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

——348 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi.or mainly Oriental, and most of them are genera which rangewidely over the region, only two (Philentoma and Rolhdus) beingexclusively Malayan, and two others {Megalurus and Malacocircus)more especially Indian or continental. Five other genera, thoughhaving a wide range, are typically Palrearctic, and have reachedthe islands through North China. They are, Monticola, Acrocephalus,Phylloscopus, Calliope, and Passer ; the two first havingextended their range southward into the Moluccas. The peculiarlyAustralian genera are only 12, the majority being characteristicPapuan and Moluccan forms ; such as Gampephaga,Alcyone, Cacatua, Tanygnathus, Ptilopus, Janthcenas, Phlogamas,and Megapodius. One is peculiar to Celebes (Prioniturus) ; oneto the Papuan group (Cyclopsitta) ; and one is chiefly Australian(Gerygone). The beautiful little parroquets forming the genusLoriculus, are characteristic of the Philippines, which possess 5species, a larger number than occurs in any other group ofislands, though they range from India to New Guinea. There remainsix peculiar genera Bhabdornis, an isolated form of creepers(Certhiida?) : Gymnops, a remarkable bareheaded bird belongingto the starlings (Stumidae); Dasylophus, and Lepidogrammus,remarkable genera of cuckoos (Cuculidse) ; Penelopides, a peculiarhornbill, and Phapitreron, a genus ofpigeons. Besides thesethere are four other types (here classed as sub-genera, but consideredto be distinct by Lord Walden) which are peculiar tothe Philippines. These are Pseudoptynx, an owl of the genusAthene; Pseudolcdage, a sub-genus oiLalage; Zeocephus, a subgenusoiTchiirea;and Ptilocolpa, included under Garpophaga.When we look at the position of the Philippine group, connectedby the Bashee islands with Formosa, by Palawan and theSooloo archipelago with Borneo, and by the Tulour and otherislets with the Moluccas and Celebes, we have little difficulty inaccounting for the peculiarities of its bird fauna. The absenceof a large number of Malayan groups would indicate that theactual connection with Borneo, which seems necessary for theintroduction of the Malay types of mammalia, was not of longduration ; while the large proportion of wide-spread continentalgenera of birds would seem to imply that greater facilities had