346 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
characteristic types of the continental portion of the Ethiopian 
Region shew themselves, and (so far as we can judge) dwell alike in 
the southern as well as the northern parts, the eastern as well as the 
western—the chief differences observable being not even generic, but 
mostly specific. The OsTRIcH, for example, extends, or extended, 
from the Karroo to the Belka, and still further to the eastward,} 
and no more essentially characteristic form of the continental portion 
of the Ethiopian Region can be found than this highly specialized 
bird, the sole representative of one Order of the subclass Ratitz, 
for whether we accept the difference exhibited by the Ostrich of the 
north and that of the south as specific, or admit the validity of a third 
alleged species in Somaliland, all will agree that these differences 
are in quality of the slightest. When this is to be said of a bird 
having the peculiarity of habit and structure possessed by Sfruthio, 
it seems vain to talk of regarding its range as extending over Sub- 
regions. The highest term we are justified in applying to these 
portions of its continental area, which for one reason or another it 
may be convenient to speak of separately, is Province. And thus 
it seems better to merge the whole of Africa and that part of Asia 
which belongs to the Ethiopian Region into one Subregion, which 
may be called the “ African,” unless some better name be suggested, 
instead of breaking it up into four as was done formerly by the 
author, or into three as has been done by Mr. Wallace. These 
districts, be they four or three in number, may perhaps be termed 
Provinces, and thus we may recognizea “Libyan”? Province 
extending from the easternmost border of the Ethiopian Region, 
wherever we may place that, comprehending the whole of Arabia, 
Egypt, and all Africa from Cape Guardafui in the east to Cape 
Verd in the west, reaching northward to the Mediterranean 
Province of the Palzarctic Subregion, while scarcely an approxima- 
tion can be made to tracing its southern limits. For the rest of 
Africa, seeing that we have a fair knowledge of the birds of the 
seaboard, and for some distance up a few of its more considerable 
rivers, we may justifiably divide that portion which les immediately 
to the southward of this indefinite area, and comprehending the 
greater part of its equatorial tract, into two Provinces, a ‘ Guinean ” 
on the west, and a “ Mosambican” on the east, though it is quite 
possible that these two may with the progress of discovery have to be 
united, and even now there seems nothing to indicate any boundary 
between the belt they would form if combined and the territory 
1 For all that can be said as to the former extent of the Ostrich’s range in 
Asia see the Végel Ost-Afrikas (pp. 597-607) of Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub, 
forming the fourth volume of Von der Decken’s Reise in Ost-Afrika (Leipzig and 
Heidelberg: 1870). Remains of Struthio not to be distinguished from S. camelus 
have been recognized from the Sivalik Hills in India (cf Fossiz Brrps). 
2 Tn using this name I follow Blyth (Nature, iii. p. 428, 30 March 1871). 
