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HAP. xiv.J THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 65
Coerebidse, Tanagridce, Cotingidse, Conuridae ; 1 is Antillean
only—Todidffi ; while 1—Ampelida3—is confined (in the western
hemisphere) to North America, and almost to the Nearctic region.
Of the 95 genera, no less than 31, or almost exactly one- third,
are peculiar ; while of the 203 resident species, 177 are peculiar,
the other 26 being all inhabitants of South or Central America.
Considering how closely the islands approach the continent in
several places—Florida, Yucatan, and Venezuela—this amount
of speciality in such locomotive creatures as birds, is probably
unexampled in any other part of the globe. The most interesting
of these peculiar genera are the following : 4 of Turdidse, or
thrushes—1 confined to the large islands, 1 -to the whole
archipelago, while 2 are limited to the Lesser Antilles ; 2
genera of Tanagridte, confined to the larger islands ; 2 of
Trogonidae, also confined to the larger islands ; 5 of humming-
birds, 3 confined to the Greater, 1 to the Lesser Antilles ; 2 of
cuckoos, one represented in all the large islands, the other in
Jamaica only ; 2 of owls, one peculiar to Jamaica, the other
represented in St. Croix, St. Thomas, Portorico, and Cuba ; and
lastly, Todus, constituting a peculiar family, and having repre-
sentative species in each of the larger islands is especially
interesting because it belongs to a group of families which are
wholly Neotropical—the Momotida3, Galbulidse, and Todidse.
The presence of this peculiar form, with 2 trogons 10 species
of parrots, all but one peculiar; 16 peculiar humming-birds
belonging to 8 genera ; a genus of Cotingidse ; 10 peculiar
tanagers belonging to 3 genera ; 9 Ccerebidse of 3 genera
together with species of such exclusively Netropical genera as
Ccereba, Cerihiola, Sycalis, Plioni'paTa, Elainea, Fitangus, Campe-
philus, Cliloronerpes, Nydibius, Stenopsis, Zampornis, Calypte,
Ara, Ghrysotis, Zenaida, Leptoptila, and GeotrTjgon, sufficiently
demonstrate the predominant afiinities of this fauna ; although
there are many cases in which it is difficult to say, whether the
ancestors of the peculiar genera or species may not have been
derived from the Nearctic rather than from the Neotropical
region.
The several islands differ considerably in their apparent pro-