ZOOLOGY 



ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS IX CONJNTPJC- 

 TION WITH THE PROGRESS OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION. 



THE above formed the subject of a communication read at the last 

 meeting of the British Association, by Mr. Ogilby, who took the 

 ground that the less civilized nations of the world, were so, from the 

 absence of animals capable of domestication. America and Australia, 

 were the great types of this deficiency. The following conclusion of 

 his paper will give an idea of the general argument and style. " Let 

 ils now examine the facilities which the natives of Europe, Asia, and 

 Africa possessed for developing civilization, compared with those of 

 America and Australia. The former had those great collaborateurs in 

 their social progress, they had the horse, the ass, and the camel, for 

 beasts of burden ; and they had the sheep, the OX T and the goat, for 

 food and a thousand other useful purposes. The consequence of 

 this was, that at a very early period at a period of which there 

 are few authentic historical documents extant the nations of "W estern 

 Asia had advanced in civilization to an extent which is now only 

 beginning to be thoroughly understood and appreciated. The 

 researches of such eminent men as Dr. Layard into the antiquity of 

 Assyria and Egypt, prove this beyond question ; and show that those 

 nations had advanced to a power which, in modern times, has scarcely 

 been equalled, and that we are only now in the same state with 

 regard to civilization that they were three or four thousand years ago, 

 whilst the less fortunate inhabitants of America and Australia would 

 be obliged, by want of those facilities possessed by the former, to 

 remain in their original condition for eternity." 



Prince Canino said, that there w r ere some points on which he 

 coincided with the author, but there were others also on which he 

 differed. He did not consider that it was the animals who were to be 

 blamed for the backward state of the aborigines of America and New 

 Holland, but the people themselves. As a beast of burden, he 

 thought the American bison might be tamed, and made to serve that 

 purpose as well as the ox, for it was a stronger animal, and possessed 



