chap, xl] THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 



255 



of lizards are the most characteristic: — Monotrophis (Lepidos- 

 ternidse) ; Cordylus, Pseudocordylus, Platysaurus, Cordylosaurus, 

 Pleurostichus, Saurophis and Zonurus (Zormridse) ; Sphamops, 

 Scelotes, Sphcenocephalus and Sepsina (Sepidaj) ; Pachydactylu's 

 (Geckotidas) ;Agama (Agamidae); and Chameleon (Chaineleonidae). 

 Of tortoises, Cynyxis, Pyxis and Chersina (Testudinidse), and 

 Cycloderma (Trionychidae) are the most characteristic. 



Amphibia.— Of the 9 families of amphibia there is only 

 1 peculiar, the Dactylethridae, a group of toads; but the 

 Alytidae, a family of frogs, are abundant. 



Fresh-water Fish.—Oi the 14 families of fr-^-water fishes 

 3 are peculiar: Mormyridae and Gynmarchidse, small groups 

 not far removed from the pikes ; and Polypteridaa, a small group 

 of ganoid fishes allied to the gar-pikes (Lepidosteidte) of North 

 America. 



Summary of Ethiopian Vertebrates. — Combining the results 

 here indicated and set forth in greater detail in the tables of 

 distribution, we find that the Ethiopian region possesses ex- 

 amples of 44 families of mammalia, 72 of birds, 35 of reptiles, 

 9 of amphibia, and 15 of fresh-water fishes. It has 23 (or 

 perhaps 25) families of Vertebrata altogether peculiar to it out 

 of a total of 175 families, or almost exactly one-eighth of the 

 whole. Out of 142 genera of mammalia found within the 

 region, 90 are peculiar to it ; a proportion not much short of 

 two-thirds. Of land birds there are 294 genera, of which 

 179 are peculiar; giving a proportion of a little less than 

 three-fifths. 



Compared with the Oriental region this shows a con- 

 siderably larger amount of speciality under all the heads; 

 but the superiority is mainly due to the wonderful and iso- 

 lated fauna of Madagascar, to which the Oriental region has 

 nothing comparable. Without this the regions would be nearly 

 equal. 



Insects: Lepidopter a,— 11 out of the 16 families of butter- 

 flies have representatives in Africa, but none are peculiar. 

 Acrseidae is one of the most characteristic families, and there 



