in ANIMAL LIFE IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS 295 



These are such common birds in all temperate countries 

 that it may surprise many .readers to learn that they are 

 nevertheless a characteristic tropical group. That such is the 

 case, however, will be evident from the fact that only sixteen 

 species are known from the whole of the temperate parts of 

 Europe, Asia, and North America, while about 330 species 

 inhabit the tropics. Again, the great majority of the species 

 are found congregated in the equatorial zone, whence they 

 diminish gradually toward the limits of the tropics, and then 

 suddenly fall off in the temperate zones. Yet although they 

 are pre-eminently tropical or even equatorial as a group, they 

 are not, from our present point of view, of much importance, 

 because they are so shy and so generally inconspicuous that 

 in most parts of the tropics an ordinary observer might hardly 

 be aware of their existence. The remark applies especially to 

 America and Africa, where they are neither very abundant 

 nor peculiar ; but in the Eastern hemisphere, and especially 

 in the Malay Archipelago and Pacific islands, they occur in 

 such profusion and present such singular forms and brilliant 

 colours, that they are sure to attract attention. Here we 

 find the extensive group of fruit -pigeons, which, in their 

 general green colours adorned with patches and bands of 

 purple, white, blue, or orange, almost rival the parrot tribe ; 

 while the golden -green Nicobar pigeon, the great crowned 

 pigeons of New Guinea as large as turkeys, and the golden- 

 yellow fruit-dove of the Fijis, can hardly be surpassed for beauty. 



Pigeons are especially abundant and varied in tropical 

 archipelagoes, so that if we take the Malay and Pacific islands, 

 the Madagascar group, and the Antilles or West Indian 

 islands, we find that they possess between them more different 

 kinds of pigeons than all the continental tropics combined. 

 Yet further, that portion of the Malay Archipelago east of 

 Borneo, together with the Pacific islands, is exceptionally 

 rich in pigeons ; and the reason seems to be that monkeys 

 and all other arboreal mammals that devour eggs and young 

 birds are entirely absent from this region. Even in South 

 America pigeons are scarce where monkeys are abundant, and 

 vice versd, so that here we seem to get a glimpse of one of the 



