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The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

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216 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.pursuit. But <strong>the</strong>re seems no unusual abundance <strong>of</strong> insectivorousbirds to render this necessary ; and as we cannot believetliat such a curious peculiarity is without meaning, it seemsl^robable that it is <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> a former condition <strong>of</strong> things,when <strong>the</strong> is<strong>land</strong> possessed a much riclier fauna, <strong>the</strong> relics <strong>of</strong>which we see in <strong>the</strong> isolated birds and Mammalia now inhabitingit ; and when <strong>the</strong> abundance <strong>of</strong> insectivorous creatures renderedsome unusual means <strong>of</strong> escape a necessity for <strong>the</strong> large-wingedand showy butterflies. It is some confirmation <strong>of</strong> this view,that nei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> very small nor <strong>the</strong> very obscui'ely colouredgroujDS <strong>of</strong> butterflies have elongated wings, nor is any modificationperceptible in those strong-winged groups wliich alreadypossess great strength and rajDidity <strong>of</strong> flight. <strong>The</strong>se werealready sufficiently protected from <strong>the</strong>ir enemies, and did notrequire increased power <strong>of</strong> escaping from <strong>the</strong>m. It is not at

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