468 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence , Notices , fyc. 
more of this subject another time. This expedition did not 
result in much; but I see my way to some interesting facts 
respecting the elevation of the different species, especially the 
Humming-birds. Leaving the plains of Duenas, the first fresh 
species I came upon were Delattria viridipaltens and Petasophora 
thalassina; next, Selasphorus heloisce; and lastly, Lamprolcema 
rhami. I also took a nest with three eggs of Icterus wagleri . 
The structure, though of the same character—a hanging nest— 
is very different from that of /. gularis , the common species on 
the Yzabal road. The nest, which I now haye, has none of the 
depth of the other, but is comparatively shallow. Talking of 
nests, a day or two ago I found two of Spermophila moreleti , 
and took one rotten dried-up egg from one with a young one 
in it. Nothing could be more different than this nest and that 
of S. bicolory well described by A. Newton {anted, p. 147). That 
of S. moreleti , instead of the loose domed structure of S. bicolor 
with a large side-entrance composed entirely of one material, is 
one of the neatest nests you ever saw—-a beautiful, open, trans¬ 
parent nest, composed of fine roots and fibres, and lined with 
horse-hair. It is not placed resting on a branch, but is sus¬ 
pended, like a Reed Warbler's {Salicaria arundinacea ), by several 
small twigs. Something serious must be done about this—even 
to the making of a new genus, if it be not already done. The 
egg, too, differs materially. With these facts, it would be almost 
like putting Myiozetetes texensis with the genus Tyrannus, to 
keep S. moreleti with S. bicolor *. 
"In Mammals I have done but little as yet—only three 
squirrels and a young rabbit. I cannot get the Indians to bring 
any: they are an apathetic race, and embrace a new idea with 
great difficulty; yet I do not despair of getting them to search, for 
me, some day. Of cold-blooded Vertebrates (tell Dr. Gunther) 
I have two species of frogs, a toad, one snake, and some small 
freshwater fishes. Excepting the birds, I have neglected sadly 
to collect; but my time has been very much occupied these last 
three weeks in making a boat for a long-meditated expedition 
to the Lake of Atitlan, where W -- and I purpose going the 
* Spermophila bicolor properly belongs to the genus Phonipara, and is 
more nearly allied to Spiza. — Ed. 
