30 



BIRDS OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE. 



The geographical distribution o£ the Birds found in the Japanese 

 Empire presents several points of interest. The avifauna of Japan 

 is typically Palsearctic. If we consider the Birds of Japan with 

 regard to their distribution during the breeding-season, we shall find 

 that about 75 per cent, are Palaearctic species, of which 39 per cent, 

 range across the Palsearctic Region, and 36 per cent., though 

 breeding in Eastern Siberia, are not found in Western Europe. The 

 remaining 25 per cent, consist of 12 per cent, of tropical species, 

 and 13 per cent, of species not known to breed outside the Japanese 

 Empire. The percentage of Oriental and Australian species which 

 invade the southern portions of the Eastern Palaearctic E,egion is 

 probably about the same as that of Ethiopian species which invade 

 the southern portions of the Western Palsearctic Region. 



The species of birds known to have occurred in the Japanese 

 Empire, if classified according to the range of their distribution 

 during the breeding-season, may be summarized as follows : — 



Circumpolar species 



Palsearctic species 



Eastern races of Palsearctic species 



Palsearctic species 



Siberian and East-European species 



East- Siberian species 



Both shores of the Pacific . . . 



East Palsearctic species . 



Tropical species 



Only known to breed in the Japanese Empire 



Total . . 



49 

 71 

 26 



17 

 95 



27 



146 



139 



47 

 49 



^81 



This geographical distribution of Japanese Birds can only be 

 regarded as typically Palaearctic. This is all the more remarkable, 

 because not only the Flora of Japan and the Lepidoptera of Japan, 

 which may be more or less connected, but also the Reptiles and 

 Batrachians of Japan show an afiinity to the Eastern Nearctic species. 

 It seems impossible to imagine any connection between Japan and 

 the Eastern States of North America, to the exclusion of the 



