CHAP. XI.] THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 255 
of lizards are the most characteristic :—Monotrophis (Lepidos- 
ternide) ; Cordylus, Pseudocordylus, Platysawrus, Cordylosaurus, 
Pleurostichus, Saurophis and Zonurus (Zonuride); Sphenops, 
Scelotes, Sphenocephalus and Sepsina (Sepide) ; Paehydactylus 
(Geckotide) ; Agama (Agamide) ; and Chameleon (Chameleonidz). 
Of tortoises, Cynyxis, Pyxis and Chersina (Testudinide), and 
Cycloderma (Trionychide) are the most characteristic. 
Amphibia—Of the 9 families of amphibia there is only 
1 peculiar, the Dactylethride, a group of toads; but the 
Alytidz, a family of frogs, are abundant. 
Fresh-water Fish—Of the 14 families of fresh-water fishes 
3 are peculiar: Mormyride and Gymnarchide, small groups 
not far removed from the pikes ; and Polypteride, a small group 
of ganoid fishes allied to the gar-pikes (Lepidosteide) of North 
America. 
Summary of Ethiopian Vertebrates—Combining the results 
here indicated and set forth in greater detail in the tables of 
distribution, we find that the Ethiopian region possesses ex- 
amples of 44 families of mammalia, 72 of birds, 35 of reptiles, 
9 of amphibia, and 15 of fresh-water fishes. It has 23 (or 
perhaps 25) families of Vertebrata altogether peculiar to it out 
of a total of 175 families, or almost exactly one-eighth of the 
whole. Out of 142 genera of mammalia: found within the 
region, 90 are peculiar to it; a proportion not much short of 
two-thirds. Of land birds there are 294 genera, of which 
179 are peculiar; giving a proportion of a little less than 
three-fifths. 
Compared with the Oriental region this shows a con- 
siderably larger amount of speciality under all the heads; 
but the superiority is mainly due to the wonderful and iso- 
lated fauna of Madagascar, to which the Oriental region has 
nothing comparable. Without this the regions would be nearly 
equal, 
Insects: Lepidoptera —11 out of the 16 families of butter- 
flies have representatives in Africa, but none are peculiar. 
Acreidz is one of the most characteristic families, and there 
