CHAP. XI.] 
THE ETHIOPIAN PvEGION. 
255 
of lizards are the most characteristic: — Monotrophis (Lepidos- 
temidse) ; Cordylus , Pseudocordylus, Platysaurus, Cw'dylosaurus, 
Pleurostichus , Saurophis and Zonurus (Zonuridse) ; Sphcmops , 
Scelotes , Sphcenocephalus and Sepsina (Sepidre) ; Pachydactylus 
(Geckotidre) ; Agama (Agamidse); and Chameleon (Chaineleonidae). 
Of tortoises, Cynyxis, Pyxis and Chersina (Testudinidse), and 
Cycloderma (Trionychidse) are the most characteristic. 
Amphibia. — Of the 9 families of amphibia there is only 
1 peculiar, the Dactylethridse, a group of toads ; but the 
Alytidse, a family of frogs, are abundant. 
Fresh-water Fish. — Of the 14 families of fresh-water fishes 
3 are peculiar: Mormyridaj and Gymnarchidae, small groups 
not far removed from the pikes ; and Polypterid®, a smaU group 
of ganoid fishes allied to the gar-pikes (Lepidosteidee) of North 
America. 
Summary of Ethiopian Vertebrates. — Combining the results 
here indicated and set forth in greater detail in the tables of 
distribution, we find that the Ethiopian region possesses ex- 
amples of 44 families of mammalia, 72 of birds, 35 of reptiles, 
9 of amphibia, and 15 of fresh-water fishes. It has 23 (or 
perhaps 25) families of Yertebrata altogether peculiar to it out 
of a total of 175 families, or almost exactly one-eighth of the 
whole. Out of 142 genera of mammalia found within the 
region, 90 are peculiar to it ; a proportion not much short of 
two-thirds. Of land birds there are 294 genera, of which 
179 are peculiar ; giving a proportion of a little less than 
three-fifths. 
Compared with the Oriental region this shows a con- 
siderably larger amount of speciality under all the heads; 
but the superiority is mainly due to the wonderful and iso- 
lated fauna of Madagascar, to which the Oriental region has 
nothing comparable. Without this the regions would be nearly 
equal. 
Insects: Zepidoptera. — 11 out of the 16 families of butter- 
flies have representatives in Africa, but none are peculiar. 
Acrseidse is one of the most characteristic families, and there 
