liem(irks on tlie Entomology of Angola. 336 



deserts of Arabia, and from the foot of the Atlas Mountains, 

 as far as the Cape of Good Hope, is strongly in favour of the 

 hypothesis, that the whole of Central Africa, so far from being 

 traversed by chains of lofty mountains, presents nothing but a 

 series of sandy plains and deserts. The existence of the 

 former would certainly prove an insurmountable barrier to the 

 ostrich, though we are less positive with regard to the simi- 

 larly distributed lion and elephant. 



Our argument derives, however, the most solid and the most 

 substantial support from an examination of the manner in 

 which the various Faunas are distributed over the Continent 

 of Africa. Generally speaking, the want of variety amonjjst 

 them is very striking. In Asia the towering mountains of the 

 Himalayah distinctly separate the Indian Fauna from that of 

 Central and Northern Asia ; and their respective Faunas are 

 so unlike each other, that they scarcely admit of comparison. 

 In a similar manner, the Andes of South America divide tho 

 Faunas of the eastern districts from those of the western pro- 

 vinces ; and it is in vain to look for points of resemblance be- 

 tween the two. This is certainly not the case in Africa. The 

 Faunas of Nubia and of Senegambia are materially the samf , 

 even as regards the identity of a vast number of species. So 

 close a relationship between the Faunas of opposite coasts 

 could hardly be accounted for, on the supposition that im- 

 mense masses of mountain ranges, like those of the Himala- 

 yah, of the Andes, or even of our Alps, are interposed. Ac- 

 cordingly, if it can be proved that there exist similar relations 

 between the various districts of Africa, which lie remote from 

 each other ; and that their Faunas are intimately connected with 

 one another, not only in the directions of geographical longi- 

 tude or latitude, but likewise in that of the diagonal ; the well 

 known hypothesis of Lacepede, according to which the interior 

 of Africa is said to consist of a vast collection of mountain 

 chains, is then completely refuted : on the other hand, the 

 opinion of Professor Ritter becomes more firmly established, 

 according to whom the interior of Africa is a large table-land 

 encompassed by ranges of hills, and no doubt interspersed with 

 mountains, but which are so loosely united, and of such secon- 

 dary importance, that the Faunas may easily traverse them in 



