INTRODUCTION. xxv 



The Oriental, or Indian, region embraces Asia south 

 of the Himalayas, the boundaries of the Palaearctic 

 region, and the East Indian islands down to Bali. 

 Broad-bills are the only important group confined 

 to this region, but the Pheasants, Babblers and Sun- 

 birds are partly characteristic of it. It might perhaps 

 be advantageously united to the Ethiopian region, as 

 there is evidence that more types were once common 

 to both, as is shown by the fossil remains of African 

 mammals occurring in the Siwalik Hills. 



The Australian region begins at Lombok, only sepa- 

 rated by a narrow strait from Bali in the Indian region, 

 and includes all the East Indies east of this, Australia, 

 New Zealand, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands. 

 It has more peculiar forms than any other of the fore- 

 going regions ; for instance, the Cassowaries, Lories, 

 Lyre-birds, Birds of Paradise, Bower-birds, and almost 

 all the Honey-eaters, Cockatoos and Mound-birds. 

 In the case of each of the last three, one species only 

 occurs outside of the limits. At the same time, many 

 other widely distributed families are absent from this 

 region, especially Woodpeckers, Vultures, and typical 

 Finches. 



The Neotropical region consists of South America 

 and the countries north of it up to Mexico. This, also, 

 is a very distinct region containing many peculiar forms 

 — Rheas, Tinamous, Trumpeters, Curassows, Jagamars, 

 Puff-birds, Motmots, Toucans, and sub-groups of the 

 Passerine family too numerous to mention here, besides 

 most of the Tanagers, Troupials and Humming Birds, 

 though some of these penetrate into North America. 



Quite a number of birds, generally European, have 

 been naturalized in other countries than their own, 

 either for the sake of sport, as in the case of Game 

 Birds, or in the hope that they would be useful as insect- 

 destroyers, or simply on sentimental grounds. It is 

 unfortunately the case that some of the most successful 



