316 Br. U. Woodward — On Wingless Birds. 



Tliese Regions embrace : — 



I. The Pal^earctio, consisting of Europe and Asia, with Africa, 

 down to the tropic of Cancer, also Northern Arabia, Persia, Tibet, 

 and China. In North Africa, Arabia, and Persia there is evidence of 

 the Ostrich in modern and ancient times, although no doubt it is 

 rarer now. We have also a fossil Ostrich Dromornis (Sheppey). 



II. The Ethiopian Region, embracing all Africa and Arabia south 

 of the tropic of Cancer and Madagascar with its adjacent islands. 

 We have here the living Ostrich, and in Madagascar three if not four 

 well-marked species of extinct Struthious Birds called JEpyornis, 

 occurring in the newer Tertiary sand-drift deposits of this island. 



III. The Indian Region, and the whole of Siam, with Borneo, 

 Sumatra, the Philippines, etc., having one fossil Ostrich in the 

 Sewalik Hills. There is also historic evidence of the former wider 

 range of this Bird, from Persia into India itself. 



IV. The Australian Region, comprising New Guinea, Celebes, 

 Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, etc. 



This province in living and extinct forms of Struthious Birds is the 

 richest in the world. It possesses 



9 species of Cassowary {Casuarius).'\ 



3 ,, Emeu [Bromceus). > (living). 



4 ,, Apteryx or " Xiwi." } 



14 ,, Dinornis, Palapteryx, Itromornis, etc. (all extinct). 



V. The Nearctic Region embraces the great Continent of North 

 America down to Mexico. It has no living Struthious Bird ; but 

 Prof. Cope has discovered in strata of Eocene age in New Mexico, 

 a wingless Bird twice the size of the living Ostrich, named by him 

 Diatryma gigantea. 



VI. The Neotropical Region embraces Central and South America, 

 and the West Indies : a region most rich in species of modern birds, 

 and having three species of Struthiones, and one extinct form from 

 the Caves of Brazil. 



Power of Flight. — Nearly all living birds, as is very well known, 

 possess the power of flight and have cai-inate breast-bones, to give 

 attachment to the great pectoral muscles, without which the wings 

 would be unable to beat the air in the rapid flight of the bird, and so 

 sustain it above the earth. 



But if a Carinate Bird is placed upon an island and has no 

 enemies, and has habitually to seek its food upon the ground, tho 

 bird in time ceases to fly at all, and loses the carinated character of 

 its sternum.^ 



This has happened in Strigops (one of the Psittacidce), New Zea- 

 land ; in the Dodo (Didince), Mauritius; the "Solitaire" (Pezophus 

 solitarius), Rodriguez ; the Aphanapteryx (a Rail), Mauritius ; the 



* In the case of Bidimculus, in the Island of Samoa, this little didine bird had 

 carelessly taken to building its nest on the ground, but since the introduction of pigs 

 and other animals, it has made an effort to save itself, and it now builds its nest 

 higher up in the trees, and it may possibly survive adverse circumstances if man does 

 not intervene. Strigops seems, on the contrary, doomed to extermination, building 

 on or near the ground, and making no effort to fly or protect itself from its destroyers. 



