TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 105 



expedition up the Amazons in 1865, with the particular object of studying its fishes, 

 and amassed enormous collections of specimens for this purpose*. Whether (as 

 other naturalists have hinted) Professor Agassiz's estimate of the number of new 

 and undescribed species contained in his collections was exaggerated or not is 

 at present uncertain, as the specimens unfortunately lie unstudied in the Museum 

 of Compai'ative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass. It is a thousand pities this state of 

 things should continue ; and I venture to suggest to the great Professor's numerous 

 friends and admirers in the United States that no more appropriate tribute to his 

 memory could be raised than the publication of a Monograph of Amazonian Fishes 

 based on these collections f. 



4. The South-Brazilian Sdbregion. 



This subregion, which embraces the wood-region of S.E. Brazil and adjoining 

 districts, and contains in nearly every branch of zoology a set of species and genera 

 allied to but separable from those of the Amazonian Subregion, has been much fre- 

 quented by European naturalists. Its productions are consequently tolerably well 

 known, though there is even here still very much to be done. Bm-meister's 

 ' Systematische Uebersicht ' (77) and ' ErlJiuterungen ' (78) may be referred to for 

 information on its Mammals and Birds — likewise Prince Maximilian of Neu-Wied's 

 'Beiti'jige' (79), which, although of old standing in point of date, is still of great 

 value. The late Dr. Otto Wucherer, a German physician resident at Bahia, paid 

 much attention to the Reptiles of that disti-ict, and has written an account of its 

 Ophidians, which will be found in the Zoological Society's 'Proceedings ' (80). 



Hr. Hensel has also recently published in Wiegmann's 'Ai'chiv ' valuable memoirs 

 on Mammals and other Vertebrates collected in South Brazil (81, 82), which 

 should be referred to. Prof. Reinhardt has lately completed an excellent account 

 of the Avifauna of the Campos of Brazil, based on his own collections and those 

 of Dr. D. W. Limd (8.3) ; and Hr. v. Berlepsch has treated of the Birds of Santa 

 Cathai'ina (84). These are all most useful contributions to our knowledge of 

 this Subregion. But it is melancholy to think that although a (soi-disant) highly 

 civilized European race has occupied the Brazilian Empire so long, and has 

 introduced railways, steamboats, and many other of the appliances of modern 

 Europe, there has never, so far as I know, been produced amongst them any one 

 single memoir worthy of mention on the teeming variety of animal life that 

 everjTvhere surrounds their dwellings. 



For information on the animals of Paraguay we must still refer to the writings 

 of Don Felix de Azara (85), and to Dr. Hartlaub's reduction of his Spanish terms to 

 scientific nomenclature (80). As regards the Mammals, there is also the more recent 

 work of Rengger (87). But modern information about this part of the South- 

 Brazilian Subregion would be very desirable. 



6. The Patagonian Subregion. 



For the zoology of the Argentine Republic, which forms the northern portion of 

 this subregion, the best work of reference is the second volume of Dr. Burmeister's 

 ' La Plata-Reise ' (88), which contains a complete synopsis of the Vertebrates. 

 Dr. Burmeister, who is now resident at Buenos Ayres as Du-ector of the Public 

 Museum of that city, has lately devoted himself to the study of the extinct Mammal- 

 fauna, and specially to that of the Glyptodont Armadillos, of which he has lately 

 completed a splendidly illustrated Monograph (89). He has likewise been the 

 chief adviser of the Government in their plans for recognizing the University of 

 Cordova, which will ultimately no doubt do much for the cause of Natural science 

 in the Argentine Republic. Mr. W. H. Hudson, of Buenos Apes, has long studied 

 the birds and other animals of that country, and deserves honourable mention in a 

 country where so few of the native-born citizens pursue science. His bii'd-coUections 



* Spe ' Travels in Brazil,' by Prof, and Mrs. Louis Agassiz : Boston, 1868. 



t Mr. Alexander Agassiz informs me that tliese collections are not so entirely unworked 

 as I had supposed when tliis .address was read. Dr. Steindachner has been through them ; 

 and Mr. Putnam has announced a " Catalogue of the Agassiz Collection of Fishes " as 

 preparing for pubUcation, 



1875. 9 



