2^6 Stkere, Distribution of Birds in the Philippines. [ , v 



Auk 



Negros, and Masbate ; P. manillce, Luzon and Marinduque ; 

 P. affinis, Mindanao ; P. basi/anica, Basilan ; P. samarensis, 

 Sa mar and Leyte; and P. mindorensis the island of Mindoro. 

 The western islands seem to lack this genus also. 



In seventeen genera, with seventy-four species, each genus is 

 represented in the islands by several species: two or more of 

 which may be found inhabiting the same island ; but the species 

 thus found together, with the same generic name, differ greatly 

 in size or coloring or other structures and belong to different 

 natural sections or subgenera. 



These sections or subgenera themselves may each be repre- 

 sented in the archipelago by several species; but where this 

 occurs each species is found isolated and separated from all the 

 other species of the same subgenus, just as are the species of the 

 genera given in List C. These genera, with the number of 

 species of each, are the following : — 



List D. 



Astur, 2. Hypothymis, 4. Cinnyris, 7. 



Ninox, 4. Cyanomyas, 2. Ptilopus, 3. 



Merops, 2. Hirundo, 3. Phabotreron, 6. 



Ceyx, 6. Iole, 6. Osmotreron, 2. 



Halcyon, 5. Orthotomus, S. Turtur, 2. 



Collocalia, 2. Dicseuin, 10. 



Authors have already attempted in several cases to raise the 

 natural sections of these genera to generic rank. 



Whenever the birds of two sections of one of the genera named 

 above differ greatly in size, the species of the section of larger, 

 longer-winged birds will be more widely distributed than the 

 smaller birds of the other ; one of the larger species being able 

 to extend itself over the areas of several of the smaller forms. 

 The genus Ninox is an example of this. Ninox hignbris, a 

 large, long-winged, long-tailed form, seems to be distributed 

 over the whole archipelago, while the other section of smaller, 

 short-tailed birds, of which Ninox philippensis is an example, 

 contains at least three species, — one found in the south, one in 

 the central islands and the other in Luzon. The genus of Ground 

 Pigeons, Phabotreron, is another example of this method of dis- 



