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

——;444 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGKAPHY. [part m.possess hardly anything, but what they might have receivedby immigration over a wide extent of ocean.Zadrone, and Caroline Islands.—These extensive groups ofsmall islands are very imperfectly known, yet a considerablenumber of birds have been obtained. They possess twopeculiar Polynesian genera, Tatare and Sturnodes ; one peculiarsub-genus, Psammathia (here included under Acrocephalus);and ten of the typicalAustralian genera found in Polynesia,Lalage, Monarcha, Myiagra, Rhipidura, Myzomela, Erythrura,Artamtts, Phlogcenas, Ptilopus, and Megapodius, as well as thePapuan genus Pedes, and the Malayan Calornis ; —so that theycan be certainly placed in the sub-region. Genera which donot occur in the other Polynesian islands are, Acrocephalus, (s.g.Psammathia) originally derived perhaps from the Philippinesand Caprimulgus, a peculiar species, allied to one from Japan.New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides.—Although these islandsseem best placed with Polynesia, yet they form a transition toAustralia proper, and to the Papuan group. They possess 30genera of land-birds, 18 of which are typical of the Australianregion ; but wdiile 13 are also Polynesian, there are 5 which donot pass further east. These are Acanthiza, Eopsaltria, Gliciphila,Philemon, and Ianthoenas.The peculiar Polynesian genus,Aplonis, of which three species inhabit New Caledonia, link it tothe other portions of the sub-region. The following are thegenera at present known from New Caledonia :Turdus, Acanthiza,Campephaga, Lalage, Myiagra, Rhipidura, Pachycephala,Eopsaltria, Corvus, Physocorax (s.g. of Corvus, allied to the jackdaws),Glicphila, Anthochaira, Philemon, Zosterops, Erythrura,Aplonis, Artamtts, Cuculus, Halcyon, Collocalia, Cyanoramphus,Trichoglossus, Ptilopus, Carpophaga, Macropygia, Ianthoenas,Chalcophaps, Haliastur, Accipiter. The curious Phinochetusjubatus, forming the type of a distinct family of birds(Rhinochetidee),allied to the herons, is only known from New Caledonia.It thus appears, that not more than about 50 genera and 150species of land-birds, are known from the vast number of islandsthat are scattered over the Central Pacific, and it is not probable