28 ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF ANIBIALS. 



varieties of mankind, observes, that " the tribes among 

 the Caucasians are more numerous than in any other ;" 

 and, as if impressed with the singularity of the circum- 

 stance, he again repeats, " Whether we consider the 

 several nations, or the individuals in each, bodily dif- 

 ferences are much more numerous in the highly civilised 

 Caucasian variety, than in either of the other divisions 

 of mankind." * Whether we look to the Caucasian 

 races of man, or the races of birds, these facts are still 

 more curious, since this division is so disproportionately 

 small in comparison to either Asia, Africa, or America. 



(38.) That there are instances of typical forms of 

 higher groups than genjra, which do not occur within 

 the European province, does not materially diminish the 

 general strength of this analogy. Thus the only bird we 

 possess belonging to the tenuirostral or suctorial tribe, is 

 the European hoopoe {Upupa Epops L.), which is cer- 

 tainly not typical: but this, so far as tribes are concerned, 

 is the only exception that can be named ; since, although 

 we have no parrots, we possess many woodpeckers, 

 which are the most typical of all the scansorial birds. 

 It is curious that the above exception should be found in 

 that division alone which comprises the smallest and 

 weakest of birds {TrochilidcB Sw.). If we descend to 

 the families of the Tnsessores (the most perfect of the 

 feathered tribe), there is not one, pre-eminently typical, 

 which is not European. 



(39-) These results, furnished by facts which are in- 

 contestable, are so important to our present enquiry, that 

 we make no apology for having so long dwelt upon 

 them. The ornithology of Europe is better known 

 than that of any other continent, or of any other class 

 of animals distributed in the same regions ; it has, conse- 

 quently, furnished us with facts more unexceptionable 

 and more perfect than could have been drawn from its 

 quadrupeds, fish, or inseets. How far this view of 

 European zoology would be strengthened by a similar 



• Lawrence, p. 442. 475. 



