THE MOLUCCAS 
311 
Birds, on the other hand; are tolerably abundant, and 
are in many respects interesting. Their essentially 
Papuan character is indicated by the fact that out of the 
7 8 genera in which the Moluccan land-birds are classed, 
no less than 70 are characteristic of New Guinea, while 
only six are peculiarly Indo-Malayan. The species, 
however, are to a great extent peculiar, more than 
140 being entirely confined to these islands out 
of a total number of about 200 land-birds. A most 
remarkable feature is the immense preponderance of the 
three groups—parrots, pigeons, and kingfishers. These 
together form one-tliird of all the land-birds, while in 
continental India they only form one-twentieth. As 
these groups are rather above the average of size, and 
contain an unusual proportion of gaily-coloured species, 
they give to the birds of the Moluccas an air of special 
brilliancy. Among the most beautiful are the crimson 
lories, the racquet-tailed kingfishers, and the green fruit- 
doves ; and there are also some brilliant ground-thrushes 
and fly-catchers. In the islands of Batjan and Gilolo, 
and possibly in Obi, there is a peculiar species of the 
bird-of-paradise family —Semioptera wallacei , discovered 
by Mr. Wallace in 1858—the only one yet found 
beyond the Papuan region. Very curious, too, is the 
occurrence of the great wingless bird, the cassowary, in 
Ceram, distinct from the numerous species that inhabit 
New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The mound¬ 
building birds of the genus Megapodius are especially 
abundant in the Moluccas, being found even on the 
smallest islands and uninhabited islets. 
Regarded from the point of view of their land 
Mollusca, the Moluccas fall into two distinct groups—the 
northern comprising Ternate, Gilolo, Batjan, and Obi; and 
the southern consisting of Buru, Ceram, Amboina, and 
