. Geographical distribution of animals : with a study of the relations of living and extinct faunas as elucidating the past changes of the earth's surface. tal and Paliiearctic forms of widerange. Of this latter class the jNIalay islands have compara-tively few, but they possess no less than 14 peculiar genera, viz-Simia, Siamanga, Iarskis, Galeojnthecus, HylomySy Ptilocerus,Gymnura, Cynofjale, Hcmigcdea, Ardoyale, Baranyia, Mydaiui,Helardos, and fapirus. The islands also possess tigers, deer,wild pigs, wild cattle, elephants, the scaly ant-eater, and mostof the usual Oiiental genera ; so that


. Geographical distribution of animals : with a study of the relations of living and extinct faunas as elucidating the past changes of the earth's surface. tal and Paliiearctic forms of widerange. Of this latter class the jNIalay islands have compara-tively few, but they possess no less than 14 peculiar genera, viz-Simia, Siamanga, Iarskis, Galeojnthecus, HylomySy Ptilocerus,Gymnura, Cynofjale, Hcmigcdea, Ardoyale, Baranyia, Mydaiui,Helardos, and fapirus. The islands also possess tigers, deer,wild pigs, wild cattle, elephants, the scaly ant-eater, and mostof the usual Oiiental genera ; so that they are on the wholefully as rich as, if not richer than, any part of Asia ; a fact veryunusual in island faunas, and very suggestive of their reallycontinental nature. J*late VIII. Scene in Borneo ivifh Chdmrteristic MalayanQimdrupcds.—Tlie Malayan fauna is so ricli and peculiar thatwe devote two plates to ilhistrate it. We luive here a group ofmammalia, such as might be seen togetlier in the vast forests ofl*>orneo. In tlu^ foreground we have tlie luautiful deer-lik(»Chevrolaiu (^7nn/iihis Juraninis). Tliese are delicate little ILATK \ A FOUKST IN , Willi ( ll A ItAt 1 KKI> 1 1 MAMMALIA. ciiAr. xii.] THE ORIENTAL KEOION. n;>,: animals whose body is not lari^er tlian a ral>bits, tlienco oftencalled mouse-deer. They were formerly classed with the musk-deer, owing to their similar tusk-like upper canines ;but tlieir anatomy shows them to form quite^a distinct family,having more resemblance to the camels. On the branch aboveis the curious feather-tailed Tree-Shrew {Ptilocerus lowii), a smallinsectivorous animal altogether peculiar to Borneo. Above thisis the strange little Tarsier (Tarsius spectrum), one of the lemui-sconfined to the Malay islands, but so distinct from all others asto constitute a separate family. The other small animals arethe Flying Lemurs {Galceopitliecus volans) formerly classed withthe lemurs, but now considered to belong to the


Size: 1250px × 2000px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1876