Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/760

Rh 742 BIRDS [DISTEIBUTIOX. species of Owls (Strtgidce). There are no Psittaci or I icarice. The Paisered consist of 15 well-established species, all peculiar to the group, and belong to 10 generic forms, only 1 of which, the cosmopolitan Corvus, is known to occur elsewhere. The remainder arc restricted to the Hawaiian Islands, and may be referred to 2 families one the almost universally distributed Flycatchers (Miiscicapidce) , arid the other the Honeysuckers (Melvphagidai), which, as has been said before, are preeminently characteristic of the whole Australian Region ; but it is to be observed that the most of the species are remarkable for the extraordinary form of their bill, so that they may ultimately be found to constitute a special section of the family, if they be not considered to form a distinct one (Drepamdas). There are also two peculiar species of Water-birds a Coot (F-idica alai), and the well-known Sandwich-Island Goose (Bernida sandvicensis}, which has been very commonly domesticated in Europe. The Hawaiian Archipelago has thus a larger proportion of peculiar genera and species than any other group in the Subregion ; from which fact Mr Wallace infers, and no one can doubt the truth of the observation, the great antiquity of its isolation. (4.) The New-Zealand Subregion, however, is, and to all appearance long has been, more isolated still, probably, jion. ijjdeed^ longer isolated than any other portion of the globe. Beside the three larger islands, known in the aggregate as New Zealand, numerous satellites belong to the Subregion, as Lord Howe s, Norfolk, and Kermadoc Islands, with the Chatham, Auckland, and Macquarrie groups. At the highest estimate the Subregion contains about 150 existing species of birds, of which more than GO are Land- birds, belonging to about 34 genera, 16 of the latter being peculiar, and there may be some 5 genera of Water-birds, making 21 in all. Of the others 4 are widely spread, but the rest (9 in number) are characteristically those of the Region. Most of the genera occurring elsewhere are here represented by peculiar species, but then 5 are common to Australia. Some 7 or 8 are also allied to Australian species, and there are 4 Australian and 1 Polynesian species. Therefore every degree of similarity to Australia is to be found. Of peculiar genera it will suffice to say that 2 (Myiomoira and Miro) belong to the Warblers (Syl- viidce), 1 geuvis(Turnagra) perhaps comes under the Babblers (Timeliidai), and 2 genera (Xenicus and Acawtkositta) may be referred to the Creepers (Certhiidce). The Par idee have 1 genus (Certhiiparus), and the Jfeliphagidce 3 genera (Prosthemadura, Pogonornis, and Anthornis). The Starlings (Slurnidce) are represented by Callceas, Creadion, and the very abnormal or perhaps it would be better to say generalized Heterolocha. An entire and very distinct family (Strigopidce) of Parrots is certainly peculiar, and it may probably be justifiable to regard the genus Nestor as constituting a second. There is also an Owl, which has been usually considered the type of a genus (Sceloglaux) ; and the Rallidoe present two very remarkable forms the Wood-hens (Ocydromus) and the Takahe (Notornis), the last almost, if not quite, extinct. The widely-spread family of Plovers (Charadriidce) have two not less singular generic developments--27im0r;iw and the extraordinary Wrybill, Anarhynchus. Among the Ducks (Anatidas), Hymenolae- mus is a very curious form ; and, finally, among the Ratitce we have the whole family of weird-looking Kiwis (Aptery- gidce), represented by three or four species, which are totally unlike any other existing birds. In all, there is a wonderful amount of specialization, though perhaps in a very straight line from generalized forms ; but the affinity to Australian or Polynesian types is in many cases clearly traceable, and it cannot be supposed but that these last are of cognate origin with those of New Zealand. A very long period of isolation must have been required to produce the differences so manifestly to be observed, but a few forms seem at rare intervals to have immigrated, and this immigration would appear to be kept up to our own day, as shewn by the instance of Zosterops lateralis, which is said to have lately made- its first appearance, and to have established itself in the country, as well as by the fact of two Cuckows, the widely-ranging Uftdynami-s taitensis and Chrysococcyx lucidus, which are annual visitors. The most extraordinary ornithic feature of New Zealand, however, is unquestionably the former existence of the gigantic birds of the families Dinomithidce and Palaptery- gidce, with a few other contemporary forms. These, however, having been already mentioned there is no need to dwell further upon them. As a whole, the avifauna of New Zealand must be regarded as one of the most interesting and instructive in the world, and the inevitable doom which is awaiting its surviving members cannot but excite a lively regret in the minds of all ornithologists. This regret is quite apart from any question of sentiment ; if it were otherwise, it could not be defended against that sentiment which prompts our colonial fellow-subjects indiscriminately to stock their fields and forests, not only with the species of their mother-country, but with all the fowls of heaven, whencesoever they can be procured. The regret we express arises from the thought that just as we lament our ignor ance of the species which in various lands have been extirpated by our forefathers, so our posterity will want to know much more of the present ornis of New Zealand than we can possibly record ; for no one nowadays can pretend to predict the scope of investigation which will be required, and required in vain, by naturalists in that future when NeAY Zealand may be one of the great nations of the earth. II. THE NEOTROPICAL REGION, though presenting cer tain affinities to the Australian, and the only one which can be said to be zoologically allied to it, is yet almost as distinct in its character therefrom as it is geographically distant. Excepting towards its northern limits, where it meets and inosculates with the Nearctic Region, the bound ary of the Neotropical Region is simple enough to trace, comprehending as it does the whole of South America from Cape Horn to the Isthmus of Panama and all Central America, and reaching in North America to somewhere about the twenty-second parallel of north latitude ; besides including the Falkland Islands to the south-east, 1 and the Galapagos under the equator to the west, as well as the whole of the Antilles or West-India Islands up to the Florida Channel, which separates them from the peninsula of that name. Though over none but the remotest corners of this sufficiently large area is the supreme Class of animals formed (as we have found it to be the case throughout by far the greater portion of the Australian Region) by the Birds, yet they here play a part of very great importance, owing to the comparatively scanty number of Mammalian types. Among these last, however, there are two remark able groups the Pedimana, containing the only members of the Subclass Didelphia which occur at the present day 1 It may even be questionable whether Tristan da Cunha, though lying nearer to the African coast, should not be referred to the Neo tropical rather than to the Ethiopian Region. On this lone spot but four species of Land-birds are known to occur, all of which are peculiar two of them even generically. One is a Finch (Critharjra insutaris), belonging, it is true, to a genus very well represented in Africa ; but the second (Nesospiza acunhce) is the type and sole member of a genus which, whether it be considered a Finch or a Bunting, is said by Dr Cabanis, its describe! , to have unquestionable similarity to some South American forms (Journ. fur Orn. 1873, p. 154). The third bird is a Thrush (Nesocichla eremita), like the last, peculiar both in species and genus to the island, and apparently having no relation to anything Ethiopian ; while the fourth is a peculiar species of brevipennate Water-hen (Gallinula nesiotis), which may have been derived from either continent. Doom oi New Ze; land avi fauna. NEOTRO riCAL II GIOX. Bound aries. Import? of its Bi