SOME NEOTROPICAL BIRDS. 225 
placing in America the gorgeous Pheasants of the Old 
World. 
About three species of wild turkeys are known, two 
occurring in North Americaand one, the Ocellated Turkey, 
mentioned above, on this side of the Continent. The 
Powises and Marudies, however do not occur away from 
the Neotropical Region, where they have a very wide 
distribution. With regard to the birds of prey, the 
Neotropical Region is the exclusive home of the finest 
members of the Order, The Harpy, 7hrasaetus harpyta, 
the largest raptorial bird, the Condor, Sarcorhamphus 
gryphus and the King Vulture, Gypagus papa, are entirely 
confined to it. Besides these a host of other smaller but 
handsome forms abound. 
In the Lesser Antilles the Order is very poorly repre- 
sented, only one pretty little Kestrel, Cerchnets domint- 
censis ? being indigenous to them. This bird is known in 
the Islands as the “ Killie Killie” from its cry, and is a 
very bold and courageous species. 
The Mesomyodian, or songless division of the Passeres 
(Perching birds) being almost entirely confined to Ame- 
rica, it is not surprising that most of our birds should 
have little or no powers of song. Indeed I once heard a 
little tree frog with a much more melodious voice than 
many of our wild birds. So strange and unusual was the 
call of this little creature, that we stopped paddling our 
boat for a long time listening to it. 
In British Guiana the common house Wren, Zroglodytes 
furovus, the Music Wrens, Cyphorhinus sp. and certain 
members of the Tanagrine Genus Exzphonia are among 
the best songsters, but in every case the song is very short 
and never continuous as in the far famed Nightingale. 
