THE AUSTRALIAN REGION 49 



recently compiled by Mr. Wigles worth (15), are, considering 

 the number of islands, not numerous, but on the whole 

 show distinctly Australian affinities. 



Section XI. — The Hawaiian Sub-region 



The Hawaiian Sub-region includes only the Sandwich 

 Islands. This group of islands is situated in the northern 

 part of the Pacific Ocean, and is very isolated, not only 

 from the great land-masses of Asia and America, from 

 which it is separated by a very deep ocean more than 

 2000 miles across, but also from the other larger groups 

 of the Polynesian islands such as Samoa and the Marquesas, 

 from which it is parted by nearly the same distance. 



The larger islands composing the group are seven in 

 number, all of purely volcanic origin. 



As would be naturally expected, there are no indigenous 

 land-mammals in the Hawaiian Sub-region, but a single 

 species of bat (Atalapha semota) occurs there. This bat 

 belongs to a genus found in America, and has, no doubt, 

 reached the Sandwich Islands from that continent. The 

 birds, however, to which we must turn for a moment in 

 order to gain some idea as to the composition of the 

 Hawaiian fauna, show extreme specialisation. The greater 

 number, not only of the species but even of the genera 

 of this Sub-region, are peculiar and wholly restricted to 

 these islands. It is, of course, among the smaller land- 

 birds (Passeres) that this individuality is most marked; 

 but even in the other groups, where the distribution is 

 generally wider, the Hawaiian birds are, in many cases, 

 local. We shall, however, be able to form a better general 



