59 
of some Guatemalan Birds. 
the remaining 17 we have a most valuable addition to our know¬ 
ledge of neotropical birds in the egg of the Quezal ( Pharomacrus 
paradiseus), as well as in those of Eumomota superciliaris, Pachy- 
rhamphus aglaice , Geococcyx affinis, Uruhitinga anthracina, and 
Asturina nitida, which, together with Mimus gracilis, Polioptila 
albiloris, Icterus gularis, I. mentalis, Centurus santacruzi, and 
(Edicnemus vocifer , I believe to be now described for the first time. 
The value of these eggs is very much enhanced by the exceedingly 
careful way in which they have been collected. In every case but 
one, that of Eumomota superciliaris, where no mistake could 
have been made, one of the parent birds was procured. Each 
egg was written on in ink, and the bird ticketed with a cor¬ 
responding number. The nests, too, which I shall describe below, 
have in many cases been sent. To the name of each species I 
have added a short description and the measurements of the 
egg. The rest of the paper is from Mr. Owen’s pen.—0. S. 
As any one who has travelled in this country will know, the 
drawbacks a collector has to contend with are not a few. Let 
these be my excuse for the smallness of my collection, which, I 
can assure my readers, is the result of some pretty hard work, 
and much exposure to a scorching sun. What disappointments 
the would-be naturalist has to suffer ! Nests found, but the 
wary birds not at home when called upon. Long and fruitless 
vigils to be kept, gun in hand, behind some bush,—safe, as 
one flatters oneself, from observation, and all the while a help¬ 
less victim to swarms of delighted mosquitoes, which vie with 
each other in their endeavours to improve the opportunity of 
tasting a little European blood. Then it would appear that the 
powers of the unseen work to one’s confusion. The other day 
I lost a very fine specimen of the f Kolol ’ ( Tinamus robustus ?) 
from a u bruja” having cast upon it the evil eye. Such at least 
was its end according to the belief of a “ carbonero ” who was 
bringing it to me from the mountain. He was coming along 
cheerfully enough with the bird under his arm, when he met a 
female of the “ bruja” family; there was no time to cover it up 
before the mischief was done and the victim struggling to 
death, all the while uttering most unusual cries. 
