OCR Text |
Show 34 ISLAND LIFE. [rAnT 1. latitude as Germany. We find that there are forty-four t.crrestrial species (omittinO' the bats, the seals, and other mannc animals), and of these n~ less than twenty-six are identical w~th European species, and tvYelve or thirtee? mor~ are closely a~hcd representatives, leaving only five or s1x w~w~ are peculiarly Asiatic. We can hardly have a more convmcmg proof of the essential oneness of the mammalia of Europe and N orthcrn Asia. In Northern Africa we do not find so many European species (though even here they are very numerous) because a considerable number of vVest Asiatic and desert forms occur. Having, however, shown that Europe and Western Asi::t have almost identical animals, we may treat all these as really European, and we shall then be able to compare the quadrupeds of North Afric::t with those of Europe and ¥Vest Asia. Taking those of Algeria as the best known, we finu that there arc thirty-three species identical with tho~e of Europe and West Asia, while twenty-four more, though distinct, are closely allied, belonging to the same genera; thus making a total of fiftyseven of European type. On the other hand, we have seven species which are either identical with species of tropical Africa or allied to them, and six more which are especially chnmctcristic of the African and Asiatic deserts which form a kind of neutral zone between the temperate and tropical regions. If now we consider that Algeria and the adjacent countries bordering the :Mediterranean form part of Africa, while they are separated from Europe by a wide sea and arc only connected ·with Asia by n. narrow isthmus, we cannot but feel surpriseu at the wonderful preponderance of the European and West Asiatic elements in the mammalia which inhabit the district. The Range of British BiTds.-As it is very important that no doubt should exist as to the limits of the zoological region of which Europe forms a part, we will now examine the birds, in order to see how far they agree in their distribution with the mammalia. Of late years great attention bas been paid to the distribution of European anu Asiatic bird~, many ornithologists having travelled in North Africa, in Palestine, in Asia Minor, in Persia, in Siberia, in Mongolia, and in China; so that we are now CHAP. III.] ZOOLOGICAL REGIONS. 35 able to determine tb h t at would have b e .e xact r.a n rres of · · b many species m a manner are given for all Beer'nt ·I mb pos.s.. i.b le .a £e w years ago. These ranges Ihs· tory of British B1' IS species m tb d' · d . e new e 1tlon of Yarrcll's . , ~r s now m co f bl' . editorship of Profcsso N urse 0 pu 1catwn under the . r cwton wb'l th f birds are given in still d ' . ~ e ose o all European more etail m M D , . work on the Birds of E . r. rosser s beautiful con-fine our examination wu:tohp.e, JUst completed. In order to 1 lD reasonabl r . same time give it the interest tt h' e Im.I~s, and at the '11 a ac mg to famihar b. t W·I ta.k e the whole series of B n' tI'S h p asseres or pc ob 'J ec sb, ' wde given m Professor Newton's work (118 . b ere Ing Ir s th . . m num er) and arr 0' . elm d m senes accordinO' to the extent f th . anoc b o err ranO'e These t mc u e not only the permanent residents and rcO'ula.~ ~iO'rants o our country but aJ th 1 · . 6 that it II ' . so ose w nch occasiOnally straggle hoe re, so rea y compnses a 1arge proportion of all European birds. I. BRITISIJ BIRDS WIITCH EXTEND TO NORTH AFRICA AND CENTRAL OR NoRTH-EAST AsiA. 1. Lanius collurio 2. 01·iolus Galbul~ .... .. · ... 3. Turd us m~tsicus' · · .. · · · · · · · .. · 4 5 • , iliacus ... : '.'. ~ ~ ~ ·. '.'.'.'. ·. · , . pilaris ................. .. 6. Mont~cola saxatilis 7. Ruticilla suecica · .... · · .. 98 . Saxicola rubicola ·.:. .... ·. ... ". .... .... 10 . , cenanthe ........... . · ..A crocephalus a1'Undinaceus 11. Sylvia cw·ruca 12. Pa1·us rna '01 • .. ·• .......... . 13. Motacilla'Jsul~jl~~~.a. · .... · .. · 14. mli ....... .. 15. ..A nth~s triviali~ ........ "· · .. 16 . .. .......... . 17 · , sptloletta ............ . · , campestns ........ . 18 . ..Alauda arvensis 19. , cristata · .. · · ........ 20. Emberiza schcenic·l~~· · · · · · · · 21. . , . citrinella ... : : : ::: 22. Frmg~lla montifringilla ... 23. Passm· montanus 24. , domesticus:::::::::::: ~5. Coccothraustes v~tlgm·is .. . 26. Carduelis spin us ........... . 27. Loxia cu1·virostra 28. Sturnus vulgaris . ::::::::::: Red-backed Shrike (also all Africa) Golde~ Orio'e (also all Africa). · Song-rhrush. Red-wing. Fieldfare. Blue rock Thru~b. ~luetln·oat (also India in winter). Stonechat (also India in winter). Wheatear (also N. America). Great Reed-Warbler. Lesser Whitethroat. Great Titmouse. Y Grey Wagtail (also China and Malaya) ell ow Wagtail. · Tree Pipit. Water Pipit. Tawny Pipit. Skylark. Crested Lark. Reed Bunti11g. Yellow-hammer. Brambling. Treo Sparrow (also s. Asia). House Sparrow. Hawfinch. Siskin (also China). Crossbill. Starling. |