92 JOTTINGS ABOUT BIRDS. 



may safely conclude is an impassable barrier to 

 such an oceanic species. 



Several other instances may be given from 

 amongst the birds of prey and the Owls. Thus 

 Machceramplms anderssoni is an inhabitant of the 

 west coast of Africa, say from the equator to 

 Damara Land ; it is also found in Madagascar, 

 but not in the intervening country so far as is 

 known. The Fish Owl, Ketupa JIavipes, in- 

 habits the coast districts of China and Northern 

 India. Another instance is furnished by Asio 

 capensis, which is found in Morocco, and then 

 again in South Africa; whilst lastly, Sijnuum new- 

 areiue is, I believe, solely confined to Northern 

 India {S. imlranee is a small race confined to 

 Southern India), and strangely enough to the 

 island of Formosa, a locality nearly two thousand 

 miles away. 



Amongst the Ducks we have as one instance the 

 remarkable distribution of Dendrocygna fulva, a 

 bird which inhabits Tropical America from Mexico 

 to Buenos Ayres, and is found in Madagascar and 

 India. This to my mind is also another proof of 

 Antarctic dispersal, and a more continuous land 

 area between S. Africa and India during remote 

 ages. 



