302 
GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. 
[part IV. 
one-third of the total number of Passeres ; a wonderful illus- 
tration of the Ornithological riches of South America. 
Order II. — PIC API JE. 
Family 51. — PICIDiE. (36 Genera, 320 Species.) 
General Distribution. 
Neotropical I 
Nearctic 
P ALAS ARCTIC 
Ethiopian 
Oriental 
Sub-regions, 
Sub-regions. 
Sub-regions. 
Sub-regions. 
Sub- regions. 
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 
i .a .3 .4 
.1 . 2 . 3 . 3 
1 
i , a . 3 — j 
1 .2.3 .4 
Australian 
Sub-regions. 
1 - 
The Woodpeckers are very widely distributed, being only absent 
from the Australian region beyond Celebes and Flores. They 
are most abundant in the Neotropical and Oriental regions, both 
of which possess a number of peculiar genera ; while the other 
regions possess few or no peculiar forms, even the Ethiopian 
legion having only three genera not found elsewhere. The soft- 
tailed Picumninse inhabit the tropical regions only, Picumnus 
being Neotropical, Vivid, and Sasia Oriental, and Verreauxia 
Ethiopian. Picoides , or Apternus, is an Arctic form peculiar to 
the Nearctic and Palsearctic regions. Celeus, Chrysoptilus, Chloro - 
nerpes, and some smaller genera, are Neotropical exclusively, 
and there are two peculiar forms in Cuba. Yungipims, Chryso- 
colaptes, Ilemicercus, Midleripicus , Brachypternus, Tiga, and 
Mkropternus, are the most important of the peculiar Oriental 
genera. Dendropicus and Geocolaptes are Ethiopian ; but there 
are no woodpeckers in Madagascar. The Palsearctic woodpeckers 
belong to the genera Picus — which is widely distributed, Gecinus 
— which is an Oriental form, and Dryocopus — which is South 
American. Except Picoides, the Nearctic woodpeckers are mostly 
of Neotropical genera ; but Sphyrapicus and Hylatomus arepeculiar. 
The geological record is, as yet, almost silent as to this family ; 
but remains doubtfully referred to if have been found in the 
Miocene of Europe and the Eocene of the United States. Yet 
the group is evidently one of very high antiquity, as is shown by 
