96 



THE WOELD OF LIFE 



Table of the Species of Birds 



Region or Country. 



Palaearctic Region 



Nearctic Region 



Ethiopian Region 



Oriental Region 



British India 



Borneo 



Philippines 



Neotropical Region 



Central America and 

 South Mexico 



Brazil 



Australian Region 



Australia 



New Guinea 



Area, 

 Sq. Miles. 



17,000,000 

 8,000,000 

 7,555,000 

 3,350,000 



1,560,000 

 297,000 

 115,500 



7,590,000 



940,000 

 3,288,000 

 3,500,000 

 3,009,000 



310,000 



Number 



of 

 Species. 



1250 



760 



2490 



2300 



1617 

 500 

 700 



4100 



1300 

 1568 



883 

 950 



Dresser. 



Ridgway. 



Reichenow, 



Estimate. 



Dresser 



Ernst Hartert (1910) 



Biol. Am. Cent. (1905), 

 Von Thering (1907). 



E. Hartert (1908). 

 Ernst Hartert. 



The numbers for the Oriental Region have been estimated on the method of Mr. 

 Shipley above referred to; and the same has been done for the Neotropical and 

 Australian Regions. 



The numbers for Central America and Mexico have been reduced from those of 

 the Biologia Am. Cent., because that work includes all temperate Mexico with a 

 large number of Nearctic species. 



be about equal to additional species of the whole of N'orth 

 Asia and Japan, we get a total of 31,000 species, which is 

 far beyond the highest estimate of the Xearctic flora with all 

 the sub-species included. 



The birds of the Ethiopian and Oriental Regions appear 

 to be approximately equal in numbers. The flowering plants 

 are even less known. Those of tropical Africa with Madagas- 

 car, Mauritius, etc., must reach about 22,000 species; while 

 temperate South Africa has 13,000. Allowing the species 

 common to both to equal those yet undescribed from tropical 

 Africa, we get a total of 35,000 species for the Ethiopian 

 flora. 



That of the Oriental Rei^ion is much more difficult to ar- 

 rive at. Taking 15,000 species for the tropical portion of 

 the flora of British India, and addins: 7000 for Indo-China, 



