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

278 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part hi.Depanidida?. Euryceros is a complete puzzle, having beenplaced with the hornbills, the starlings, or as a distinctfamily.Falculia is an exceedingly aberrant form of starling, long thoughtto be allied to Irrisor. Philepitta, forming a distinct family,(Paictidse), is most remarkable and isolated, perhaps with remoteSouth American affinities. Leptosoma is another extraordinaryform, connecting the cuckoos with the rollers. Atelornis,Brachypteracias, and Geobiastes, are terrestrial rollers, with theform and colouring of Pitta. So many perfectly isolated andremarkable groups are certainly nowhere else to be found ; andthey fitly associate with the wonderful aye -aye (Chiromys),the insectivorous Centetidee, and carnivorous Cryptoproctaamong the Mammalia. They speak to us plainly of enormousantiquity, of long-continued isolation ;and not less plainly ofa lost continent or continental island, in which so many, andvarious, and peculiarly organized creatures, could have beengradually developed in a connected fauna, of which we havehere but the fragmentary remains.Plate VI— Illustrating the characteristic features of theZoology of Madagascar.—The lemurs, which form the mostprominent feature in the zoology of Madagascar, being comparativelywell-known from the numerous specimens in ourzoological gardens ;and good figures of the Insectivorous generanot being available, we have represented the nocturnal andextraordinary aye-aye (Chiromys madagascariensis) to illustrateits peculiar and probably very ancient mammalian fauna ;whilethe river-hogs in the distance (Potamochcerus edwardsii) allied toAfrican species, indicate a later immigration from the mainlandthan in the case of most of the other Mammalia. Thepeculiar birds being far less generally known, we have figuredthree of them. The largest is the Euryceros prevosti, here classedwith the starlings, although itsremarkable bill and other peculiaritiesrender it probable that itshould form a distinct family.Its colours are velvety black and rich brown with the billpearly grey.of aThe bird beneath (Vanga curvirostris) is one of thepeculiar Madagascar shrikes whose plumage, variegated withgreen-black and pure white is very conspicuous ; while that in