440 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [PART III. 
the left is a bandicoot (Perameles gunniz). These are delicate little 
animals allied to the kangaroos ; and they are found in all parts of 
Australia, and Tasmania, to which latter country this species 
is confined. On the right is the wombat (Phascolomys wombat), 
a root-eating marsupial, with large incisor teeth like those of our 
rodents. They inhabit south-east Australia and Tasmania. In 
the foreground is the porcupine ant-eater (Echidna setosa), belong- 
ing to a distinct order of mammalia, Monotremata, of which the 
only other member is the duck-billed Ornithorhynchus. These 
animals are, however, more nearly allied to the marsupials, than 
to the insectivora or edentata of the rest of the world, which in 
some respects they resemble. An allied species (Echidna hystriz) 
inhabits south-east Australia. 
Birds.—Australia (with Tasmania) possesses about 630 species 
of birds, of which 485 are land-birds. Not more than about one- 
twentieth of these are found elsewhere, so that it has a larger 
proportion of endemic species than any other sub-region on the 
globe. These birds are divided among the several orders as 
follows : 
Passeres ... «.. 306 Accipitres ... ... 36 
Picarize ee 41 Grallze Ne Messmehaa al 
IPsrtbaci* ~:00 4... 60 Anseres!. «220 220 G65 
Columb: <6) 4.c2 “24 Struthiones RY 3 
Gallings (....°, «0,0 AD) as 
The Psittaci, we see, are very richly represented, while the 
Picarie are comparatively few ; and the Columbe are scarce 
as’ compared with their abundance in the Austro-Malay sub- 
region. 
Birds seem to be very evenly distributed over all Australia ; 
comparatively few genera of importance being locally re- 
stricted. In the eastern districts alone, we find Origma, 
and Orthonyx (Sylviide) ; Sericulus and Ptilorhynchus (Para- 
diseidee); Lewcosarcia (Columbidee) ; and Talegalla (Megapodiide). 
Nectarinia, Pitta, Ptilorhis, Chlamydodera, and Sphecotheres, 
range from the north down the east coasts. Nanodes (Psittacide), 
and Lipoa (Megapodiide), are southern forms, the first extending 
