GEOGEAPHICAL EELATIONS OF BIEDS. 239 



respectively belong to such geographical diTisions. We hare 

 before spoken of groups of Birds ; we will now speak of regions. 



The world is thus divisible into six great " regions," termed 

 (1) Palsearctio, (2) Ethiopian, (3) Indian, (4) Nearctic, (5) Neo- 

 tropical, and (6) Australian *. 



The PAL^AECTIO region includes Europe, with Spitz- 

 bergen, Iceland, the Azores, Canaries, and Madeira, Africa 

 north of the Sahara (save that Tripoli and Egypt blend with the 

 Ethiopian region), Asia north of the Indian Ocean and the 

 Himalayas, including Afghanistan, Persia, and, possibly, Beloch- 

 istan, with Asia Minor and Syria (save the Valley of the Jordan). 

 Eastwards from the Himalayas it includes China north of the 

 Tang-tze-kiang, at least the northern island of Japan, and the 

 Kurile Islands. 



This great region is divisible into " subregions," as follows : — 

 I. The European, and II. the Mediterraneo-Persic, as described 

 below t. 



The ETHIOPIAN region is composed of Africa south of 

 the Palsearctic region (or south of the Sahara, with more or 

 less of Tripoli and Egypt), the Cape Verd and other islands, 

 including St. Helena, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Eeunion, the 

 Seychelles and Socotra ; and also Arabia and the Valley of the 

 Jordan J.' 



The subregions of this region are: — 



I. The Libyan, or all the northern part of the Ethiopian 

 region — ^that is to say, a little to the north of 10° North latitude 

 to the Nile basin, which is included in it as well as Abys- 

 sinia. 



II. West-African or Guinean subregion — that is to say, the 

 West-African coast from Sierra Leone to the Quanza, and 

 thence eastwards to the Nile watershed in the north, its eastern 

 boundary southwards of this being as yet uncertain. 



III. The South-African or Caffrarian subregion, or Africa 

 south of the Quanza and the northern watershed of the Zambesi, 

 with St. Helena. 



* This division was first proposed by Mr. Sclater, F.E.S. (see Journal 

 of Linnean Society (Zoology), vol. ii. pp. 130-145). Professor Newton, 

 P.R.S., has published an admirable article on this subject under tlie heading 

 " Birds " in the last edition of the Ency. Brit. Of this article we hare made 

 much use. We have also made use of Mr. Wallace's work on the ' Geogra- 

 phical Distribution of Animals,' and of the aid of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, F.Z.S. 



t See p. 242. 



X This valley possesses an Indian genus of Owls, namely Ketupa, 



