368 Wonders of the Bird World 



D. THE AUSTRALIAN REGION. 



This embraces the continent of Australia and tlie whole 

 of the islands lying to the east of " Wallace's Line." It 

 embraces seven Sub-Regions, all of which appear to be 

 well defined. 



I. THE CELEBEAN SUB-REGION. 



This Sub-Region includes the island of Celebes and some 

 of the adjoining islands, such as the Sula group, the Tojian 

 Islands, Salayer, etc. Celebes is a most interesting island, 

 as we see from the wonderful monograph of its Avifauna 

 recently published by Dr. Meyer and Mr. Wiglesworth. 

 It is a kind of debatable land, for although there is a 

 very strong Australian element, the Indian features of its 

 Avifauna are also verj' strongly pronounced, while at the 

 same time it has many birds peculiar to its area. CJiari- 

 tornis and Strcptocitta arc among the Passerine genera, and 

 these two forms of Tree-Starling are not found outside 

 the Celebesian Sub-Region. Ceycopsis and Moiiac/ialcyon 

 among the Kingfishers, Megaceplialiiin among the Mega- 

 podes, are also other characteristic forms, and there are 

 many others. Curiously enough, too, there is a certain 

 affinity between the Celebesian Avifauna and that of 

 Madagascar, and specimens of a Tufted Owl (Scops rutibts) 

 can scarcely be distinguished from these widely-separated 

 localities. Recent explorations in the high mountains of 

 the island have revealed a distinct Himalayan element as 

 existing there in the form of Aitdrophilus and such-like 

 genera, while it is remarkable that North and South Celebes 

 have several forms peculiar to each of these districts. Thus 

 in North Celebes we find Strcptocitta torqiiata and Stoparola 

 septcntrioualis represented in South Celebes by Strcptocitta 



