GUPPY — SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN TRINIDAD. 
83 
been much better known than it is, and were we even in 
the position in this respect of a province of a European 
State, Dr. Leotaud’ s work would still have been of great 
interest and utility ; but when we consider that the present 
work is absolutely the first which has undertaken to treat 
systematically of the Birds of the island, it will be seen that 
we have in this respect risen suddenly from a state of al- 
most entire want of information respecting our ornitholo- 
gical fauna to the possession of a work scarcely inferior in 
scientific treatment and in fulness of descriptive detail to 
those of more favored countries. 
Dr. Leotaud has scarcely perhaps elaborated his synonymy 
to the extent which might have been desirable. More in- 
formation as to the distribution of the species would have 
been very acceptable. By the tables given we find that 23 
species are common to Trinidad, North- Am erica, Jamaica 
and Cuba; 18 to Trinidad, North- America and Jamaica; 
9 to Trinidad, North- America and Cuba ; 23 to Trinidad 
and North- America ; 10 to Trinidad and Jamaica ; 6 to 
Trinidad and Cuba; and 6 to Trinidad, Cuba and Jamaica. 
By adding together the numbers for these places we find 
that 73 species are common to Trinidad and North- Am erica, 
57 to Trinidad and Jamaica, and 44 to Trinidad and Cuba. 
This shows a closer analogy between the ornithic faunas of 
North- America and Trinidad than between those of the lat- 
ter place and the Antilles. We have also the interesting 
fact that while the Birds of Cuba number 129 and those of 
Jamaica 185, our own island furnishes the much greater 
number of 297. We have no information from Dr. Leotaud 
on the precise differences and affinities of our fauna com- 
pared with that of South-Ameriea as to Birds ; but it may 
readily be inferred from his remarks that he considers Tri- 
