64 
ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. 
[part hi. 
starved out and exterminated some of the smaller native 
rodents. 
Birds. — The birds of the Antilles, although very inferior in 
number and variety to those of the mainland, are yet suffi- 
ciently abundant and remarkable, to offer us good materials for 
elucidating the past history of the country, when aided by such 
indications as geology and physical geography can afford. 
The total number of land-birds which are permanent residents 
in the West India islands is, as nearly as can be ascertained from 
existing materials, 203. There are, in addition to this number, 
according to Prof. Baird, 88 migrants from North America, 
which either spend the winter in some of the islands or pass on 
to Central or South America. These migrants belong to 55 
genera, and it is an interesting fact that so many as 40 of these 
genera have no resident representatives in the islands. This is 
important, as showing that this northern migration is probably a 
recent and superficial phenomenon, and has not produced any 
(or a very slight) permanent effect on the fauna. The migratory 
genera which have permanent residents, and almost always 
representative species, in the islands, are in most cases character- 
istic rather of the Neotropical than of the Nearctic fauna, as the 
following list will show; Turdus, Dendrceca , Vireo, Polioptila , 
Agelceus, Icterus , Gontopus, Myiarchus, Tyrannus, Antrostomus, 
Chordeiles, Goccyzus, Oolumba. By far the larger part of these 
birds visit Cuba only ; 81 species being recorded as occurring 
in that island, while only 31 have been found in Jamacia, 12 in 
Porto Rico and St. Croix, and 2 in Tobago and Trinidad. 
Setting aside these migratory birds, as having no bearing on the 
origin of the true Antillean fauna, we will discuss the residents 
somewhat in detail. 
The resident land-birds (203 in number) belong to 95 genera 
•and 26 families. Of these families 15 are cosmopolitan or 
nearly so — Turdidae, Sylviidae, Corvidae, Hirundinidee, Frin- 
gillidae, Picidae, Cuculidae, Caprimulgidae, Oypselidae, Trogonidae, 
Psittacidae, Columbidae, Tetraonidae, Falconidae, and Strigidae; 
5 are American only — Vireonidae, Mniotiltidae, Icteridae, Tyran- 
nidae, Trochilidae ; 4 are Netropical only or almost exclusively — 
