468 
NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 
II. — Birds* 
Birds peculiar to Africa, 
Many more species of birds are found in South 
America than in Africa ; but the African species 
are more numerous than those of Australia, if we 
except the aquatic birds, that appear to be more 
numerous in Australia than in Africa. The orni^ 
thology of the lakes and rivers of Africa is as 
little known as that of the rivers and lakes of New 
Holland and New Zealand ; hence the small num- 
ber of marsh and aquatic birds enumerated in the 
Fauna of Africa, compared with what is contained 
in the Fauna of the comparatively small continent 
of Europe. 
There are in Africa about 642 species, being a 
sixth part of the known species of birds ; and of 
these nearly 500 are peculiar to it. Of 87 genera 
found in Africa, six or eight are peculiar to it, viz. 
corythaix^ musophaga, buphaga^ numida^ didus^ 
Scopus, and probably also gypogeranus and pogo- 
nias. The didus or dodo, so much celebrated in 
ornithology, was formerly seen in the island of 
Bourbon, as well as in some parts of Africa ; but 
is now become so rare as to be no longer discover- 
able in the regions where it was formerly found ; 
and has probably, like some other animals, be- 
come extinct, from causes with which we are un^ 
acquainted. 
