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Show 254 MESSRS. SCLATER AND SALVIN ON [Mar. 4, river rises, when the current is fearfully rapid. After arriving at Baradero, the Tambos of the Teniente Govemador, I prepared for five or six days' journey through the dense forest of this wonderful region, rain continuing to fall the whole of the five days of tramp, in which time I arrived at the magnificent open town of Xeberos. I there formed a fair collection of all the small birds which are always to be found upon the open sandy campos. I made myself well acquainted with the surrounding country, and ascertained that there was an Indian footpath, some six or eight days' journey, through the forest to Chyavitas; so I determined upon going to that town, and returning the same for the rest of may baggage, which I was compelled to leave behind. Chyavitas is a small town situated on one of the lower spurs of the eastern ranges of the Andes, running towards the great river. I obtained from that region several interesting specimens, amongst which was the Ateles bartlettii, Gray (see Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 748). I returned to Xeberos by the same road, and thence descended the Apyanas, which flows into the Huallaga, below the town of Lagunas, and not into the Maranon as has been stated. I ascended the Huallaga as far as Lagunas, and thence took the steamer to Yurimaguas for the purpose of preparing my collections to forward to England. I collected about Yurimaguas until April 1867, and then went on to Chamicuros, where I passed twelve months. I afterwards visited Santa Cruz on the Huallaga, where I made the largest and most valuable portion of the collections brought home." The following is a summary of the birds met with of this district, so far as they are known to us from the collections above referred to, and of the species amongst them which may be considered probably peculiar to the Upper-Amazonian fauna :- Order. I. Passeres II. Cypseli III. Pici IV. Coccyges V. Psittaci VI. Accipitres VII. Striges VIII. Steganopodes ., IX. Anseres X. Herodiones XI. Columbae XII. GaUinse XIII. Grues XIV. Gralhe XV. Gavia** XVI. Crypturi 108 365 473 Our general conclusions as to the avifauna of the Peruvian Department Amazonas, from the examination of these collections, are as follows:- Species peculiar. 72 9 4 14 5 • . . • *• • • • ... 2 1 • • • t . . 1 species not peculiar. 173 34 11 41 20 24 4 2 5 13 7 5 7 12 3 4 Total. 245 43 15 55 25 24 4 2 5 13 7 7 8 12 3 5 |
