27-i NAWRdL HISTORY [chap, itiii. 



category, thus adding to the productions of Celebes a 

 foreign element which does not really belong to it In 

 stutlying the peculiarities of the CelebesiaQ fauna, it will 

 therefore he well to consider only the productions of the 

 main island. 



The nuinber of land birds in the island of Celebes is 

 1 "28, and from these we may, as before, strike out a small 

 number of species which roam over the whole Archipelago 

 (often from India to the Pacific), and which therefore only 

 serve to disguise the peculiarities of individual islands. 

 These are 20 in number, and leave ICS species which 

 we may consider as more especially characteristic of tlie 

 island. On accurately comparing these with the hirds of 

 all the surrounding countries, we find that only nine extend 

 into the islands westward, and juneteen into the islands 

 eastward, while no less than 80 are entirely confined to 

 tlie Celeb4?sian fauna— a degree of individuality, which, 

 considering the situation of the island, is hardly to be 

 equalled in any other part of the world. If we still more 

 closely examine these 80 species, we shall be struck by 

 the many peculiarities of structure they present, and by 

 the curious affinities with distant parts of the world which 

 many of them seem to indicate. These points are of so 

 much interest and importance that it will be necessary to 

 in reWew all those species which are peculiar to tlie 

 island, and to call attention to whatever is most worthy of 

 I'emark. 



Six species of the Hawk tribe are peculiar to Celebes ; 

 three of these are very distinct from allied birds winch 

 range over all India to Java and Borneo, and wluch thus 

 seem to be suddenly changed on entering Celebes. Another, 

 (Accipiter trinotatus) is a beautiful hawk, with elegant 

 rows of large round white spots on the tail, rendering it 

 very conspicuous and quite different from any other known 

 bir<i of the family. Three owls are also peculiar ; and one, 

 a barn owl (Strix rosenbergii), is very much larger and 

 stronger than its ally Strix javanica, which ranges from 

 India through all the islands as far as Lombock, 



Of the ten Parrots found in Celebes, eight are peculiar. 

 Among them are two species of the singular raquet-tailed 

 parrots fomiing the genus Prioniturus and which are 



