"^■iii INTEODUCTION. 



Meleagris ocellata, Pharomacrus mocinno, and Zeledonia coronata) restricted to it. 

 Central America, as here treated, is in fact merely a sub region of the Neotropical 

 Eegion, with a large admixture of Nearctic forms, especially during the northern 

 winter. 



India, including Ceylon and Burma, the birds of which have been most exhaustively 

 studied, and which is perhaps the only other well-defined tropical region with which 

 the Central-American Avifauna can be compared, has 1626 species (Blanford, 1898) 

 as against our 1413. It must be remembered, however, that the area of India is 

 nearly twice as large as that of our region, so that the balance of numbers is very 

 considerably in favour of Central America, North America has 768 species (A.O.U. 

 Check-list, 1895). 



The material for this work was mainly obtained by Salvin and myself during our 

 several visits to Central America. Salvin visited Guatemala three times — in 1857- 

 1858 ; 1861-1863, in company with myself, for part of the time ; and, finally, in 1867. 

 On his way to and from Guatemala he also collected (with me) in British Honduras, 

 and on one of these trips he also investigated en route various places on the Isthmus 

 of Panama, Salvin first reached Belize in December 1857, After a few days' stay he 

 proceeded down the coast to Yzabal, over the inland lake called the Golfo Dulce, and 

 thence to the city of Guatemala, collecting by the way, Duenas, about thirty miles 

 south of the capital, situated between the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, was his 

 headquarters during his six-months' residence in the country ; but he also made two 

 excursions towards the Pacific coast, and one to the lake of Atitlan in the Los Altos 

 region. Leaving the country in June 1858, he returned home by way of Panama. On 

 the second journey I accompanied him. We arrived at Belize in September 1861, having 

 spent about three weeks in Jamaica on the way. From Belize we proceeded via the 

 Golfo Dulce to Yzabal, remained there a few days, and then passed on over the Mico 

 Mountains to the ruins of Quirigua. From Quirigua we travelled via Zacapa and 

 Guatemala city to Duenas, Here we stayed for about three months, collecting 

 principally in the forests on the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego. We then went 

 to San Gerdnimo, in Baja Vera Paz, and spent about two months there, making various 

 excursions to the mountains of Santa Cruz, Chilasco, &c. From San Geronimo we 

 continued our journey to Cohan, whence trips were made to Choctum and Cubilguitz in 

 the low ground of Alta Vera Paz. Salvin left me at Cohan, and went to Peten, by way 

 of Lanquin, Cahabon, and Chisec, and on by the River Belize to Belize, subsequently 



