The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

——chap, x.] THE PAL.EARCTIC REGION. 183ists that the Palsearctic region could not be well characterised byits peculiar genera of birds. In Mr. Sclater's celebrated paperalready referred to, he remarks, " It cannot be denied that theornithology of the Palsearctic region isby what it has not than by what itmore easily characterisedhas," and this has been quiterecently quoted by Mr. Allen, in his essay on the distributionof North American birds, as ifit represented our present know•ledge of the subject. But, thanks to the labours of Dr.Jerdon, Mr. Swinhoe, Pere David and others, we have nowlearnt that a large number of birds included in the Indianlist, are either mere winter emigrants from Central Asia, or onlyinhabit the higher ranges of the Himalayas, and thus reallybelong to the Pakearctic region. The result is, that a host ofgenera are now seen to be either exclusively or characteristicallyPalsearctic, and we have no furtherornithological characters to the region.difficulty in giving positiveIn the tables appendedto this chapter, all these truly Palsearctic genera willbe foundprinted in italics, with an indication of their distribution, whichwill sometimes be found more fully given under the respectivefamilies in the fourth part of this work. Eeferring to this tablefor details we shall here summarise the results.Of the Sylviidse or warblers, no less than fourteen genera areeither exclusively or characteristically Palsearctic, of whichLocustella, Sylvia, Curruca and Erithacus are good examples.Of the oriental family Timaliidse, the genus Pterorhinus isPalsearctic.Of Panuridse, or reedlings, there are four peculiar genera(comprising almost the whole family) ;oneof Certhiidse, or creepers,Tichodroma—which extends southward to the Abyssinianhighlands. Of Paridse, or tits, oneAcredula ;of Corvidse, orcrows, four—Pica (containing our magpie) being a good example; ofFringillidse, or finches and buntings,twelve,amongwhichvl canthis,Pyrrhula and Emberiza are good illustrations ;of Alaudidse, orlarks, there are two peculiar genera.Leaving the Passeres we nextSyrrhaptescome to peculiar forms among the gallinaceous birds :among the Pteroclidse or sand grouse; four genera of Tetraonidse orgrouse and partridges, and five of Phasianidse or pheasants, comprisingsome of the most magnificent birds in the world.Lastly