110 THE WANDERINGS OF ANIMALS [CH. 



neither New Zealand, nor the naturally unsuitable 

 Malay Islands, nor Madagascar. 



Birds of Prey. The American vultures or 

 Cathartae form a separate sub-order ; absolutely 

 restricted to both Americas. The Old World scaven- 

 gers, Vulturidae, are chiefly African, whence they 

 extend in a peculiar manner. They occur regularly 

 in Mediterranean countries, thence far into India 

 but stopping short of China, Borneo, Sumatra, 

 Ceylon and Madagascar. The osprey, Pandion, is 

 cosmopolitan, with the curious exceptions of Ireland, 

 Iceland and New Zealand. Accipitres, the diurnal 

 birds of prey, without the Cathartae, are known 

 from French Oligocene, e.g. the * secretary-bird ' 

 which is now restricted to Africa. They are an 

 essentially Old World order, which however has sent 

 many eagles, hawks and falcons to America. 



Gallinaceous Birds. It was upon the present 

 distribution of the fowl tribe that Huxley to a great 

 extent founded his division of the globe into a north 

 and south world. I. Peristeropodous or pigeon-footed 

 fowls, i.e. with all the toes on the same level, are 

 (1) the Megapodes or Talegallas or brush turkeys in 

 Australasia, from Tasmania to the Philippines ; (2) the 

 American forest fowls, curassows and guans, or 

 Cracidae from Paraguay to Texas, excluding Antilles. 

 II. Alectoropodous or cock-footed, with the hind-toe 

 rooted above the front-toes. To these GalUdae belong 



