9 8 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



clad slopes of the outer Himalaya, and the lofty arid plains of Turk- 

 estan and Tibet, scorched by a burning sun in summer and chilled by 

 a still more terrible cold in winter. Its extreme limits in the west 

 are marked by the Canaries and Azores, and in the east by distant 

 Japan ; and yet throughout this vast expanse we find a great uni- 

 formity of life, as exemplified by the large number of British genera 

 which occur also in Japan. The mammals which are on the whole 

 the most characteristic of this region are the Sheep and Goats, forming 

 a section of the great family of Bovidce, nearly all the species of which 

 are Palsearctic, although we meet with one Goat (Capra) in the 

 Nilgherries of Southern India, and a Sheep (Ovis) in the Nearctic 

 region. The Musk Ox (Ovibos) is characteristic of the Palsearctic 

 and Nearctic regions. At least one species of Camel is characteristic 

 of this region, and it is not improbable that the second may also 

 have originated in it. There are a few characteristic types of 

 Antelopes, such as the Alpine Chamois (Bupicapra), the Saiga of 

 Tartary, and the Chiru (Panthokps) of Tibet, each of which is 

 represented by only a single species ; and we miss the host of 

 Antelopes so characteristic of the Ethiopian region. Deer (Cervus) 

 are abundant, although by no means confined to this region ; and 

 the Musk Deer (Moschus), the sole representative of the subfamily 

 Moschince, is exclusively Palsearctic. Monkeys, as a rule, are absent, 

 although we meet with one species of Macacus in Northern 

 Africa and at Gibraltar, and some other types on the southern 

 border of Tibet. The Moles (Talpa) are mainly Palsearctic, 

 although one species enters Northern India, while the Desmans 

 (Myogale) of the Pyrenees and Southern Russia are unknown 

 beyond the limits of this region. The Water-shrew (Nectogale) is 

 likewise a peculiar eastern Palsearctic type. Among the Rodents, 

 the Picas or Tailless Hares (Lagomys) and the Dormice (Mi/oxus) 

 are essentially Palsearctic forms, only one species of each being found 

 beyond the limits of the region, and the one extra-Palsearctic species 

 of Lagomys occurring in the cognate Nearctic region. The Mice and 

 Rats are represented by the typical genus Mus and other types, 

 and Hares (Lepus) and one species of Squirrel (Sciarus) are common. 

 The Carnivora include two species of Bears (Ursus), Wolves and 

 Foxes (Canis), a Lynx and a few species of Cats (Felis), as well as 

 numerous weasels (Mustela), and some other types. 



Ethiopian Region. — The Ethiopian region is of great interest to 

 the student of mammals, since it is inhabited by a number of forms 

 remarkable for their large size. A considerable portion of the area 

 consists of desert, especially in the north ; but there is also a Avide 

 extent of grassy plains (veltd), as well as vast tracts of equatorial 

 forests of great density. Perhaps the most striking feature in the 

 Ethiopian fauna is the number of Ungulates, both of the Artio- 

 dactyle and Perissodactyle sections. In the former section we have 



