766 Mr. ^y. P. Pycraft on the 



Stenostii'a — a fact which would indicate that the genus 

 entered the New World by means of the now submerged 

 Afro-Brazilian bridge ; it has since travelled northwards. 

 If, on the other liand, it belongs to the Turdidse, then it 

 may as probably have entered from the north and travelled 

 southwards. 



That the Troglodytidse are to be regarded as a South 

 American family seems to be demonstrated by the fact 

 that of the 302 species comprised in this family, 228 are 

 American. Only 33 are found in the vast area north 

 of Mexico, 72 in Mexico and Central America, and 123 

 in South America. 



The Cinclidse, commonly associated with the Troglodytidse, 

 seem, on the other hand, to have arisen in the Old World and 

 to have made their way into the New World from the north, 

 travelling along the mountains of the west, southwards into 

 Central America, and beyond to the Andes of Peru. 



The Mimidse, which are by almost universal consent 

 regarded as near allies of the Troglodytidse, are exclnsively 

 American, but apparently southern in origin, since only 

 some four-and-twenty species out of a total of over seventy 

 occur north of Mexico. 



The Mimidse seem to form the annectant link between 

 the Troglodytidse and the Turdidse, and must also appa- 

 rently be regarded as a New and not, as some have con- 

 tended, as an Old W^orld group. The Myiadestinse are 

 confined to Central and South America and the West 

 Indies, no mainland species extending beyond the confines 

 of Mexico. Of the mure typical Thrushes, the genus 

 Merula presents some facts of importance from the dis- 

 tributional point of view. It contains about 115 species, 

 ranging throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and Polynesia ; 

 but of the total number nearly 50 occur in Central and 

 South America, none passing beyond the northern confines 

 ol Mexico. Of the genus Tardus, but one species occurs in 

 Central America and Mexico and four in North America, of 

 which two winter in Mexico and Central America ; while 

 of the genus Hylocichia, represented by 15 species, no less 



