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

chap, xii.1 THE ORIENTAL REGION. 349once existed for immigrationfrom Southern China, perhaps bya land connection through Formosa, at which time the ancestorsof the peculiar forms of deer entered the country. It may indeedbe objected that our knowledge of these islands is fartoo imperfect to arrive at any satisfactory conclusions as to theirformer history ; but although many more species no doubtremain to be discovered, experience shows that the broad charactersof a fauna are always determined by a series of collectionsmade by different persons, at various localities, and at differenttimes, even when more imperfect than those of thePhilippinebirds really are. The isolated position, and the volcanic structureof the group, would lead us to expect them to be somewhatless productive than the Moluccas, close to the rich and variedPapuan district,—or than Celebes, with its numerous indicationsof an extensive area and great antiquity; and taking into accountthe excessive poverty of its mammalian fauna, which is certainto be pretty well known, I am inclined to believe that no futurediscoveries will materially alter the character of Philippineornithology, as determined from the materials already at ourcommand.Java.—Following the same plan as we have adopted infirstdiscussing the Philippine islands, and separating them from thebody of the sub-region on account of special peculiarities, wemust next take Java, as possessing marked individuality, and asbeing to some extent more isolated in its productions than theremaining great islands.Java is well supplied with indigenousmammalia, possessingas nearly as can be ascertained 55 genera and 90 species.Noneof these genera are peculiar, and only about 5 of the species,—3 quadrumana, a deer and a wild pig. So far then there isnothing remarkable in itsfauna, but on comparing it with that ofthe other great islands, viz., Borneo and Sumatra, and the Malaypeninsula, we find an unmistakable deficiency of characteristicforms, the same in kind asthat we have just commented on inthe case of the Philippines, though much less in degree. First,taking genera which are found in all three of the above-named