{281}The Hirundinidæ, or Swallows, are true cosmopolites. Although they do not range quite so far north (except as stragglers) as a few of the extreme polar birds, yet they pass beyond the Arctic Circle both in America and Europe, _Cotyle riparia_ having been observed in the Parry Islands, while _Hirundo rustica_ has been seen both in Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. _Cotyle riparia_ and _Chelidon urbica_ also breed in great numbers in northern Lapland, latitude 67° to 70° north. Many of the species also, have an enormous range, the common swallow (_Hirundo rustica_) inhabiting Europe, Asia and Africa, from Lapland to the Cape of Good Hope and to the Moluccas. The genera of swallows are not well determined, a number having been established of which the value is uncertain. I admit the following, referring by numbers to the _Hand List_:-- (215-221 226-228) _Hirundo_ (40 sp.), the range of the entire family; (222 223) _Psalidoprogne_ (10 sp.), Tropical and South Africa; (224) _Phedina_ (1 sp.), Madagascar and Mascarene Islands; (225) _Petrochelidon_ (5 sp.), North and South America and Cape of Good Hope; (220-232 ?234) _Atticora_ (8 sp.), the Neotropical region and ? Australia; (235 237) _Cotyle_ (11 sp.), Europe, India, Africa, North America, Antilles and Ecuador; (236) _Stelgidopteryx_ (5 sp.), La Plata to United States; (238 and 239) _Chelidon_ (6 sp.), Palæarctic region, Nepal, Borneo; (240-242) _Progne_ (5 sp.), all North and South America. FAMILY 31.--ICTERIDÆ. (24 Genera, 110 Species.) GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | 1. 2. 3. 4 |1. 2. 3. 4 |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | | The Icteridæ, or American hang-nests, range over the whole continent, from Patagonia and the Falkland Islands to the Arctic Circle. Only about 20 species inhabit the Nearctic region, while, as usual with exclusively American families, the larger proportion of the genera and species are found in the {282}tropical parts of South America. The genera adopted by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin are the following:--