CHAP. XVIII. j 
BIRDS. 
829 
Family 82. — NESTOR IDiE. (? 2 Genera, 6 Species.) 
General Distribution. 
Neotropical 
Sub-regions. 
Neargtic 
Sob-regions. 
TaL/E ARCTIC 
Sub-regions. 
Ethiopian 
Sub-regions. 
Oriental 
Sub-regions. 
Australian 
Sub-regions. 
1 1 
i 
! 
1 
1 A 
The present family is formed to receive the genus Nestor (5 
sp.), confined to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Its affinities 
are doubtful, but it appears to have relations with the American 
Conuridae and the Australian Trichoglossidoe. With it is placed 
the rare and remarkable Dasyptilus (1 sp.), of New Guinea, of 
which however very little is known. 
Family 83. — STRINGOPIDiE. (1 Genus, 2 Species.) 
General Distribution. 
N F.OTROPICAL 
Sub-regions. 
Nearctic 
Sub-regions. 
Pal.earctic 
Sub-regions. 
Ethiopian 
Sub-regions. 
i Oriental 
j Sub-regions. 
Australian 
Sub-regions. 
— 
A 
This family contains only the curious owl-like nocturnal 
Parrot of New Zealand, Stringops habroptilus (Plate XIII. 
Yol .1. p. 455). An allied species is said to inhabit the Chatham 
Islands, if not now extinct. 
General Remarks on the Distribution of the Psittaei. 
Although the Parrots are now generally divided into several 
distinct families, yet they form so well marked and natural a 
group, and are so widely separated from all other birds, that 
we may best discuss their peculiarities of geographical distri- 
bution by treating them as a whole. By the preceding 
enumeration we find that there are about 386 species of known 
parrots, which are divided into 52 genera. They are pre- 
eminently a tropical group, for although a few species extend 
a considerable distance into the temperate zone, these are 
