president's address. 17 



bution of terrestrial vertebrates, and it will be premature to even 

 consider it till such animals have been found. 



Such are the "realms" or "regions" recognized by Messrs. 

 Wallace and Allen. 



But there still remain large extents of land and water which have 

 not been recognized as independent realms by either Messrs. Wal- 

 lace or Allen, but which have been referred to a heterogeneous 

 Australian one, as a kind of refuge of the destitute. These we shall 

 consider as a .sequel to the determination of the " realms," which 

 our inquiries and criticisms have naturally now led us to. 



In fine, we see reason for admitting nine primary divisions of 

 the earth's inland surface, characterized by major associations of 

 animals. Beginning with home, and proceeding to the successively 

 more differentiated realms, these are (i) the Anglogasan or North 

 American; (2,) the Eurygaean or Eurasian; (^3,) the Indogsean ; 

 (4,) the Afrog?ean ; (5,) the Dendrogaean or Tropical-American ; 

 (6,) the Amphigeean or Temperate South American ; (7, ) the Aus- 

 trogtean or Australian ; (8,) the Ornithog^an, or New Zealand ; 

 and (9,) the Ncsogsean or Polynesian. 



I. THE ANGLOG.t.\N OR .A.RCTAMERICAN REALM.* 



I. The North American or Nearctic Realm embraces North Amer- 

 ica from its northern boundaries, where it approaches, on opposite 

 sides, the Eurasiatic realm, southward into Northern Mexico, pro- 

 jecting into that country to a considerable distance along the exten- 

 sion of the Rocky Mountains, and ceasing somewhere near the 

 southwestern boundary of the United States on the lowlands. It 

 has representatives of 26 families and about 250 species of mammals, 

 exclusive of the marine types; about 60 families and not far 

 from Soo species of birds (Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway) ; 25 

 families, and about 250 species of reptiles; 14 families and about 

 100 species of amphibians; 17 families and about 600 species of 



* Some synonyms of the realm names adopted are given at the commencement 

 of each paragraph. 



