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

chap, xiii.] THE AUSTRALIAN REGION. 433gascar bird, and with Buphaga, an African genus ;but the peculiarbeak and nostrils approximate more to Crarticus and itsallies, of the Australian region, which should probably form adistinct family. Ceycopsis is undoubtedly intermediate betweenthe Malayan Ccyx and the African Ispidina, and is thereforeespeciallyinteresting. Meropogon is a remarkable form of beeeater,allied to the Indo-Malayan Nydiornis.raquet-tailed parrots) of which two species inhabitone the Philippines, appears to be allied toGeoffroyus.We must finally notice aPrioniturus (theCelebes, andthe Austro-Malayanfew genera found in Celebes, whosenearest allies are not in the surrounding islands, and which thusafford illustrations of discontinuous distribution. The most remarkable,perhaps, is Coracias, of which a fine species inhabitsCelebes ;while the genus is quite unknown in the Indo-Malaysub-region, and does not appear again till we reach Burmah andIndia ; and the species has no closer affinity for Indian than forAfrican forms. Myialestes, a small yellow flycatcher, is anotherexmple; its nearest ally (M. cinereocapilla) being a common Indianbird, but unknown in the Malay islands. The Celebesian birddescribed by me as Prionochilus aureolimbatus, is probably athird case of discontinuous distribution, if (as a more carefulexamination seems to show) it is not a Prionochilus, but congenericwith Pachyglossa, a bird only found in the Himalayas.The fine pigeon, Carpophaga forsteni, belongs to a group found inthe Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand ; but the Celebesspecies is very distinct from all the others, and seems, if anything,more allied to that of New Zealand.The Sula islands (Sula-mangola, Sula-taliabo, and Sula-besi)lie midway between Celebes and the Moluccas, being 80 milesfrom the nearest part of Celebes, with several interveningislands, and 40 miles from Bouru, all open sea. Their birdsshow, as might be expected, a blending of the two faunas, butwith a decided preponderance of that of Celebes. Out of 43land birds which have been collected in these islands, we maydeduct 6 as of wide range and no significance. Of the 37 remaining,21 are Celebesian species, and 4 are new species but