30 lUIlDS OK THh JAPAM'.SE E.MIMKE. 



The geograpliical distrihutiou of the Birds found in tlie Japanese 

 Empire presents several points ot" interest. The avifauna of Japan 

 is typically Palaearctic. If we consider the Birds of Japan with 

 regard to their distribution during the breeding-season, we shall find 

 that about 75 per cent, are Palaearctic species, of which 39 per cent. 

 range across the Palaearctic Region, and 3fi per cent., though 

 breeding in Eastern Siberia^ are not found in Western Europe. The 

 remaining 25 per cent, consist of 12 per cent, of tropical species, 

 and 13 per cent, of species not known to breed outside the Japanese 

 Empire. The percentage of Oriental and Australian species which 

 invade the southern portions of the Eastern Palaiarctic Region is 

 probably about the same as that of Ethiopian species which invade 

 the southern portions of the Western Pahearetic Region. 



The species of birds known to have occurred in the Japanese 

 Empire, if classified according to the range of their distribution 

 during the breeding-season, may be summarized as follows : — 



Circumpolar species 49 



Pahearetic species 71 



Eastern races of Palaearctic species , . . 2G 



Palaearctic species 140 



Siberian and East-European species ... 17 



East- Siberian species 95 



Both shores of the Pacific 27 



East Palaearctic species .... 139 



Tropical species 47 



Only known to breed in the Japanese Empire . 49 



Total ... 381 



This geographical distribution of Japanese Birds can only be 

 regarded as typically Palaearctic. This is all the more remarkable, 

 because not only the Flora of Japan and the Lepidoptera of Japan, 

 which may be more or less connected, but also the Reptiles and 

 Batrachians of Japan show an affinity to the Eastern Nearctic species. 

 It seems impossible to imagine any connection between Japan and 

 the Eastern States of North Ainerica, to tlie exclusion of the 



