1 46 NATURAL HISTORY [chap, xxvii. 



separated from New Giiinea, but form a distinct insular 

 region, which has been upheaved independently at a 

 rather remote epoch, and during all the miitations it has 

 undergone has been constantly receiving immigrants from 

 that great and productive island. The considerable 

 length of time the Moluccas have remained isolated is 

 further indicated by the occurrence of two peculiar genera 

 of birds, Semioptera and Lycocorax, which are found 

 nowhere else. 



We are able to divide this small archipelago into two 

 well-marked groups — that of Coram, including also Bourn, 

 Amboyna, Banda, and Ke ; and that of Gilolo, including 

 Morty, Batchian, Obi, Ternate, and other small islands. 

 These divisions have each a considerable number of pecu- 

 liar species, no less than fifty-five being found in the 

 Ceram group only ; and besides this, most of the separate 

 islands have some species peculiar to themselves. Thus 

 Morty island has a peculiar kingfisher, honeysucker, and 

 starling ; Ternate has a ground-thrush (Pitta) and a fly- 

 catcher ; Banda has a pigeon, a shrike, and a Pitta ; Ke 

 has two flycatchers, a Zosterops, a shrike, a king-crow, 

 and a cuckoo ; and the remote Timor-laut, which should 

 probably come into the Moluccan group, has a cockatoo 

 and lory as its only known birds, and both are of peculiar 

 species. 



The Moluccas are especially rich in the parrot tribe, no 



