444 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi. 



possess hardly anything, but what they might have received 

 by immigration over a wide extent of ocean. 



Ladrone, and Caroline Islands. — These extensive groups of 

 small islands are very imperfectly known, yet a considerable 

 number of birds have been obtained. They possess two 

 peculiar Polynesian genera, Tatare and Stumodes ; one peculiar 

 sub-genus, Psammathia (here included under Acrocephalus) ; 

 and ten of the typical Australian genera found in Polynesia, — 

 Lalage, Monarcha, Myiagra, Bhipidura, Myzomda, Erythrura, 

 Artamus, Phlogcenas, Ptilopus, and Megapodius, as well as the 

 Papuan genus Bectes, and the Malayan Calornis ; — so that they 

 can be certainly placed in the sub-region. Genera which do 

 not occur in the other Polynesian islands are, Acrocephalus, (s.g. 

 Psammathia) originally derived perhaps from the Philippines ; 

 and Caprimulgus, a peculiar species, allied to one from Japan. 



New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides. — Although these islands 

 seem best placed with Polynesia, yet they form a transition to 

 Australia proper, and to the Papuan group. They possess 30 

 genera of land-birds, 18 of which are typical of the Australian 

 region ; but while 13 are also Polynesian, there are 5 which do 

 not pass further east. These are Acanthiza, Eopsaltria, Glici- 

 phila, Philemon, and Ianthcenas. The peculiar Polynesian genus, 

 Aplonis, of which three species inhabit New Caledonia, link it to 

 the other portions of the sub-region. The following are the 

 genera at present known from New Caledonia : — Turdus, Acan- 

 thiza, Campephaga, Lalage, Myiagra, Rhipidura, Pachycephala, 

 Eopsaltria, Corvus, Physocorax (s.g. of Corvus, allied to the jack- 

 daws), Glicphila, Anthochccra, Philemon, Zosterops, Erythrura, 

 Aplonis, Artamus, Cuculus, Halcyon, Collocalia, Cyanoramphus, 

 Trichoglossus, Ptilopus, Carpophaga, Macropygia, Ianthcenas, 

 Chalcophaps, Haliastur, Accipiter. The curious Bhinochetus 

 jubatus, forming the type of a distinct family of birds (Rhino- 

 chetidse), allied to the herons, is only known from New Cale- 

 donia. 



It thus appears, that not more than about 50 genera and 150 

 species of land-birds, are known from the vast number of islands 

 that are scattered over the Central Pacific, and it is not probable 



