1839. j On the Distribution of European Birds. 31 



Europe and Asia, two; to Europe, Asia, and Africa, two; to Europe and 

 North America, five ; to Europe, Asia, North and South America, 

 one ; to Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, one ; to Europe, 

 Australasia, and North America, one; thus leaving a proportion of 

 1 to 5 ; and from these statements it appears evident that the noc- 

 turnal birds of prey do not possess such a wide distribution as the 

 diurnal, as stated by Swainson. 



But Mr. Swainson in summing up his observations gives, as 

 already stated, 27 species as peculiar to the European or Caucasian 

 province — a number four times larger than we from a most careful 

 and extensive examination have made it; the number being only seven, 

 and it is even doubtful whether all these are peculiar to this so called 

 zoological region or province. 



Having now finished our analysis of the distribution of the Rapa- 

 cious order, we shall now proceed to another of Mr. Swainson's 

 divisions, viz. the Gallinacece, whose distribution we shall follow out 

 in a similar manner. " On looking," 27 says he, u to the whole number 

 of our Gallinacece, we find twenty seven species, fourteen of which 

 have their metropolis in Europe ; the remainder are thus dispersed— 

 five extend to Western Asia; five to the confines of the great African 

 Desert ; two are dispersed over Central Asia and Africa ; whilst two 

 occur in North America." In the above statements Mr. Swainson 

 differs very considerably from our examination ; at least it is difficult 

 to understand what he has included in his Gallinacece, for to make 

 up the number of species we must include the genera Columba, 

 Tetrao, Bonasia, Lagopus, Pterocles, Francolinus, Perdix, Cotnr- 

 nix, Hemipodius, Otis, Cursorius, and Glareola, comprehended under 

 which we have twenty-seven species ; of course leaving out the Tetrao 

 rupestris, a doubtful species, and which has only been met with in 

 Europe once or twice. Nor do we include the Phasianus colchicus, 

 an imported species. We however comprehend the Tetrao hytridus™ 

 considered erroneously by some naturalists as a hybrid between the 

 Tetrao urogallus and the Tetrao tetrix, it presenting many characters 

 to mark it out as a distinct and well marked species. Of the twenty 

 seven species found in Europe, five are common to Europe and Asia ; 

 three common to Europe and North America ; one or two(?) common 

 to Europe and Africa; and four common to Europe, Asia and Africa; 

 thus leaving fourteen proper to Europe, or in the proportion of nearly 1 

 to 1 ; and of these, one alone is peculiar to the British islands, which is 



27 Loco. Citato, p. 23. 



28 Yarrel, Proc. Zool. Soc. Gould's Birds of Europe. 



