59 



3. Notes on a Collsctiom <>i Birds rikkivkd nv M. Vf.r- 

 reavv in 1'\ki- i ROM Tin: Rio NAFO in tim: BlPUBLIC of 

 Ecuador. By Philiv Lutlyi Sclatsb, M.A., F.L.S. in 



(Avcs, PI. CXXXII.) 



Some time since I had the honour of directing the attention of 

 tin-* Society to a collection of birds belonging to .Mr. Gould, which 

 had been formed on the upper Rio Napo, in the province of Qoixos, 

 in the eastern part of the republic of Ecuador*. Several other small 

 collections have lately come into the possession of Sir William Jardine 

 and Mr. Gould from the same country, to all appearances prepared 

 by the same hand ; but there has been nothing very striking in the 

 way of novelties amongst them, with the exception perhaps of a new 

 Motmot (Momotua tequatorialit, Gould, 1*. Z. 8. 1857, p. 223) and 

 one or two scarce species of Toucan. 



Judging from the labels on some of these specimens, 1 am led to 

 believe that they were collected by a physician and naturalist named 

 Villavicencio, lately resident at Puerto del Napo, where be is spoken 

 of by the great Italian traveller Osculati in bis ' Esplorazione delle 

 Regioni Ecpiatoriali f,' and to wdiom M. Bourcier has dedicated 

 the beautiful Humming-bird called Heliomaster villavicencii. I am 

 glad of this opportunity of stating that I have been informed that 

 this gentleman is now on his way to Europe, with the object of pub- 

 lishing maps of the republic of Ecuador, and giving to the world an 

 account of his discoveries in that little-known country. 



M. Verreaux's fine series of birds — embracing upwards of 170 

 species, a part of which I now have the pleasure of exhibiting to tine 

 Society — has evidently been formed in nearly the same locality as 

 those which I have just mentioned, and contains specimens of most 

 of the species which I have pre\ iously noticed as coming from this 

 quarter. There are, however, many additional species, and upwards 

 of twenty which I consider unnamed, and have accordingly d< scribed 

 as new, and among these are several very peculiar forms. M. Yt-r- 

 reaux, knowing the interest which I take in tracing the range of 

 species, has kindly transmitted to me a perfect series, and I have 

 thought it desirable to give a complete list of them, in order to show 

 the general character of the Avi-fauna of this country. 



M. Jules Verreaux carefully examined the whole of these birds 

 before they left his brother's hands, labelling nearly every spirit--, 

 and thus greatly lightening the severe labour of finding correct names 

 for so large a collection. In the case of the new Bpecies 1 have 

 always adopted his Ms. names, and in this, as in other instances, have 

 seldom found it necessary to disagree from the results at which he 

 has arrived. 



The i i noticeable things in the collection are two Tanagers, 



which seem to be not only specifically but genetically different rrom 



* See P. /■• S. L854, p. 1W el seq. 



f Esplorazione ilelle Region.: Bqnitoriali luiieo il Napo t-<l il flame cteUc Amaz- 

 zoni, da Gaetano Osculati. Ed 2. Milan.), 1854, 1 foL - 



