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Show 1873.] DISTRIBUTION OF ASIATIC BIRDS. 677 so largely to our knowledge, no one has in recent times, so far as know, collected or examined the birds of these islands in a systematic way. The consequence is, that though a vast number of birds have been described, and many collections sent home from these islands, the uncertainty with regard to their right names and habitat is so great that, until a careful comparison has been made of such a series of specimens as can be found, I believe, only in the Leyden Museum, it will be impossible to decide with certainty on the distinctness or range of many species. Our knowledge of many large portions of these islands is also very limited. The mountainous interior and east coast of Borneo, the whole northern half of Sumatra, the range forming the backbone and east coast of the Malay peninsula remain to this day either quite unexplored, or, at any rate, unvisited by naturalists. It is therefore impossible to say much of these unknown regions; but, judging from what we know of the mountains of Java and Tennasserim, birds of peculiar types will be found in them, as well as many new species of lowland forms. Mr. Wallace, though he has pointed out very cleariy the zoological peculiarities and affinities of the Malay islands, and defined their eastern boundary with certainty, has given no lists of the birds of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, or Malacca. I have therefore compiled a list from the catalogues of the museums of Calcutta, Leyden, the East-India Company, and the British Museum, and corrected it to the best of m y ability from all available sources. It is, however, still so inaccurate as regards the Timaliidee, Brachypodidae, and other families, that I have not been able to use it for purposes of analysis in a complete state. If, however, the five families which are most difficult and confused are omitted, viz. Cuculidae, Timaliidee, Brachypodidae, Lusciniidae, and Dicruridae, there remain about 400 species of land-birds sufficiently well known to give me some confidence in the results of the analysis. The opinion I have formed from it is that the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, together with the peninsula of Malacca, south of the isthmus of Krau, form a well-marked and homogeneous division of the Indo-Malayan region, differing sufficiently from the Himalayan subregion to be separated from it, yet bearing a strong general resemblance to Indo-China and Burmah*. The families of birds most numerous in species and individuals in this subregion are the Woodpeckers, Bulbuls, Cuckoos, Barbets, and Fruit-Pigeons. The Trogons, Hornbills, Pittas, and Broadbills are also very characteristic families, and are represented by several species in every part of it; but though the genera are mostly peculiar to the subregion, they are not so numerous as in the first-named families. The Birds of Prey, Flycatchers, and Pheasants are also well represented- the latter by several magnificent species of Argus, Euploca- * I have omitted any reference to the Philippine Islands, as I understand that Lord Walden, whose qualifications for such a work are surpassed by none, ii now preparing a paper on the ornithology of these islands. |