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

chap, iv.] ZOOLOGICAL REGIONS. 63primary divisions of the earth. Neither can much stress belaid on the negative characteristics of New Zealand, since theyare found to an almost equal extent in every oceanic island.Again, it is both inconvenient and misleading to pick outcertain tracts from the midst of one region or sub-region and toplace them in another, on account of certain isolated affinitieswhich may often be accounted for by local peculiarities.Evenif the resemblance of the fauna of Chili and Patagonia to thatof the Palsearctic and Nearctic regions was much greater than itis, this mode of dealing with it would be objectionable ; but itis still more so, when we find that these countries have astrongly marked South American character, and that the northernaffinities are altogether exceptional. The Eodentia, whichcomprise a large portion of the mammalia of these countries,are wholly South American in type, and the birds are almost allallied to forms characteristic of tropical America.For analogous reasons the Ethiopian must not be made toinclude any part of India or Ceylon ;for although the Fauna ofCentral India has some African affinities, these do not preponderate;and it will not be difficult to show that to follow Mr.Andrew Murray in uniting bodily the Ethiopian and Indianregions of Mr. Sclater, is both unnatural and inconvenient.Theresemblances between them are of the same character as thosewhich would unite them both with thePalasarctic and Nearcticregions ; and although it may be admitted, that, as ProfessorHuxley maintains, this group forms one of the great primarydivisions of the globe, it is far too extensive and too heterogeneousto subserve the practical uses for which we require adivision of the world into zoological regions.Reasons for adopting the six Regions first proposed by Mr. Sclater.—So that we do not violate any clear affinities or produce anyglaring irregularities, it is a positive, and by no means an unimportant,advantage to have our named regionsapproximatelyequal in size, and with easily defined, and therefore easily remembered,boundaries. All elaborate definitions of interpenetratingfrontiers, as well as regions extending over three-fourthsof the land surface of the globe, and including places which are