130 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



islands. Some few of the species in this order 

 occupy enormous geographical areas, among the 

 most remarkable being the Barn Owl and the 

 Short-eared Owl. Many of the genera are 

 common to the Old and New Worlds ; a lesser 

 number are limited to the Eastern Hemisphere, 

 whilst a few are similarly restricted to the 

 Western Hemisphere. The Snowy Owl is a fea- 

 ture of the Arctic Regions as the Burrowing Owl 

 is of the American prairies ; whilst the Hawk 

 Owl is most typical of the northern woods. 



Following the Owls we come to the apparently 

 nearly alHed Goatsuckers, forming the sub-order 

 Caprimulgi, under which term are included three 

 families. This sub -order may be classed as 

 almost a cosmopolitan one, except that it is not 

 represented in New Zealand or in some of the 

 most isolated of the islands in the Pacific, nor 

 does it penetrate into the Arctic Regions. The 

 general distribution of the three families is as 

 follows. The Typical Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae) 

 are divisible into two sub-families. Of these the 

 Caprimulginae is by far the most cosmopolitan, 

 having practically the range of the family, re- 

 presented in every zoological region excepting 

 New Zealand and the Eastern Pacific islands. 

 The Nyctibiinae is, however, restricted to the 



