chai\ xui.] THE AUSTEALIAN REGION. 443 



For the purpose of zoological comparison, we may class them in 

 four main divisions. 1. The Ladrone and Caroline Islands ; 

 2. New Caledonia and the New Hebrides ; 3. The Fiji, Tonga, 

 and Samoa Islands; 4. The Society, and Marquesas Islands. 

 The typical Polynesian fauna is most developed in the third 

 division ; and it will be well to describe this first, and then show 

 how the other islands diverge from it, and approximate other 

 sub-regions. 



Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa Islands. — The land-birds inhabiting 

 these islands belong to 41 genera, of which 17 are characteristic 

 of the Australian region, and 9 more peculiarly Polynesian. 

 The characteristic Australian genera are the following : Pclroica 

 (Sylviida?) ; Lalage (Campephagida?) ; Monarcha, Myiagra, Rhipi- 

 dura (Muscicapida?) ; Pachycephala (Pachycephalidae) ; Redes 

 (Laniida?) ; Myzomcla, Ptilotis, Anthochosra (Meliphagidse) ; Ama- 

 dina, Eythrura, (Ploceidse) ; Artamus (Artamidse) ; Lorius (Tri- 

 choglossidas) ; Ptilopus, Phlogmnas (Colunibidse) ; Megapodius 

 (Megapodiidse). 



The peculiar Polynesian genera are : — Tatar e, Lamprolia 

 (Sylviidee) ; Aplonis, Sturnodes (Sturnidse) ; Todiramplius 

 (Alcedinidte) ; Pyrhulopsis, Gyanoramphus, (Platycercida?) ; Cori- 

 pliilus (Trichoglossidse) ; Didunculus (Didunculidse). 



The wide-spread genera are Turdus, Zosterops, Hirundo, Hal- 

 cyon, Collocalia, Eudynamis Cucuhis, Xanthomas, Carpoplioga, 

 Turtur, Halimetus, Astur, Circus, Strix, Asio. The aquatic birds 

 are fifteen in number, all wide-spread species except one — a form 

 of moor-hen (Gallinulidae), which has been constituted a new 

 genus Pareudiastcs. 



Society, and Marquesas Islands. — Here, the number of genera of 

 land-birds has considerably diminished, amounting only to 16 

 in all. The characteristic Australian genera are 5 ; — Monarcha, 

 Anthochosra, TricJwglossus, Ptilopus, and Phlogcenas. The Poly- 

 nesian genera are 4 ; — Tatare, Todiramplius, Cyanoramphus, 

 Coriphilus, and one recently described genus, Serresius, an ex- 

 traordinary form of large fruit pigeon, here classed under Car- 

 pophaga. These remote groups have thus all the character of 

 Oceanic islands, even as regards the rest of Polynesia, since they 



