CHAP. XL] 
THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 
277 
Strigid.e. 
44. Athene 
45. Scopa 
Species. PLATALEIIL*. 
I 49. Ibis ... 
Species. 
1 
Rallid,e, 
46. Kallas 
47. Porzana 
Podicipid.k 
50. Pod i ceps 
ScOLOPACIDiE. 
48. Gallinago 
Total peculiar species of Eth. } 
or Or. genera- / 0 
to Madagascar and Africa or Asia. 
Species of Birds common 
1. Cisticola cnrsitans. 
2. Corvus scapulatua. 
3. Crithagra canicollis. 
4. Merops superciliosus. 
5. Collocalia fuciphaga. 
6. (Ena capensis. 
7. Aplopelia tympanistria. 
8. Falco minor. 
9. Falco concolor. 
10. Milvus cegyptius. 
11. Milvus migrants. 
12. Strix flammea. 
These three tables show us an amount of speciality hardly to 
be found in the birds of any other part of the globe. Out of 
111 land-birds in Madagascar, only 12 are identical with species 
inhabiting the adjacent continents, and most of these belong to 
powerful-winged, or wide-ranging forms, which probably now 
often pass from one country to the other. The peculiar species 
— 49 land-birds and 7 waders, or aquatics — are mostly well- 
marked forms of African genera. There are, however, several 
genera (marked by italics) which have Oriental or Pal searc tic- 
affinities, but not African, viz. — Copsyckus, Hypsipetes , ITypherpes, 
Aledrccnas, and Margaropcrdix. These indicate a closer ap- 
proximation to the Malay countries than now exists. 
The table of 33 peculiar genera is of great interest. Most of 
these are well-marked forms, belonging to families which are 
fully developed in Africa; though it is singular that not 
one of the exclusively African families is represented in 
any way in Madagascar. Others, however, are of remote or 
altogether doubtful affinities. Sittidcc is Oriental and Palsearctic, 
but not Ethiopian. Oxylabes and Mystacomis are of doubtful 
affinities. Artamia and Cyanolanius still more so, arid it is 
quite undecided what family they belong to. Calicalicus is 
almost equally obscure. Neodrepanis, one of the most recent 
discoveries, seems to connect the Neetariniid«e with the Pacific 
