CHAP. XVIII.] 



BIRDS. 



369 



main-land of Australia (Plate XII. Vol. I. p. 441). Casuarius 

 (9 sp.) inhabits the islands from Ceram to New Britain, with 

 one species in North Australia ; it is most abundant in the 

 Papuan Islands. 



Family 128.— APTERYGID^. (1 Genus, 4 Species.) 



General Distribution. 



Neocbopical 

 sub-r»gions. 



Neakctic 

 Sub-regions. 



Pal^arctic 

 sub-hegions. 



Ethiopian 

 sub-begio.ns. 



Oriental 

 sub-keqions. 



Australian 

 Sub-regions. 



The species of Apteryx are entirely confined to the two larger 

 islands of New Zealand. They are supposed to have some 

 remote affinity with Ocydromus, a genus of Eails peculiar to 

 Australia and New Zealand ; but they undoubtedly form one of 

 the most remarkable groups of living birds (Plate XIII. Vol. I. 

 p. 445). 



Struthious Birds recently extinct. 



A number of sub-fossil remains of birds, mostly large and 

 some of gigantic size, having affinities to the Apteryx and, less 

 closely, to the Cassowaries, have been discovered in New 

 Zealand. These are all classed by Professor Owen in the 

 genus Dinornis and family Dinornithidce ; but Dr. Haast, from 

 the study of the rich collections in the Canterbury (New 

 Zealand) Museum, is convinced that they belong to two distinct 

 families and several genera. His arrangemeiit is as follows. 

 (See Ihis, 1874, p. 209). 



Family 129.— DINORNITHID^. (2 Genera, 7 Species.) 



Dinornis (5 sp.) ; Meionornis (2 sp.). 



These had no hind toe, and include the largest species. Pro- 

 fessor Newton thinks that they were absolutely wingless, being 

 the only birds in which the fore limbs are entirely wanting. 



