THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 



331 



Among birds, too, we have sucli striking deficiencies as 

 the extensive families of flycatcliers, starlings, and 

 pheasants. 



Turning now to the Neotropical region, comprising 

 all South America and the tropical parts of the northern 

 continent, we find that the Old World types have still 

 further diminished, while a number of new and alto- 

 gether peculiar forms have taken their place. Insec- 

 tivora have wholly disappeared with the exception of 

 one anomalous form in the greater Antilles ; bears are 

 represented by one Chilian species ; swine are replaced 

 by peccaries ; the great Bovine family are entirely un- 

 known ; the camel tribe are confined to the Southern 

 Andes and the south temperate plains ; deer are not 

 numerous ; and all . the varied Ungulata of the Old 

 World are represented only by a few species of tapirs. 

 These great gaps are, however, to some extent filled up 

 by a variety of interesting and peculiar types. Two 

 families of monkeys (Cebidae and Hapalidse) difier in 

 many points of structure from all the Quadrumana of 

 the eastern hemisphere. There is a peculiar family of 

 bats — the vampyres ; many peculiar weasels and Pro- 

 cyonidse ; a host of peculiar rodents, comprising five 

 distinct families, among which are the largest living 

 forms of the order ; and a great number of Edentata, 

 comprising the families of the sloths, armadillos, and 

 ant-eaters ; and lastly, a considerable number of the 

 marsupial family of opossums. As compared with the 

 Old World, we find here a great abundance and variety 

 of the lower types, with a corresponding scarcity of 

 such higher forms as characterise the tropics of Africa 

 and Asia. 



