27G GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. [part iv. 



ihotis (4 sp.), Papuan Islands and Australia ; Leptornis (2 sp.), 

 Samoa Islands and New Caledonia ; Philemon = Tropidorhyncus 

 (18 sp.), Moluccas and Lombok to New Guinea, Australia, Tas- 

 mania and New Caledonia ; Entomiza (2 sp.), Australia ; Mano- 

 rhina (5 sp.), Australia and Tasmania ; Euthyrhynchus (3 sp.), 

 New Guinea ; Melirrhophetes (2 sp.), New Guinea ; Mclidectes 

 (1 sp.), New Guinea ; Melipotes (1 sp-), New Guinea ; Melithrep- 

 tus (8 sp.), New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania ; ( 397 ) Molio (3 

 sp.), Sandwich Islands ; Chcctoptila (1 sp.), Sandwich Islands. 



Family 23.— NECTAPJNIID^E. (11 Genera, 122 Species.) 



General Distribution. 



Neotropical 

 Sob-regions. 



Nearctic 

 Sub-regions. 



Pal^earctic 

 Sub-regions. 



Ethiopian 

 Sub-regions. 



Oriental 

 Sub- regions. 



Australian 

 Sub-regions. 



— 2 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4; 1.2 



The Nectariniidye, or Sun-birds, form a rather extensive group 

 of insectivorous honey-suckers, often adorned with brilliant me- 

 tallic plumage, and bearing a superficial resemblance to the 

 American humming-birds, although not in any way related to 

 them. They abound in the Ethiopian, Oriental, and Australian 

 regions, as far east as New Ireland, and south to Queensland, 

 while one species inhabits the hot Jordan Valley in the Palm- 

 are tic region. For the Eastern genera I follow Lord Walden's 

 classification (Ibis, 1870) ; the African species not having been 

 so carefully studied are mostly placed in one genus. The genera 

 adopted are as follows : — 



Promerops (1 sp.), South Africa ; Ncctarinia (60 sp.), the whole 

 Ethiopian region ; Cinnyricinclus (5 sp.), West Africa ; Neodre- 

 panis (1 sp.), Madagascar ; Arachneclhra (13 sp.), Palestine, 

 all India to Hainan, the Papuan Islands, and North-east Aus- 

 tralia ; yEthopyga (15 sp,), Himalayas and Central India to West 

 China, Hainan, Java, and Northern Celebes ; JYectaropJiila (5 sp.), 

 Central India and Ceylon, Assam and Aracan to Java, Celebes 

 and the Philippines ; Chalcostethu (6 sp.), Malay Peninsula to 

 New Guinea; Anthreptrs (1 sp.), Siam, Malay Peninsula to 



