GADOW AN 
AVES. 105 
Rodriguez. | 
Seychelles. _| 
Madagascar. 
Mauritius. 
| 
Resident Land-Birds only. | 
Comoros. 
Aldabra. 
Réunion. 
Erythreena madagascariensis ..........| 
REUZIOTIN MS niches Gia nragl sieysrer ors od so oy 
PUlcherrimiaye ys cotati feels s, aa : ¢ } mi ae x 
Bab LCODISEIVIEE). oy Gees SOMES ODE He i 1 Suh ate ae x 
BEIGE OMICOMOLENSIS: 2 sive se csc si sies sr es x 
SIGADIATUS) “eelalatha seta helettas!s = 
(AUIS 36 cc giolae Ho. Cecdseteng ae | ate x 
| 
| 
Xx 
x 
ANG V ELV eer cicdiete ti nelers asset apereesl| 
| HOEUEENATES 55h oooonbboeoeunobo> 
Scops rutilus .............. eee eee eee! 3 as 
CAP MOU OS mMineererantie are tale teyencitin ie eeees x 
Gymnoscops insularis ................ roi se oF = S04} ie) a x 
Hinnuneulus newtonl ......- pecs... Bes | 38 x | | 
; DENCOME, Go cgomne Sb aeiciDooe = O16 we ce x | 
eTaACMIs ere siateysepres eieias sae | Eve oe sc ne | 50 PA x 
This list in the first place illustrates the effects of insularity on birds, the genera 
Foudia, Zosterops, Hypsipetes, Terpsiphone, and Turtur having peculiar species in all or 
most of the Mascarenes. It serves also to show the close relationship between ‘the 
avifaunas of all these islands. None of the islands in question are situated at any great 
distance from the others, and it would necessarily follow that the dispersal of land-birds 
to island groups is a much less frequent incident than usually supposed. Otherwise it 
must be assumed that land-birds are extraordinarily plastic, capable indeed of adaptation 
in a very few generations to their environment. Is it possible that all the genera 
specially mentioned above, represented each by one or two species, could at one time 
have been spread over all the islands, and have subsequently become isolated in the 
different localities by the disappearance of intervening lands ? it 
If the genera and species be examined so as to trace the affinity of the avifauna, we get 
the following facts :—Faleulia and Fregilupus are local genera of indefinite relationships ; 
Foudia is essentially Madagascan and African ; Cinnyris has many species in India, but 
those in question are all of African affinity; Zosterops and Pratincola are found both in 
India and Africa, but the species are allied to those of the latter country; Copsychus and 
Hypsipetes are essentially Indian genera, having no species in Africa; Terpsiphone is an 
Indian-Austral-African genus and its species show no special affinities; Oxynotus is a 
loeal genus, allied in Africa and India; Phedina is a local subgenus of swallows and is 
useless for our purpose; Coracopsis is a Malagasy genus, its allies being two species of 
African Psittacus (a genus which certainly came, from the east) and one Dasyptilus 
of New Guinea; Mascarinus is a local genus allied to the last, its only other close 
relationship being Australasian; Necropsittacus and Lophopsittacus were possibly 
Cacatuine, and in this case their affinities would be Australasian ; Paleornis is African 
and Indian, but its species easwl probably and eques and wardi certainly are related to 
Indian; Erythrena is a genus of the Malagasy district with absolute Malay and 
Australasian relationship (Péilinopus) against Treron which is African, Indian, and 
SECOND SERIES.—ZOOLOGY, VOL. XII. 15 
