CHAP. XVIII.J 



BIRDS. 



329 



Family 82.— NESTOEID^. (? 2 Genera, 6 Species.) 



General Distribution. 



Neotropical 

 Sub-regions. 



Neakctic 

 Sub-regions. 



Pal^arctic 

 Sub-kegions. 



Ethiopian 

 Sub- regions. 



Oriental i Australian 

 Sub-regions. Sub-regions. 



The present family is formed to receive the genus Nestor (5 

 sp.), confined to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Its affinities 

 are doubtful, but it appears to have relations with the American 

 Conuridae and the Austrahan Trichoglossidae. With it is placed 

 the rare and remarkable Dasyptilus (1 sp.), of New Guinea, of 

 which however very little is known. 



Family 83.— STRINGOPID^E. (1 Genus, 2 Species.) 



This family contains only the curious owl-hke nocturnal 

 Parrot of New Zealand, Stringops habroptilus (Plate XIII. 

 Vol .1. p. 455). An allied species is said to inhabit the Chatham 

 Islands, if not now extinct. 



General Remarks on the Distribution of the Psittaci 



Although the Parrots are now generally divided into several 

 distinct families, yet they form so well marked and natural a 

 group, and are so widely separated from all other birds, that 

 we may best discuss their peculiarities of geographical distri- 

 bution by treating them as a whole. By the preceding 

 enumeration we find that there are about 386 species of known 

 parrots, which are divided into 52 genera. They are pre- 

 eminently a tropical group, for although a few species extend 

 a considerable distance into the temperate zone, these are 



