THE ORIENTAL REGION AND ITS POSITION. 757 



highly specialized forms • while of the Accipitrine birds, 1 will only- 

 draw uttention to the Vultures, whose range stops short at our south- 

 eastern boundary, though it is strange that birds possessing the 

 powers of flight that they do should not be found to inhabit the 

 apparently well-suited country of tropical and sub-tropioal Australia. 



Finally, we must not forget to note that it is in the Oriental region 

 that the Pheasants are found in their greatest glory with the Feafowl 

 and the splendid Argus Pheasant at their head, not to mention such 

 remarkable groups as the Peacock-Pheasants {Polyplectrum), the 

 Koklas, the GenncBus group, including the Silver Pheasant, the 

 Monals, the Tragopans and the Blood-Pheasants (Ithagenes), while 

 closely allied to them we have the Jungle-fowls {Gallus), which are 

 entirely confined to the region. 



When we come to the Reptiles, we find them in great abundance, 

 bi'.t they do not present any well-known groups which can be 

 considered as specially characteristic, and I think I have said enough 

 to justify the position of the Oriental region as a well-defined and 

 distinct section in zoological geography without deducing further 

 instances from the great class of insects, i-egardiug which, however, 

 Mr. Wallace vvrote : *' On the whole, the insects of this region 

 " probably surpass those of any other part of the world, except South 

 " America in size, variety and beauty." 



