chap, xin.] THE AUSTRALIAN REGION. 443- 



For the purpose of zoological comparison, we may class them in 

 four main divisions. 1. The Ladrone and Caroline Islands; 

 2. New Caledonia and the New Hebrides ; 3. The Fiji, Tonga, 

 and Samoa Islands; 4. The Society, and Marquesas Islands. 

 The typical Polynesian fauna is most developed in the third 

 division ; and it will be well to describe this first, and then show 

 how the other islands diverge from it, and approximate other 

 sub-regions. 



Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa Islands. — The land-birds inhabiting 

 these islands belong to 41 genera, of which 17 are characteristic 

 of the Australian region, and 9 more peculiarly Polynesian. 

 The characteristic Australian genera are the following : Petroica 

 (Sylviidae) ; Lalage (Campephagidae) ; Monarcha, Myiagra, Rhipi- 

 dura (Muscicapidse) ; Pachyccphala (Pachycephalidae) ; Eectes 

 (Laniida?) ; Myzomela, Ptilotis, Anthochmra (Meliphagidae) ; Ama- 

 dina, Eythrura, (Ploceidse) ; Artamus (Artamidse) ; Lorius (Tri- 

 choglossidre) ; Ptilopus, Phlogainas (Columbidse) ; Megapodius 

 (Megapodiidse). 



The peculiar Polynesian genera are : — Tatare, Lamprolia 

 (Sylviidae) ; Aplonis, Sturnodes (Sturnidae) ; Todiramphus 

 (Alcedinidffi) ; Pyrhulopsis, Cyanoramphus, (Platycercidae) ; Cori- 

 philus (Trichoglossidae) ; Didunculus (Didunculidae). 



The wide-spread genera are Turdus, Zosterops, Hirundo, Hal- 

 cyon, Collocalia, Eudynamis Cuculus, Ianthoenas, Carpopliaga, 

 Turtur, Halimdus, Astur, Circus, Strix, Asio. The aquatic birds 

 are fifteen in number, all wide-spread species except one — a form 

 of moor-hen (Gallinulidse), which has been constituted a new 

 genus Pareudiastes. 



Society, and Marquesas Islands. — Here, the number of genera of 

 land-birds has considerably diminished, amounting only to 16 

 in all. The characteristic Australian genera are 5 ; — Monarcha, 

 Anthoclucra, Trichoglossus, Ptilopus, and Phlogcenas. The Poly- 

 nesian genera are 4 ; — Tatare, Todiramphus, Cyanoramphus, 

 Coriphilus, and one recently described genus, Scrresius, an ex- 

 traordinary form of large fruit pigeon, here classed under Car- 

 popliaga. These remote groups have thus all the character of 

 Oceanic islands, even as regards the rest of Polynesia, since they 



