H2 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



are oceanic in dispersal, and practically con- 

 fined to tropic and warm temperate parts of 

 the seas in both hemispheres. Of the three 

 species one roams over the greater part of 

 the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and 

 the Pacific Ocean ; another has a very similar 

 range, but is not known to occur in the 

 western portions of the Indian Ocean, whilst 

 the third is absent from the Atlantic Ocean, 

 but frequents the other two oceans. The 

 Gannets are another oceanic family chiefly 

 confined to the warmer portions of the great 

 oceans, although extending to Iceland in the 

 Atlantic and to the Cape and Australian seas 

 in the south. The Cormorants are nearly 

 cosmopolitan, but do not penetrate very far 

 into the Arctic Regions, and are apparently 

 absent from Oceania, although exceptionally 

 abundant in New Zealand, including the 

 Chatham Islands. The Pelicans are a widely 

 distributed group represented in the warm and 

 tropical parts of every zoological region. The 

 Darters are similarly scattered over the warmer 

 portions of these regions, although unlike the 

 Pelicans absent from Europe, and only just 

 entering the Palaearctic Region in Palestine. 

 The two species of Frigate JBirds are distributed 



