440 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi. 



the left is a bandicoot (Peramclcs gunnii). These are delicate little 

 animals allied to the kangaroos ; and they are found in all parts of 

 Australia, and Tasmania, to which latter country this species 

 is confined. On the right is the wombat (Phascolomys wombat), 

 a root-eating marsupial, with large incisor teeth like those of our 

 rodents. They inhabit south-east Australia and Tasmania. In 

 the foreground is the porcupine ant-eater (Echidna sctosa), belong- 

 ing to a distinct order of mammalia, Monotremata, of which the 

 only other member is the duck-billed OrnitJwrhynchus. These 

 animals are, however, more nearly allied to the marsupials, than 

 to the insectivora or edentata of the rest of the world, which in 

 some respects they resemble. An allied species (Echidna hystrix) 

 inhabits south-east Australia. 



Birds. — Australia (with Tasmania) possesses about 630 species 

 of birds, of which 485 are land-birds. Not more than about one- 

 twentieth of these are found elsewhere, so that it has a larger 

 proportion of endemic species than any other sub-region on the 

 globe. These birds are divided among the several orders as 

 follows : 



The Psittaci, we see, are very richly represented, while the 

 Picarise are comparatively few ; and the Columbse are scarce 

 as compared with their abundance in the Austro-Malay sub- 



region. 



Birds seem to be very evenly distributed over all Australia ; 

 comparatively few genera of importance being locally re- 

 stricted. In the eastern districts alone, we find Origma, 

 and Orthonyx (Sylviidse) ; Sericulus and Ptilorhynchus (Para- 

 diseidse); Zeucosarcia (Columbidse) ; and Talegalla (Megapodiidse). 

 Nectarinia, Pitta, Ptilorhis, Chlamijdodcra, and Sphecothcres, 

 range from the north down the east coasts. Nanodes (Psittacidse), 

 and Lipoa (Megapodiidse), are southern forms, the first extending 



