CHAP. XVIIL] 



BIRDS. 



305 



Family 54.— MEGAL^MID^. (13 Genera, 81 Species.) 



General Distribution. 



Neotropical 

 Sub-regions. 



Ne ARCTIC 



Sub-regions. 



PaLvEARCTIC 



Sub-regions. 



Ethiopian 

 Sub-regions. 



Oriental 

 sub-rbgions. 



AU-'TRALIAK 



Sub-regions. 



— 2.3 



— 1.2.3—1.2.3.4 



The Megalsemidae, or Barbets, consist of rather small, fruit- 

 eating birds, of heavy ungraceful shape, but adorned with the 

 most gaudy colours, especially about the head and neck. They 

 form a very isolated family ; their nearest allies being, perhaps, 

 the stiU more isolated Toucans of South America. Barbets are 

 found in all the tropics except Australia, but are especially 

 characteristic of the great Equatorial forest-zone ; all the most 

 remarkable forms being confined to Equatorial America, West 

 Africa, and the Indo-Malay Islands. They are most abundant 

 in the Ethiopian and Oriental regions, and in the latter are 

 universally distributed. 



In the beautiful monograph of this family by the Messrs. 

 Marshall, the barbets are divided into three sub-families, as 

 follows : — 



Pogonorhynchinse (3 genera, 15 sp.), which are Ethiopian 

 except the 2 species of Tetragonops, which are Neotropical ; 

 Megalseminae (6 genera, 45 sp.), which are Oriental and Ethio- 

 pian ; and Capitoninae (4 genera, 18 sp.), common to the three 

 regions. 



The genera are each confined to a single region. Africa 

 possesses the largest number of peculiar forms, while the 

 Oriental region is richest in species. 



This is probably a very ancient group, and its existing dis- 

 tribution may be due to its former range over the Miocene 

 South Palsearctic land, which* we know possessed Trogons, 

 Parrots, Apes, and Tapirs, groups which are now equallj'- 

 abundant in Equatorial countries. 



