CHAP. XIV.] 
THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 
G5 
Coerebidse, Tanagridse, Cotingidpe, Conuridse ; 1 is Antillean 
only — Todidse ; while 1 — Ampelidxe — is confined (in the western 
hemisphere) to North America, and almost to the Nearctic region. 
Of the 95 genera, no less than 31, or almost exactly one-third, 
are peculiar ; while of the 203 resident species, 177 are peculiar, 
the other 26 being all inhabitants of South or Central America. 
Considering how closely the islands approach the continent in 
several places— Florida, Yucatan, and Venezuela — this amou it 
of speciality in such locomotive creatures as birds, is probably 
unexampled in any other part of the globe. The most interesting 
of these peculiar genera are the following : 4 of Turdidae, or 
thrushes — 1 confined to the large islands, 1 to the whole 
archipelago, while 2 are limited to the Lesser Antilles ; 2 
genera of Tanagridse, confined to the larger islands ; 2 of 
Trogonidae, also confined to the larger islands ; 5 of humming- 
birds, 3 confined to the Greater, 1 to the Lesser Antilles ; 2 of 
cuckoos, one represented in all the large islands, the other in 
Jamaica only ; 2 of owls, one peculiar to Jamaica, the other 
represented in St. Croix, St. Thomas, Portorico, and Cuba ; and 
lastly, Todus, constituting a peculiar family, and having repre- 
sentative species in each of the larger islands, is especially 
interesting because it belongs to a group of families which are 
wholly Neotropical — the Momotkke, Galbulidae, and Todidse. 
The presence of this peculiar form, with 2 trogons; 10 species 
of parrots, all but one peculiar; 16 peculiar humming-birds 
belonging to 8 genera; a genus of Cotingkke ; 10 peculiar 
tanagers belonging to 3 genera ; 9 Ccerebidae of 3 genera ; 
together with species of such exclusively Netropical genera as 
Ccereba , Certhiola , Sycalis, Phonipam , Elainea, Pitangus, Campe - 
j ohilus, Chloi'onerpes, Nyctibius, Stenopsis, Lampornis, Calypte , 
Ara, Chrysotis, Zenaida, Leptoptila , and Geotrygon, sufficiently 
demonstrate the predominant affinities of this fauna ; although 
there are many cases in which it is difficult to say, whether the 
ancestors of the peculiar genera or species may not have been 
derived from the Nearctic rather than from the Neotropical 
region. 
The several islands differ considerably in their apparent pro- 
VOL. XL F 
