VI INTEODUCTION. 



having a peculiar humming-bird, Lampornis hendersoni) ; and some places on the 

 Isthmus of Darien a little to the south of the political limit of the State of Panama. 

 Baja (or Lower) California, though belonging politically to Mexico, is excluded. 



The 1413 species of birds included in this work embrace representatives of 

 seventy-eight families and 539 genera. Out of the twenty Orders given in the 

 ' Nomenclator Avium Neotropicalium ' (1873), all but three (the Opisthocomi, the 

 Struthiones, and the Impennes) are represented. The other Neotropical families 

 wholly absent from Central America are the Phytotomidse, amongst the Passeres ; the 

 Steatornithidse, of the Macrochires ; the Todidse, of the Coccyges ; the Palamedeidse, 

 of the Anseres ; the Cariamidse and Psophiidse, of the Geranomorphae ; and the 

 Chionididse and Thinocoridse, of the Limicolse. To the Passeres belong rather more 

 than half (741) of the total number of Central- American species, this proportion being 

 much greater than that given in the 'Nomenclator' for the whole of the Neotropical 

 Kegion, with 3565 species, where the numbers are 1976 and 1589 respectively. 



The geographical distribution of the families, exclusive of the Sea-birds and Waders, 

 may be stated as follows : (1) Exclusively Neotropical — Coerebidse, Oxyrhamphidse, 

 Pipridse, Dendrocolaptidse, Formicariidse, Pteroptochidae, Momotidse, Galbulidse, 

 Bucconidae, Ehamphastidse, Cancromidae, Eurypygidse, and Tinamidse (the subfamily 

 Tinamotidinse excepted) ; (2) Neotropical, but represented by one or more species in 

 North America — ^Tanagridse {Pyranga), Icteridae, Tyrannidse, Cotingidae {Hadrostomus), 

 Trochilidse, Sarcorhamphidae, Cracidae, Aramidse, and Parridae; (3) Tropical countries 

 generally — Trogonidae and Psittacidae (each with a single species extending to a little 

 north of our boundary), Capitonidae, Plotidae, and Heliornithidae ; (4) North and 

 Central America — Meleagridae (not reaching south of Guatemala); (5) Nearctic, 

 migrating south during the northern winter — Mniotiltidae and Vireonidae ; (6) Holarctic, 

 migrating south during the northern winter — Turdidae, Motacillidae, Laniidse, Hirun- 

 dinidae, Fringillidae, Cypselidae, Caprimulgidae, Picidae ; and (7) Cosmopolitan — 

 Corvidae, Alaudidae, Cuculidae, Strigidae, Asionidae, Pandionidae, Falconidae, Ardeidae, 

 Ciconiidse, Plataleidae, Ibididae, Phoenicopteridse (except Australia), Anatidse, Colum- 

 bidae, Peristeridae, Phasianidae, Eallidae, Gruidte, CEdicnemidae (not reaching north of 

 Mexico), and Charadriidae. 



Amongst the genera, thirty-eight are endemic : — Trochilidae (14), Fringillidae (4), 

 Momotidae, Corvidse, Ampelidae, and Turdidse (2 each), and Troglodytidae, Mniotiltidae, 



