DISTRIBUTION IN SPACE 135 



Barbets and Honey Guides (Capitonidae) follow, 

 forming another tropical group, but of much 

 more extended distribution, being found in the 

 forest zone of the Equator round the world, 

 with the exception of Australia. The Barbets 

 are found in the Neotropical, Ethiopian, and 

 Oriental Regions. They are divisible into two 

 sub-families, viz., the Barbets (Capitoninae), rang- 

 ing through tropical America, Africa, and Asia, and 

 the Honey Guides (Indicatorinae), confined to the 

 tropics of Africa and Asia only. The distribu- 

 tion of these birds is specially interesting. They 

 are found in all parts of the Ethiopian Region, 

 with the exception of Madagascar; whilst in 

 Asia although found in the Himalayas they are 

 otherwise absent from India, yet appearing again 

 farther south and east on the mountains of the 

 Malay Archipelago and Borneo. The next family 

 consists of the Toucans (Rhamphastidae), another 

 most characteristic group of birds confined 

 to the Neotropical Region. All the species are 

 arboreal, and therefore confined to the forests, 

 not only of the lowlands but up to an elevation 

 of ten thousand feet. Their range extends as 

 far northwards as Mexico (but does not include 

 the West Indies, although one species reaches 

 Trinidad) and as far southwards as Argentina. 



