276 Hall, The Tasmanian and New Zealand Groups. [,,;t \prii 



in the world. Aptcryx of New Zealand and Dromaiiis (Emu) of Tas- 

 mania are Ratite birds. The present stronghold of the Austrahan 

 RatitcB is in the Papuan sub-region. It seems unlikely that this 

 ancient sub-class worked from the Antarctic via New Zealand 

 and New Caledonia into Australia and Tasmania. There are 

 allied forms (fossil) of Hypselornis and Strnthio in the Siwalik Hills 

 of India. As we have a fossil Psendapteryx in Queensland, it may 

 indicate the New Zealand bird fauna came through the Papuan 

 sub-region — the Torresian part of it. 



The oldest relative of these Ratite birds appears to be the 

 toothed Hesperornis, found fossil in the northern hemisphere. 

 The Papuan expansion to New Zealand is older than that of the 

 Antarctic to New Zealand, wiiich latter was probably over island 

 bridges, judging by its large series of Cormorants. The flora of 

 the Antarctic islands speaks of a warmer Antarctic continent. 



New Zealand, judging by its i8 peculiar genera and a dozen of 

 other genera not Austrahan, is surely a small though conspicuous 

 bird-region in itself, while the Tasmanian group simply makes an 

 outlier of another region. 



New Zealand has, approximately, 73 species of land-birds, ex- 

 cluding Herons, shore and sea-birds. In addition, it has 14 species 

 of Cormorants, 9 species of Penguins, 6 species of local Ducks, 

 and 2 Grebes, all of which may be considered as permanent as the 

 land-birds, equalling 115 species. Tasmania has 60 species of 

 equally permanent breeders. The great body of ocean birds is 

 practically common to both. 



The common stocks of the Penguins, the Emus, and the Mound- 

 builders may have arisen in other regions via Antarctica. The 

 Curassow of South America and the Megapode of Australia are 

 structurally much alike, and belong to the first of our birds. The 

 Curassow is a remnant of a fauna that gave way to a northern 

 wave which worked down to the Argentine in time to see the first 

 bird fauna mostly disappear. The twenty species of Moa, now 

 extinct, were more closely allied to the iJipiornis of Madagascar 

 than to any other bird. 



Tasmania and King Island had their own species of Emu — 

 isolated forms of the mainland bird (Map A, 6, 7, 9). 



New Zealand, with its larger number of isolated ocean points 

 — at least nine of them — makes for many species ; e.g. (Map C) :^ 



Auckland Island (k). — Flightless Duck [NcsoneUa). 



Southern Merganser {Merganser aiistralis). 



Auckland Island Plover {Thinornis rossti). 

 Campbell Island (y").— Campbell Island Shag {Phalacrocorax 



camphcUi). 

 Snares Island (g').— Snares Robin {Miro dannefordi). 

 Antipodes Island (/?").— Antipodes Island Pipit {Anthiis 



steindachncri). 

 Bounty Island {h'). — Bounty Island Shag (P. ranfiirlyi). 

 Chatham Islands (//). — HuttOn's Rail {Cahaliis). 



