1917.] Chapman, DistribvMon of Bird-life in Colombia. 131 



from the mouth of the Sinu River to the end of the Goaju-a Peninsula is 

 arid. Farther east the arid coastal strip extends into yenezuela but I have 

 not at hand exact data from which to determine its eastern Umits. 



In Colombia, in addition to the coastal district, this arid area occupies 

 the valleys lying between the Santa Marta groups and the Eastern Andes 

 and extends southward up the Magdalena Valley to the northern limits of 

 the forested, humid Cauca-Magdalena Fauna at approximately the junction 

 of the rivers from which this fauna takes its name. 



In those parts o'f this region with which we are familiar, the rainfall is 

 said to be small and irregular. In consequence there are no forests, the 

 open savannas supporting a scanty growth of acacias, mimosas, occasional 

 cacti and other xerophytic forms. 



In the vicinity of rivers, marshes and bayous afford a home for numer- 

 ous aquatic and palustrine forms, and near the coast there are vast expanses 

 of red mangroves bordering the bodies of tidal water. These might 

 indeed be set aside as constituting a small but distinct faunal area. We 

 have, however, done no collecting in them and I am unable to treat of their 

 fauna, but as a rule, aside from water birds, such regions contain few char- 

 acteristic species. 



In addition to such widely distributed scrub and savanna-inhabiting 

 species as Pyrocephalus r. heterurus, Muscimra tyrannus, Saltator olivascens, 

 Thraupis cana cana, etc., all of which appear to be of eastern origin, this 

 arid district possesses enough forms of its own to warrant, in my opinion, 

 its being distinguished as a distinct faunal area, for which the name 

 Caribbean seems appropriate. 



Some of the characteristic species of the Caribbean Fauna have crossed 

 the forests of thie Magdalena and reached the arid upper Magdalena Valley. 

 Examples are Colinus cristatus, Brotogeris jiigularis, Furnarius agnatus, 

 Heleodytes m. bicolor and H. brevirostris, but such distinctive species as 

 Psittacula spengeli, Picumnus cinnamomeus, and Syncdlaxis candei do not 

 appear to be known beyond the confines of the Caribbean Fauna. 



List of Species and Subspecies which Characterize the Caribbcean Fauna. 



Ortalis garrula ' ?Brotogeris jugularis 



Colinus cristatus decoratus Galbula ruficauda pallens 



Chsemepelia passerina albivitta Hypnelus ruficollis ruficollis 



Chlorostilbon haeberlini Chloronerpes xanthochlorus 



Aratinga aeruginosa aeruginosa Chrysoptilus punctigula ujhelyi 



Psittacula spengeli Picumnus cinnamomeus 



^ Recorded only from the Santa Malta district. 



