1868.] PROF. HUXLKY ON THE ALECTOROMORPH^. 315 



dinal, and divides a north world from a south world, we must speak 

 of Arctogcea and Notogaa rather than of Neogsea and Paleeogsea as 

 the primary distributional areae. 



The secondary divisions, or geographical provinces, proposed by 

 Dr. Sclater, answer, in great measure, to those which are suggested 

 bj' the distribution of the AlectoromorphcB — except that, in common 

 with many other naturalists, I think it would be convenient to 

 recognize a circumsolar province, as distinct from the Nearctic and 

 Palaearctic regions. It is characterized, so far as the AlectoromorphcB 

 are concerned, by the Tetraonince. The temperate and warmer 

 parts of the Nearctic province are marked by the Oclontophorince 

 and the Meleugridce. The ^Ethiopian province is distinguished by 

 Numididce ; the Indian by the abundance of Phasianida ; while 

 the temperate and warmer parts of the Palsearctic region can hardly 

 be said to have any great distinctive features apart from the con- 

 terminous Indian, ^Ethiopian, and circumpolar provinces. 



No one can doubt the distributional importance and distinctness 

 of Dr. Sclater's "Neotropical" province — though I confess I should 

 prefer some such name as "Austro-Columbia" for it, so much of 

 this province lying outside the tropics. 



Not only is this province the exclusive home of the Cracidce, but 

 a greater number of morphologically distinct groups of birds than 

 can be found anywhere else are completely, or almost, confined to 

 it. These are the 



Rheidce, Psophidce, 



TinamomorphfE, . Ramphastidie, 

 Heteromorphce, Cathartidce, 



Palamedidce, Trochilidce. 



DicholophidcB, 



Parrakeets, Short-tailed Parrots, and the Pair-toed Coccygomorphce 

 (such as Cuckoos and Woodpeckers) abound in it. 



No less exclusively characteristeric, positively, are the Mammalian 

 groups of Llamas and Peccaries among the Artiodactyla, of Sloths 

 and Armadillos among the Edentata, of Platyrhine and Arctopithe- 

 cine Primates, of Opossums (with Cheironectes) among Alarsupialia ; 

 while, negatively, the absence of Insectivora* , of Viverridce, of all 

 other Ungulata except Cervida, of all other Marsupialia, is not less 

 remarkable. 



Again, I cannot but think that the "Australian, or Eastern 

 Palseotropical," province is certainly as distinct from the Old World 

 proper as South America isf, if we consider both its Birds and its 

 Mammals — and that no fitting idea of its importance is given by 



* Solenodon is confined to two West-Indian islands- — Cuba and Haiti ; Bas- 

 saris is but a doubtfid Viverrine, and gets no further south tlian Mexico. 



t " Quelles que soient du reste les destinees ulterieures du principe que je 

 viens d'emettre relativement au mode a suivre pour la determination des faunes 

 speciales, 11 est impossible de nier que, sous ce point de vue, I'Amerique m^ri- 

 dionale, d'une part, la Nouvelle Hollande, d'autre part, doivent etre s^par^es du 

 reste du monde." — Puciieran, Sur Ics indications que pcut fournir la Zoologie, 

 ^c. {Enmc et Magadn de Zoologie. 18H5, p. Ifi2). 



