62 



ZOOLOGICAL EEGI0N8. 



Arctic 

 genera. 



Temperate 

 genera. 



Tropic 

 genera. 



Relations of 

 Charadriine 

 genera to 

 the Scla- 

 terian 

 Regions. 



The distribution of the genera of the Charadriidse during the breeding-season is as 

 follows : — 



Three genera — Tringa, Ereunetes, and Strepsilas — containing together 28 species, may 

 be regarded as entirely arctic; four other genera — Totanus, Limosa, Numenius, and 

 Phalaropus — may also be regarded as arctic. They contain together 38 species, of which 

 21 may be said to be entirely arctic, 8 arctic and temperate, and 9 entirely temperate. 

 Five genera — Charadrius, Himantopus, Hamatopus, Ihidorhynchus, and Scolopax — may be 

 looked upon as belonging to the Temperate Regions, inasmuch as out of 92 species 56 breed 

 in these climates, about half of them in the northern hemisphere and half in the southern. 

 Of the remaining 36 species belonging to these five genera, 15 are arctic and 21 tropic. 

 The remaining seven genera may be regarded as tropic. (Edicnemus, Cursorius, Vanellus, 

 LoUvanellus, Glareola, Fhegornis, and BhynchcBa together consist of 66 species, of which 

 44 may be regarded as tropical and 22 as temperate. Regarded from the Sclaterian 

 point of view, 1 genus only, Ibidorhgnchus, can be regarded as Palsearctic, but as it only 

 contains 1 species its evidence is not very conclusive. The Ethiopian Region can only lay 

 claim to 1 genus, Cursorius ; but out of the 12 species which it contains, 1 is Palsearctic and 

 2 Oriental. The Oriental Region can scarcely lay claim to any genus. The Australian 

 Region might possibly claim Himantopus ; but out of 8 species, 4 do not breed within its 

 limits, but are scattered over all the other regions. The Neotropical Region might perhaps 

 be allowed to claim half a genus, Scolopax, in partnership with the Palsearctic Region : 

 this genus contains 27 species, of which 10 are Neotropical and 9 Palsearctic, the 

 remaining 8 being distributed over the other regions. The Nearctic Region can fairly 

 claim 1 genus, Ereunetes, 5 out of the 6 species breeding within its limits. The Nearctic 

 and Palsearctic Regions might claim 6 genera as partners, viz., Numenius, Phalaropus, 

 Limosa, Totanus, Tringa, and Strepsilas. Of the 61 species which these genera contain, 

 30 breed only in the Palsearctic and 24 only in the Nearctic Regions, whilst 7 breed in 

 both. The remaining 8 genera — (Edicnemus, Charadrius, Vanellus, Lohivanellus, Glareola, 

 Iltsmatopus, Phegornis, saA. Bhynchtsa — contain 108 species, of which 23 may be regarded 

 as Palsearctic, 24 as Ethiopian, 13 as Oriental, 21 as Australian, 19 as Neotropical, and 

 8 as Nearctic, so that they cannot be said to belong to any one or two regions. 



The inevitable conclusion is that the Charadriidae do pay considerable attention to the 

 Climatic or Isothermal Regions, but appear practically to ignore the Sclaterian Regions. 



Finally, it may be wise again to point out that the climatic regions cannot be applied 

 to all animals, or even to birds as a whole, but that they do apply in a remarkable manner 

 to the family of birds under consideration. 



