CHAP. XI.] THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 277 
STRIGID&. Species. PLATALEIDA. Species. 
pe i sie fis i ; MONT GR ui ceaty wise 2 
RALLID&. PopIcIPIDz. 
ae ae ei 50. Podiceps.... ass 1 
ScoLoPAciDz. Total peculiar species of Eth. | ; 
48. Gallinago f 1 or Or. genera ioe 
SpPEcIES OF BrrDS common TO MADAGASCAR AND AFRICA OR ASIA. 
1. Cisticola cursitans. 7. Aplopelia tympanistria. 
2. Corvus scapulatus. 8. Falco minor. 
3. Crithagra canicollis. 9. Falco concolor. 
4. Merops superciliosus. 10. Milvus egyptius. 
5. Collocalia fuciphaga. 11. Milvus migrans. 
6. Cina capensis. 12. Strix flammea. 
These three tables show us an amount of speciality hardly to 
be found in the birds of any other part of the globe. Out of 
111 land-birds in Madagascar, only 12 are identical with species 
inhabiting the adjacent continents, and most of these belong to 
powerful-winged, or wide-ranging forms, which probably now 
often pass from one country to the other. The peculiar species 
—49 land-birds and 7 waders, or aquatics—are mostly well- 
marked forms of African genera. There are, however, several 
genera (marked by italics) which have Oriental or Palearctic 
affinities, but not African, viz.— Copsychus, Hypsipetes, Hypherpes, 
Alectrenas, and Margaroperdix. These indicate a closer ap- 
proximation to the Malay countries than now exists. 
The table of 33 peculiar genera is of great interest. Most of 
these are well-marked forms, belonging to families which are 
fully developed in Africa; though it is singular that not 
one of the exclusively African families is represented in 
any way in Madagascar. Others, however, are of remote or 
altogether doubtful affinities. Svttide is Oriental and Palearctic, 
but not Ethiopian. Oxzylabes and Mystacornis are of doubtful 
affinities. Artamia and Cyanolanius still more so, and it is 
quite undecided what family they belong to. Calicalicus is 
almost equally obscure. Neodrepanis, one of the most recent 
discoveries, seems to connect the Nectariniide with the Pacific 
