DISTRIBUTION IN SPACE iii 



the order Pelargiformes (the next in our 

 sequence) are, taken as a group, cosmopohtan 

 in distribution, but some of the famihes are 

 more or less locaHsed. The Herons and 

 Spoonbills are thorough cosmopolites, although 

 the latter do not extend into high latitudes, 

 and are absent from most parts of Oceania. 

 The Storks form the next most wide-ranging 

 family, most abundantly dispersed over the 

 Old World, where they are represented in 

 every Region, and least so in the New World, 

 where, however, they occupy both the Nearctic 

 and the Neotropical Regions. The Ibises are 

 nearly cosmopolitan, but do not extend into 

 the colder zones. Both Storks and Ibises are 

 absent from the Pacific Islands. The remark- 

 able Shoe-bill (Balaeniceps rex) is restricted to 

 the central portions of the Ethiopian Region ; 

 whilst the equally aberrant Hammer - head 

 (Scopus umbretta) is found over most parts 

 of that region, including Madagascar. Passing 

 on to the Pelecaniformes, the order, taken 

 collectively, is a most thoroughly cosmopolitan 

 one, but many of the families which compose 

 it are of somewhat restricted distribution. 

 Taking the half-dozen families separately, we 

 have the following facts. The Tropic Birds 



