350 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



17 or 18 Land-birds enumerated by Dr. Dohrn {Journ.fur Orn. 1871, 

 pp. 1-10) seem to have 2 peculiar species, both of the Order 

 Fasseres. 



The " Guinean " Province occupies what is commonly called the 

 " West Coast " of Africa, and may extend from Sierra Leone to the 

 south of the Congo valley. Hitherto no catalogue of its Birds has 

 been published, for the work of Dr. Hartlaub ^ comprehends also 

 those of the subprovince just treated, while admirably executed as 

 it was at the time of its appearance, so much has since been done 

 by collectors in this part of Africa, and by those who in Europe 

 have examined their collections, especially Prof. Barboza du 

 Bocage, Dr. Biittikofer, and Dr. Sharpe, that its results must be 

 regarded as out of date. Yet no good and much harm would follow 

 from any attempt to generalize on the facts thus recorded, at various 

 times and in various publications, except it were made by one 

 thoroughly conversant with the details of African ornithology. 

 Here we must be content to notice as very characteristic forms of 

 this district, Agelastes and Fhasidus, both allied to Numida (Guinea- 

 Fowl), that very characteristic form of the whole Ethiopian 

 Region. However, the first of the three naturalists last named has 

 published an excellent ornithology of Angola and Loango," whence 

 it appears that out of 698 species about 220 are peculiar, but he 

 states that it would be premature to establish any divisions. The 

 Avifauna of Loango leans to that of Gaboon, while Angola in like 

 manner shews an affinity to South Afiica — a result which was only 

 to be expected. Something may be said with more confidence of 

 the islands which pertain to the Province. Of them, Fernando Po 

 was once believed to possess a very remarkable Avifauna, but further 

 investigation seems to prove that it has no peculiar species what- 

 ever. Prince's Island has been declared to have 6 peculiar species, 

 and it is asserted that it is not inhabited by any Diurnal Bird-of- 

 Prey, every one being driven -off by the Grey Parrots (Psittacus 

 erithacus) which there abound. The island of St. Thomas, lying 

 just under the Equator, is also said to have 6 peculiar species 

 besides one found on Prince's Island as well, but nowhere else. 



The " Caffrarian " Province, as before stated, has no more 

 definite inland boundary than either of the preceding, yet its dis- 

 tinctive features are more marked — a fact doubtless due to so large 

 a portion of it lying without the Tropic. Though this part of 

 Africa has for more than a century received attention from ornitholo- 

 gists,^ their several labours in its various districts require careful 



^ System dcr Ornithologie West Africa's. Bremen : 1857. 



- Ornithologie d' Angola. Lisbonne : 1881. 



* Levaillant's Oiseaux d'Afrique (Paris : 1799-1808) is notorious for its un- 

 trustworthiness, as manifested by Sundevall's critical review of it in the 

 Handlingar of the Academy of Stockholm (ii. No. 3, pp. 16-60). Mr. Salvia 



