200 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS. 



of the temperate region that part of the country south of 

 the latitude where the Palmetto or Cabbage-tree (Chamcerops] 

 commences, namely, all the States to the south of North 

 Carolina ; while the States to the north of this limit belong 

 to the northern portion of the temperate region. 



427. This division into two zones is supported by obser- 

 vations made on the maritime faunas of the Atlantic coast 

 The line of separation between them, however, being influ 

 enced by the Gulf Stream, is considerably farther to the 

 north, namely, at Cape Cod ; although there is also another 

 decided limitation of the marine animals at a point nearly 

 coinciding with the line of demarkation above mentioned, 

 namely, at Cape Hatteras. It has been observed that of 

 one hundred and ninety-seven Mollusks inhabiting the coast 

 of New England, fifty do not pass to the north of Cape Cod, 

 and eighty-three do not pass to the south of it ; only sixty- 

 four being common to both sides of the Cape. A similar 

 limitation of the range of Fishes has been noticed by Dr. 

 Storer ; and Dr. Holbrook has found the Fishes of South 

 Carolina to be different from those of Florida and the West 

 Indies. In Europe, the northern part of the temperate re- 

 gion extends to the Pyrenees and the Alps ; and its south- 

 ern portion consists of the basin of the Mediterranean, to- 

 gether with the northern part of Africa, as far as the desert 

 of Sahara. 



428. A peculiar characteristic of the faunas of the tem- 

 perate regions in the northern hemisphere, when contrasted 

 with those of the southern, is the great similarity of the pre- 

 vailing types on both continents. Notwithstanding the im- 

 mense extent of country embraced, the same stamp is every 

 where exhibited. Generally, the same families, frequently 

 the same genera, represented by different species, are 

 found. There are even a few species of terrestrial animals 

 'egarded as identical on the continents of Europe and 



