The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

CHAPTER IX.THE ORDER OF SUCCESSION OF THE REGIONS.— COSMOPOLITANGROUPS OF ANIMALS.—TABLES OF DISTRIBUTION.Having discussed, in our First Part, such general and preliminarymatters as are necessary to a proper comprehension of oursubject ; and having made ourselves acquainted, in our SecondPart, with the most important results of Palaeontology, we nowcome to our more immediate subject, which we propose to treatfirst under its geographical aspect. Taking each of our sixregions in succession, we shall point out in some detail the chiefzoological features they present, as influenced by climate, vegetation,and other physical features. We shall then treat eachof the sub-regions by itself, as well as such of the islands orother sub-divisions as present features of special interest; endeavouringto ascertain their true relations to each other, and themore important changes of physical geography that seem necessaryto account for their present zoological condition.Order of Succession of the Regions.— We may here explainthe reason for taking the several regions in a different successionfrom that in which they appear in the tabular or diagrammaticheadings to each family, in the Fourth, and concluding part ofthis work. It will have been seen, by our examination of extinctanimals (and it will be made still clearer during our study ofthe several regions) that all the chief types of animal life appearto have originated in the great north temperate or northerncontinents ; while the southern continents—now represented by