316 ISLAND LIFE pakt ii 



tanagers (Tanagridae). They possess singularly varied beaks, 

 some . having this organ much thickened like those of 

 finches, to which family some of them have been supposed 

 to belong. In any case they form a most peculiar group, 

 and cannot be associated with any other known birds. 

 The last species, and the only one not belonging to a 

 peculiar genus, is the Hawaiian crow, belonging to the 

 almost universally distributed genus Corvus. 



On the whole, the affinities of these birds are, as might 

 be expected, chiefly with Australia and the Pacific Islands ; 

 but they exhibit in the buzzard, one of the owls, and 

 perhaiDS in some of the Drepanididse, slight indications of 

 very rare or very remote communication with America. 

 The amount of speciality is, however, -wonderful, far 

 exceeding that of any other islands ; the only aj^proach to 

 it being made by New Zealand and Madagascar, which 

 have a much more varied bird fauna and a smaller ]jro- 

 ]jOTtionate number of peculiar genera. The Galapagos, 

 among the true oceanic islands, while presenting many 

 peculiarities have only four out of the ten genera of Passeres 

 peculiar. These facts undoubtedly indicate an immense 

 antiquity for this group of islands, or the vicinity of some 

 very ancient land (now submerged), from which some 

 portion of their i^eculiar fauna might be derived. For 

 further details as to the affinities and geographical dis- 

 tribution of the genera and species, the reader must consult 

 Mr. Scott Wilson's work The Birds of the Sandwich Islands, 

 already alluded to. 



Reptiles. — The only other vertebrate animals are two 

 lizards. One of these is a very widespread species, 

 Ahlc])harus p)ccciloi}leuTus, ranging from the Pacific Islands 

 to West Africa. The other is said to form a peculiar 

 genus of geckoes, but both its locality and affinities apj^ear 

 to be somewhat doubtful. 



Land-shells. — The only other grouj) of animals which 

 has been carefully studied, and which presents features of 

 especial interest, are the land-ahells. These are very 

 numerous, about thirty genera, and between three and four 

 hundred species having been described ; and it is remark- 

 able that this single group contains as many species of 



