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

—354 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [part iit.utan, and Paguma, one of the Viverridge, in common withSumatra ;as well as Bhinosciurus, a peculiar form of squirrel, andHemigalea, one of the Viverridge, in common with Malacca.Sumatra has only one genus not found in any other Malayandistrictin North India.Nemorhedus, a form of antelope which occurs againIt also has Siamanga in common with Malacca,Mydaus with Java, and Rhizomys with India.The Malay Peninsulaseems to have no peculiar forms of Mammalia, thoughit is rich in all the characteristic Malay types.The hats of the various islands have been very unequallycollected, 36 species being recorded from Java, 23 from Sumatra,but only 16 each from Borneo and Malacca.Leaving these outof consideration, and taking into account the terrestrial mammalsonly, we find that Java is the poorest in species, whileBorneo, Sumatra, and Malacca are tolerably equal ;the numbersbeing 55, 62, 66, and 65 respectively. Of these we find thatthe species confined to each island or district are (in the sameorder) 6, 16, 5, and 6. It thus appears that Borneo is, in itsmammalia, the most isolated and peculiar ;next comes Sumatra,and then Malacca and Java, as shown by the following table.PeculiarSpecies.16566This result differs from that which we have arrived atmore detailed consideration of the fauna of Java; and itby theservesto show that the estimate of a country by the number of itspeculiar genera and species alone, may not always represent itstrue zoological importance or its most marked features. Java,as we have seen, is differentiated from the other three districtsand byby the absence of numerous types common to them all,its independent continental relations. Borneo is also well distinguishedby its peculiar genera and specific types, yet it is atthe same time more closely related to Sumatra and Malaccathan is Java. The two islands have evidently had a verydifferent history, which a detailed knowledge of their geology