350 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
17 or 18 Land-birds enumerated by Dr. Dohrn (Journ. fiir Orn. 1871, 
pp. 1-10) seem to have 2 peculiar species, both of the Order 
Passeres. 
The “Guinean” Province occupies what is commonly called the 
“ West Coast” of Africa, and may extend from Sierra Leone to the 
south of the Congo valley. Hitherto no catalogue of its Birds has 
been published, for the work of Dr. Hartlaub! comprehends also 
those of the subprovince just treated, while admirably executed as 
it was at the time of its appearance, so much has since been done 
by collectors in this part of Africa, and by those who in Europe 
have examined their collections, especially Prof. Barboza du 
Bocage, Dr. Biittikofer, and Dr. Sharpe, that its results must be 
regarded as out of date. Yet no good and much harm would follow 
from any attempt to generalize on the facts thus recorded, at various 
times and in various publications, except it were made by one 
thoroughly conversant with the details of African ornithology. 
Here we must be content to notice as very characteristic forms of 
this district, A gelastes and Phasidus, both allied to Numida (GUINEA- 
Fow.), that very characteristic form of the whole Ethiopian 
Region. However, the first of the three naturalists last named has 
published an excellent ornithology of Angola and Loango,? whence 
it appears that out of 698 species about 220 are peculiar, but he 
states that it would be premature to establish any divisions. The 
Avifauna of Loango leans to that of Gaboon, while Angola in like 
manner shews an affinity to South Africa—a result which was only 
to be expected. Something may be said with more confidence of 
the islands which pertain to the Province. Of them, Fernando Po 
was once believed to possess a very remarkable Avifauna, but further 
investigation seems to prove that it has no peculiar species what- 
ever. Prince’s Island has been declared to have 6 peculiar species, 
and it is asserted that it is not inhabited by any Diurnal Bird-of- 
Prey, every one being driven off by the Grey Parrots (Psittacus 
erithacus) which there abound. The island of St. Thomas, lying 
just under the Equator, is also said to have 6 peculiar species 
besides one found on Prince’s Island as well, but nowhere else. 
The ‘“Caffrarian” Province, as before stated, has no more 
definite inland boundary than either of the preceding, yet its dis- 
tinctive features are more marked—a fact doubtless due to so large 
a portion of it lying without the Tropic. Though this part of 
Africa has for more than a century received attention from ornitholo- 
gists,> their several labours in its various districts require careful 
1 System der Ornithologie West Africa’s. Bremen: 1857. 
2 Ornithologie @ Angola. Lisbonne: 1881. 
3 Levaillant’s Oiseaux d’ Afrique (Paris: 1799-1808) is notorious for its un- 
trustworthiness, as manifested by Sundevall’s critical review of it in the 
Handlingar of the Academy of Stockholm (ii. No, 3, pp. 16-60). Mr. Salvin 
