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

—chap, x.] THE PAL^ARCTIC REGION. 223included in Pere David's list, but no doubt occur only in thelowlands and warm valleys, and can hardly be considered tobelong to the Paloearctic region : Paguma, Helictis, Arctonyx,Rhizomys, Manis. The Rhizomys from Moupin is a peculiarspecies of this tropical genus, but all the others inhabit SouthernChina.A few additional forms occur in Japan :Urotrichus, a peculiarMole, which is found also in north-west America ; Enhydra, thesea otter of California; and the dormouse (Myoxus). Japan alsopossesses peculiar species of Macacus, Talpa, Meles, Canis, andSciuropterus.It will be seen that this sub-region is remarkably richin Insectivora, of which it possesses ten genera ; and thatit has also several peculiar forms of Carnivora, Ptodentia, andRuminants.Birds.—To give an accurate idea of the ornithology of thissub-region is very difficult,both on account of its extreme richnessand the impossibility of defining the limits between it andthe Oriental region. A considerable number of genera whicharewell developed in the high Himalayas, and some which arepeculiar to that district, have hitherto always been classed asIndian, and therefore Oriental groups ; but they more properlybelong to this sub-region. Many of them frequent the highestforests, or descend into the Himalayan temperate zone only inwinter ; and others are so intimately connected with Paleearcticspecies, that they can only be considered as stragglers into theborder land of the Oriental region. On these principles weconsider the following genera to be confined to this sub-region :Grandala, Nemura (Sylviidee) ; Pterorhinus (Timaliidie) ;Cholomis, Conostoma, Heteromorpha (Panuridre) ; Cyanoptila(Muscicapidae) ; Eophona (Fringillidae) ; Dendrotreron (Columbidae);Lophoylioms, Tetraophasis, Crossoptilon, Pucrasia, Thauinnlea, and Ithaginis (Phasianidse). This may be called thesub-region of Pheasants ; for the above six genera, comprisingsixteen species of the most magnificent birds in the world, areall confined to the temperate or cold mountainous regions ofthe Himalayas, Thibet, and China ; and in addition we have