352 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
The “ Mosambican” Province next follows; but its claims for 
recognition are perhaps more shadowy than any of those of the 
preceding. The general uniformity of distribution which obtains 
among the Birds of all Tropical Africa, especially noticed by Sir 
John Kirk (Zbis, 1864, p. 307) in treating of those of Zambesia, 
requires more geographical details than are as yet available to 
entitle us to form any decided opinion, though the work of Drs. 
Finsch and Hartlaub (wi supra) gives ample information as to the 
literature and description of the 448 species, which, according to 
them, constitute its Avifauna. Considerable additions have been: 
made by Dr. Reichenow (Orn. Ceniralbl. 1879, pp. 107, 114, 138, 
155). Lying off its coast are three considerable islands, Pemba, 
Zanzibar, and Monfia, but there is no reason to expect that they 
are of any very great importance from a zoogeographical point of 
view. Zanzibar is the best known, and that seems to have but one 
species peculiar to it, /rancolinus kirki, but further observation may 
prove that it also occurs on the mainland. 
There remains for consideration the Subregion formed by 
Madagascar and its satellite islands, the remarkable peculiarities of 
which fully deserve the attention that has been paid to them. 
Except New Zealand, there is no part of the earth’s surface of like 
dimensions that can compare with Madagascar for interest, and the 
latter far surpasses the former in the wealth and multifariousness 
of its ornithic population. More than one high authority has 
regarded Madagascar as forming a distinct primary Region, but 
of that something must be said hereafter. It once possessed, in 
Aipyornis, a form of Ratit# which, if not actually gigantic, greatly 
exceeded the Ostrich in size, and, though some writers would fain 
see in the fossil remains of this bird a realization of the fabulous 
Roc, not a vestige has been recovered which seems to belong to any 
period that history or even legend can reach! (see Fossiu Birps). 
This Subregion is easily divided into two Provinces, Madagascar 
itself, to which the Comoros must be attached, and the Mascarene 
Islands, of which more presently. Long studied as the Birds of 
Madagascar have been, the island has until quite recently produced 
one novelty after another, and some of them of the most unexpected 
kind. It would perhaps be premature to say that the supply is 
exhausted, but since the completion of the ornithological portion of 
M. Grandidier’s magnificent work? little or nothing of importance 
has come to light. Herein the authors enumerate 238 species as 
belonging to the island, of which 129 are peculiar to it, and among 
1 Bianconi, Memorie delle Accad. delle Scienze dell’ Istituto di Bologna, 1862- 
1874. 
2 Histoire physique, naturelle et politique de Madagascar, vol. xii. Histoire 
naturelle des Oiseaux par MM. Alphonse Milne-Edwards et Alfred Grandidier. 
Paris: 1875-84. 
