of this region, and together with those 

 of my collection, wherein are the types of the species described in my own papers, 

 woidi afford abundant materials for such a task. Mr. Salvin and I have often 

 formed plans on this subject ; and I trust we may before long see the results of them. 

 A similai- memoir on the Mammals of Central America is likewise of pressing 

 necessity for the better rmderstanding of the Neotropical Mammal-fauna. There 

 are considerable materials available for this purpose in the collections sent by Sahin 

 and Arce to the British Museum ; aud I hope that some naturalist may shortly be 

 indiiced to undertake this task. 



* Some of the more important are M. de Saussure's papers on the Mammals of 

 Mexico in the 'Kevue Zoologique' for 1800 (3), sixteen papers by myself on the birds of 



, publii , , 



of Vera Cruz, published at Boston in 18(19 (23), and Mr. Lawrence's memoir on the birds 

 of North-western Mexico in the second volume of the Boston Society's memoirs (24). As 

 regards Guatemala, consult 'The Ibis ' for 18.59 and 18(10, " Sclater and Salvin" (25, 26), 

 and 1865 and 18GG, " Salvin' ' (27, 28) ; for Honduras see G. C. Taylor in ' Ibia ' 1800 (29) ; 

 for Costa Eica consult Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn. 1800 (30), Mr. Lawrence's catalogue of 

 Costa-Eican birds (31), and Mr. Salvin's remarks on it in ' Ibis,' 18(19 (32). For Cbiriqui 

 refer to Mr. Salvin's memoirs (33) in P. Z. S. For Panama see Mr. Lawrence's Catalogue 

 (Ann. L. N. York), and Messrs Sclater and Salvin's paper in P. Z. S. 1864 (34) 



