DISTRIBUTION IN SPACE 131 



Neotropical Region, where the species occupy 

 only the tropical portions of that division. The 

 Frogmouths (Podargidae), a small family of Goat- 

 suckers remarkable for their very large mouth, 

 are an avine feature of the Australian Region, 

 but some of the species are found over a con- 

 siderable portion of the Oriental Region. The 

 curious Oil Bird is the solitary member of the 

 last of the three families (Steatornithidae), and 

 is confined to the northern portions of the 

 Neotropical Region (from Peru to Guiana and 

 Venezuela). The fourth sub-order is composed 

 of the two very distinct families containing the 

 Swifts and the Humming-Birds respectively. 

 This sub -order is practically cosmopolitan, 

 although one of the families is entirely confined 

 to the New World, and the other is not repre- 

 sented in New Zealand. The Swifts (Cypselidae) 

 may justly rank as a cosmopolitan family, 

 although they are not found in New Zealand. 

 Three sub-families may be recognised. The 

 first contains the Typical Swifts (Cypselinae), 

 which have nearly the same range as the family, 

 except that they are not represented in the 

 Pacific. The second contains the Spine-tailed 

 Swifts (Chaeturinae), and is also a wide-ranging 

 group, represented in each of the great zoological 



