412 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi. 



The most prominent deficiencies, as compared with Australia, 

 are in Sylviidse, Timaliidae, Ploceidse, Platycercidse,and Falconidae. 



II. The genera which are characteristic of the whole Malay 

 Archipelago are the following (10) : — 



1. Erythrura ... (Ploceidse) 6. Loriculus ... (Psittacidae) 



2. Pitta (Pittidae) 7. Macropygia ... (Columbidse) 



3. Ceyx ... ... (Alcedinidee) 8. Chalcophaps ... „ 



4. Calao ... (Bucerotidse) 9. Calacnas ... „ 



5. Dendrochelidon (Cypselidse) 10. Baza (Falconidse) 



III. The curious set of genera apparently of Indo-Malayan 

 origin, but unknown in the Moluccas, are as follows : — 



1. Eupetes ... (Cinclidse) 4. Arachnothera (Nectariniidae) 



2. Alcippe ... (Timaliidae) 5. Prionochilus... (Dicaeidae) 



3. Pomatorhimis „ 6. Eulales ... (Stumidae) 



The above six birds are very important as indicating past 

 changes in the Austro-Malay Islands, and we must say a few 

 words about each. (1) Eupetes is very remarkable, since the 

 New Guinea birds resemble in all important characters that 

 which is confined to Malacca and Sumatra. They are pro- 

 bably the survivors of a once wide-spread Malayan group. 

 (2) Alcippe or Drymocataphus (for in which genus the birds 

 should be placed is doubtful) seems another clear case of 

 a typical Indo-Malayan form occurring in New Guinea and 

 Java, but in no intervening island. (3) Pomatorhinus is a most 

 characteristic Himalayan and Indo-Malayan genus, occurring 

 again in New Guinea and also in Australia, but in no interme- 

 diate island. The New Guinea bird seems as nearly related to 

 Oriental as Australian species. (4) Arachnothera is exactly 

 parallel to Alcippe, occurring nowhere east of Borneo except in 

 New Guinea. (5) Prionochilus, a small black bird, sometimes 

 classed as a distinct genus, but evidently allied to the Prionochili of 

 the Indo-Malay Islands. (6) Pulabcs, the genus which contains 

 the well known Mynahs of India, extends east of Java as far as 

 Flores, but is not found in Celebes or the Moluccas. The two New 

 Guinea species are sometimes classed in different genera, but they 

 are undoubtedly allied to the Mynahs of India and Malaya. 



We find then, that while the ornithology of New Guinea is 



