4 SIR DIETRICH BRANDIS—AN ENUMERATION 
As at present defined, Dipterocarps are only found in tropical 
Eastern Asia, from the Seychelles to New Guinea. A few 
species only occur beyond the tropics, viz.:—Shorea robusta 
to 32° N. lat.; Dipterocarpus pilosus, Shorea assamica, and 
Vatica lanceafolia to 27° 30’ N. lat.; Dipterocarpus turbinatus, 
tuberculatus, and Pentacme siamensis to 25° N. lat. 
The annexed statement (p. 5) shows distribution of the genera 
in the different districts. Species found in two districts are 
entered where they are most common. No species is entered twice. 
H. Th. Geyler has published 5 species, chiefly based upon 
fragments of leaves, all from Borneo and Labuan, viz. : Hopea 
precursor, Dipterocarpus Pengaronensis in ‘ Paleontographica,’ 
1877, and Dipterocarpus Labuanus, Nordenskioldii, and sp. in 
‘Vega Expedition, vol. iv. 1887. It will suffice to say, that 
these fragments show no characters which necessitate their being 
placed in this order. 
The only fossil remains which may safely be classed under 
Dipterocarps have been described by Heer, and they are :— 
Dipterocarpus Verbeckianus, Heer in Abhandl. d. Schweiz. 
Paleontolog. Gesellsch. 1874, tab. ii. fig. 3, and Dipterocarpus 
antiquus, Heer in Denkschr. allg. Schweiz. Gesellsch. für 
gesammt. Naturwiss. 1881, tab. v. Both are from the Tertiary 
deposits of Sumatra. D. antiquus was probably a species of 
Shorea. 
The fossil remains, therefore, throw no light upon the develop- 
ment of this order. As regards its present distribution, the 
following facts merit special notice :—In the Eastern Peninsula of 
India and in the Indian Archipelago the order has received its 
greatest development, 115 species belonging to the former, 118 
to the latter region. The large number of species in Ceylon, 
nearly all endemic (45), considering the comparatively small 
area of the island, is exceedingly remarkable.  Vateriec, a well- 
marked tribus, entirely belongs to the Western districts, while 
the genus Dryobalanops, which in regard to external as well as 
anatomical characters occupies an exceptional position, is limited 
to the Eastern districts. As a rule the species of this order are 
limited to restricted areas, and a few species only have a wider 
distribution. Of these may be mentioned 4 species of Diptero- 
carpus, Dryobalanops aromatica, 3 species of Shorea, and Isoptera 
borneensis. Details will be found under each genus. 
Most species have well-marked characters, and do not seem 
