346 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



characteristic types of the continental portion of the Ethiopian 

 Eegion shew themselves, and (so far as we can judge) dwell alike in 

 the southern as well as the northern parts, the eastern as well as the 

 western — the chief differences observable being not even generic, but 

 mostly specific. The OSTRICH, for example, extends, or extended, 

 from the Karroo to the Belka, and still further to the eastward,^ 

 and no more essentially characteristic form of the continental portion 

 of the Ethiopian Region can be found than this highly specialized 

 bird, the sole representative of one Order of the subclass Ratitse, 

 for whether we accept the difference exhibited by the Ostrich of the 

 north and that of the south as specific, or admit the validity of a third 

 alleged species in Somaliland, all will agree that these differences 

 are in quality of the slightest. When this is to be said of a bird 

 having the peculiarity of habit and structure possessed by Strufhio, 

 it seems vain to talk of regarding its range as extending over Sub- 

 regions. The highest term we are justified in applying to these 

 portions of its continental area, which for one reason or another it 

 may be convenient to speak of sejDarately, is Province. And thus 

 it seems better to merge the whole of Africa and that part of Asia 

 which belongs to the Ethiopian Region into one Subregion, which 

 may be called the " African," unless some better name be suggested, 

 instead of breaking it up into four as was done formerly by the 

 author, or into three as has been done by Mr. Wallace. These 

 districts, be they four or three in number, may perhaps be termed 

 Provinces, and thus we may recognize a " Libyan " ^ Province 

 extending from the easternmost border of the Ethiopian Region, 

 wherever we may place that, comprehending the whole of Ai'abia, 

 Egypt, and all Africa from Cape Guardafui in the east to Cape 

 Verd in the west, reaching northward to the Mediterranean 

 Province of the Palsearctic Subregion, while scarcely an approxima- 

 tion can be made to tracing its southern limits. For the rest of 

 Africa, seeing that we have a fair knowledge of the birds of the 

 seaboard, and for some distance up a few of its more considerable 

 rivers, we may justifiably divide that portion which lies immediately 

 to the southward of this indefinite area, and comprehending the 

 greater part of its equatorial tract, into two Provinces, a " Guinean " 

 on the west, and a " Mosambican " on the east, though it is quite 

 possible that these two may with the progress of discovery have to be 

 united, and even now there seems nothing to indicate any boundary 

 between the belt they would form if combined and the territory 



^ For all that can be said as to the former extent of the Ostricli's range in 

 Asia see the Vogel Ost-Afrikas (pp. 597-607) of Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub, 

 forming the fourth volume of Von der Decken's Ecise in Ost-Afrika (Leipzig and 

 Heidelberg : 1S70). Remains of Strutliio not to be distinguished from S. camelus 

 have been recognized from the Sivalik Hills in India {ef. Fossil Birds). 



2 In using this name I follow Blyth {Nature, iii. p. 428, 30 March 1871). 



