Rev. Mr Coivan on the Natitrcd History of Madagascar. 141 



they live upon spiders and leaves, and such fruit as they 

 can obtain. 



Many of the lemurs are very local. Propithecus holomelas 

 has hitherto only been found in a very small part of a forest 

 in Betsileo. 



Birds. 



The birds of Madagascar are almost as peculiar as the 

 Mammals. We have no less than 35 genera, represented by 

 57 species, which are found only in the island. 



Leaving out doubtful affinities, such as Oxylahes, Mysta- 

 cornis, CyanolaniuSy and Calicalicus, we have still about 30 

 genera, of which there is no doubt. These for the most part 

 belong to families which are found in Africa, but of such 

 families as are purely African, we have not a single represen- 

 tative in Madagascar. Of the genera that are common to 

 Africa and Madagascar, 8 are exclusively so, but 22 extend 

 to India and its islands, 13 are found in the Australian 

 Continent, 15 wander to Northern Europe and Asia, 11 

 are common all over the world, and 2, strange to say, are 

 found only in Palestine. 



In travelling through the forest of Madagascar, nothing 

 strikes one more than what appears to be the absence of bird 

 life. Now and again one hears the cry of the Centropus toloit, 

 mostly on the outskirts of the forest. One passes the 

 brilliant Coua cceridea, making its way quietly through the 

 forest ; but that is the most that is generally seen or heard of 

 the birds in the great forest. True, if we were to penetrate 

 into the denser forest, we might come upon the Atelornis 

 pittoides or Crossleiji, the Eivryceros Prevosti, the velvety Phile- 

 pittajala, or such birds as love the recesses and lonely shades 

 of these silent woods. Suddenly, and often unexpectedly, the 

 trees overhead become filled with crowds of birds, chattering- 

 in many a different note — that is what may be called a drive 

 of birds. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of them have con- 

 gregated for feeding purposes, and are now passing through 

 the forest, clearing the insects from trees and shrubs. 

 Conspicuous amongst them for size and noise is the Dicrurus 



