Present distribution of the so called Ratitae. 167 



We will proceed now to the discussion of the Geographical 

 Distribution of the Ratite Palacognathae. 



Undoubtedly of all the genera Siruthio had the widest 

 distribution, for in bygone ages it extended from the Mediterranean 

 Basin to Eastern China, viz. Struthio karatheodoris was exhumed 

 in Samos, S. chersonensls in South Russia, and in China near 

 Kalgan 140 miles from Pekin, and S. asiaticus in the Siwalik Hills 

 in India. In' recent days the Ostriches (Struthio) were found 

 throughout Africa, from Algeria in the north to Cape Colony in 

 the vSouth but owing to continuous persecution, they are no longer 

 found in the Sahara north of In Sala (Tidi-Kelt) and are only 

 found in the Cape Colony in a state of domestication or semi- 

 domestication. 



Mr. Bidwell exhibited, in May 1905, at the British Ornitho- 

 logist's Club some pieces of Ostrich-egg-shell which were said 

 to have been found at Nullas, Kani River, Bonda, India. Dr. 

 Andrews kindly examined these pieces for me when describing 

 Fsammomis rothschildi and found them to be practically 

 indistinguishable from pieces of egg-shell of the Somali Ostrich 

 (Struthio molyhdophanes) . As there was a great trade for 

 centuries in Ostrich-eggs to India and China for ornamental work, 

 no doubt these pieces were part of an imported egg which got 

 broken, thrown away and buried at "Nullas" where Mr. Archi- 

 bald Carlyle dug them up. 



The next most widely spread group is that of the Casuarii 

 being found from India to Australia but the various genera were 

 restricted: Hypselornis to India, Casuarius to the Papuan Region 

 and North Queensland, and Dromornis, Genyornis, and Dromaius 

 to Australia and Tasmania. The Apteryges were confined to 

 Australia and New Zealand; Aptéryx and Pseudapteryx were 

 exclusively confined to New Zealand, while Metapteryx was found 

 in North Queensland. The Dinornithes were exclusively found 

 in New Zealand while the Aepyornithes were confined to Mada- 

 gascar, and the Rheae are South American, extending both as 

 fossil and living forms from North Brazil to the Straits of 

 Magellan. 



Lastly we have the Eremopezinae; of these we know two 

 genera, but we know too few fragments to be able to define their 

 geographical range. Eremopezus eocenus was found in N. E. 

 Africa and Psamm.ornis rothschildi in N. W. Africa. 



From their geographical distribution and the varying number 

 of species it at once becomes evident that the regions from 

 Madagascar to New Zealand have proved the most suitable for 

 the development of Patite Palaeognathae, the number of forms 

 known from the Mascarene and Papua-Australasian regions 

 totalling 84 as opposed to 16 or perhaps 17 from the rest of the 

 world or five times the number. However we must not forget 



