A most remarkable feature in the distribution of this family is the occurrence of a true roller (_Coracias temminckii_) in the island of Celebes, entirely cut off from the rest of the genus, which does not occur again till we reach Siam and Burmah. The curious _Pseudochelidon_ from West Africa may perhaps belong to this family or to the Cypselidæ. (Ibis. 1861, p. 321.) FAMILY 63.--MEROPIDÆ. (5 Genera, 34 Species.) GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|1. 2 -- -- |1. 2. 3. 4 |1. 2. 3. 4 |1. 2 -- -- | | | | | The Meropidæ, or Bee-eaters, have nearly the same distribution as the Rollers, but they do not penetrate quite so far either into the Eastern Palæarctic or the Australian regions. The distribution of the genera is as follows:-- _Merops_ (21 sp.), has the range of the family extending on the north to South Scandinavia, and east to Australia and New Guinea; _Nyctiornis_ (3 sp.), the Oriental region, except Ceylon and Java; _Meropogon_ (1 sp.), Celebes; _Meropiscus_ (3 sp.), West Africa; _Melittophagus_ (6 sp.), Ethiopian region, except Madagascar. {313}FAMILY 64.--TODIDÆ. (1 Genus, 5 Species.) GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- 4 |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | | The Todies are delicate, bright-coloured, insectivorous birds, of small size, and allied to the Motmots, although externally more resembling flycatchers. They are wholly confined to the greater Antilles, the islands of Cuba, Hayti, Jamaica, and Porto Rico having each a peculiar species of _Todus_, while another species, said to be from Jamaica, has been recently described (Plate XVI. Vol. II. p. 67). FAMILY 65.--MOMOTIDÆ. (6 Genera, 17 Species.)