its
geographical limits being really known. In Europe we have a distinct
species of ibex (_Capra Pyrenaica_) confined to the Pyrenean mountains,
while the true marmot is restricted to the Alpine range. More remarkable is
the Pyrenean water-mole (_Mygale Pyrenaica_), a curious small insectivorous
animal found only in a few places in the northern valleys of the Pyrenees.
In islands there are many cases of undoubted restriction of species to a
small area, but these involve a different question from the range of
species on continents where there is no _apparent_ obstacle to their wider
extension.

_Specific range of Birds._--Among birds we find instances of much wider
range of species, which is only what might be expected considering their
powers of flight; but, what is very curious, we also find more striking
(though perhaps not more frequent) examples of extreme limitation of range
among birds than among mammals. Of the former phenomenon perhaps the most
remarkable case is that afforded by the osprey or fishing-hawk, which
ranges over the greater portion of all the continents, as far as Brazil,
South Africa, the Malay Islands, and Tasmania. The barn owl (_Strix
flammea_) has nearly as wide a range, but in this case there is more
diversity of opinion as to the specific difference of many of the forms
inhabiting remote countries, some of which seem undoubtedly to be distinct.
Among passerine birds the raven has probably the widest range, extending
from the arctic regions to Texas and New Mexico in America, and to North
India and Lake Baikal in Asia; while the little northern willow-wren
(_Phylloscopus borealis_) ranges from arctic Norway across Asia to Alaska,
and southward to Ceylon, China, Borneo, and Timor.

Of very restricted continental ranges the best examples in Europe are, the
little blue magpie (_Cyanopica cooki_) confined to the central portions of
the Spanish peninsula; and the Italian sparrow found only in Italy and
Corsica. {16} In Asia, Palestine affords some examples of birds of very
restricted range--a beautiful sun-bird (_Nectarinea osea_) a peculiar
starling (_Amydrus tristramii_) and some others, being almost or quite
confined to the warmer portions of the valley of the Jordan. In the
Himalayas there are numbers of birds which have very restricted ranges, but
those of the Neilgherries are perhaps better known, several species of
laughing thrushes and some other birds being found only on the summits of
t