CHAP, xviii.] BIRDS. 295 



the road to extinction. Thus we may understand their isolated 

 geographical position. The following are the names and dis- 

 tribution of the genera : — 



JEurylcemus (2 species j, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and 

 Borneo; Corydm (1 species), Malacca, Sumatra and Borneo 

 (Plate IX. Vol. I. p. 339) ; Psarisomus (1 species), Himalayas to 

 Burmah, up to 6,000 feet ; Serilophus (2 species), Nepal to Tenas- 

 serim ; Gymbirhynchus (2 species), Siam to Sumatra and Borneo ; 

 Calyptomena (1 species), Penang to Sumatra and Borneo. 



Family 44.— DENDROCOLAPTID^. (43 Genera, 217 Species.) 

 General Distribution. 



The Dendrocolaptidse, or American Creepers, are curious 

 brown-coloured birds with more or less rigid tail feathers, strictly 

 confined to the continental Neotropical region, and very numerous 

 in its south-temperate extremity. They are divided by Messrs. 

 Sclater and Salvin into five sub-families, to which I shall con- 

 fine my remarks on their distribution. The details of the 

 numerous genera, being only interesting to specialists, will be 

 given in the table of genera of the Neotropical region. No less 

 than 13 of the genera are confined to South-Temperate America 

 and the High Andes ; 14 are restricted to Tropical South America, 

 while not one is peculiar to Tropical North America, and only 15 

 of the 43 genera extend into that sub-region, showing that this 

 is one of the pre-eminently South American groups. 



Sub-family I. Puenariin^ (8 genera, 30 species), Eanges over 

 all South America, 4 genera and 18 species being restricted to the 

 temperate sub-region; one species is found in the Falkland Islands. 



Sub-family 11. Sclerurin^ (1 genus, 6 species). Brazil to 

 Guiana, Columbia, and north to Mexico. 



Sub-family III. Synall^vxin^ (12 genera, 78 species). Eanges 

 from Patagonia to Mexico ; 7 genera and 28 species are confined 



Vol. II.— 20 



