OECOLOGICAL 



75 



wards. In the richness of its bird-life the Neotropical surpasses 

 all the other regions of the world. 



Here are found the Ostrich-like Rheas and Tinamous, the 

 curious Game-birds known as the Guans and Currassows, and 

 the Hoatzin, the aberrant Goose-like birds known as the 

 Screamers {Palamedea and Chaund), and those aberrant Cranes 

 {Psophia2L.x\A Araiiius), theSeriemas and the Sun- bittern {Eury- 



-rri^^^r-:^ \^^<^r -^:i<^' 



111. 17. — The Rufous Tinamou {Rhynchotus rufescens) 



PyS^)- Among the Plover-like birds we find the Seed-snipe 

 {Thinocorys) and Chionis. A host of peculiar Parrots, Cuckoos 

 and Kingfishers occur here, and to these must be added Jaca- 

 mars and Puff-birds, Toucans, Motmots, and a vast number of 

 primitive Passerine types, such as the Manakins {Piprida), 

 Chatterers {Cotingidce), Plant-cutters {Phytotomidce), Wood- 

 hewers {Dendrocolaptidce), Ant-birds {Formicariidce), Ant-wrens 

 {CamopophagidcB) and Tapacolas i^Pteroptochidce). 



But besides the foregoing we have the primitive Passerine 

 Tyrant-birds {Tyrannida), the Humming-birds and the " New 

 World" Vultures (p. 454), which occur also in the Nearctic 

 Region, and a number of other peculiar types which are found 



