216 ON THE GEOGRAnilCAL 



tints. Northern Africa produces several species of ser- 

 pents differing from those of the rest of Africa ; such as 

 the Eryx and the Vipera Echis, which are found also in 

 Hindustan, the Cerastes, the Dijisas, and several Colubri. 

 Other species, like the Naja liaje, the Psammophis moni- 

 liger, differ more or less from tlieir representatives in 

 Southern Africa. The regions of that continent, border- 

 ing on the Mediterranean, support several species Avhich 

 are also found in Southern Europe ; and this analogy, 

 between the animals in these two parts of the world, is 

 particularly sensible on comparing tliose of the coasts of 

 Barbary with the animals of Spain and Portugal, countries 

 which, by the nature of their productions, approximate more 

 to Africa than to Europe.* No serpents have yd been ob- 

 served in the islands situate in the meridian of Africa ; 

 and it may be considered as certain that the Canaries do 

 not furnish a single species. t 



The large island of Madagascar appears to belong to 

 Africa only in its western part, or on that side of the chain 

 of mountains which passes through the whole length of 

 that unexplored land. It resembles India in the produc- 

 tions of its eastern side, the only part of w^hich we knoAv 

 any thing. This vast island, however, presents a Fauna 

 altogether peculiar in many respects ; and we might per- 

 haps apply the same remark to the adjacent islands. In 

 those regions, tlie Dodo was formerly discovered; and there 

 also are found the Lemurs, and the anomalous species 

 known under the name of Cheirogaleus, the Aye-aye, the 

 Cameleon with a forked nose (in which the nasal promi- 

 nences are subject to variation, and which has been intro- 

 duced into several other isles), the Ptyodactylus fimbriatus ; 

 and, with the exception of the Tropidonotus schistosus, 

 which also inhabits a great part of Asia, all the serpents 

 of this country belong to peculiar species. We may cite 



* The Ibevian peninsula produces the Cameleon, the Genette, an Am- 

 phisbccna, and many birds unknown to the rest of Europe. 



t I should here observe, that the reptiles of Teneriffe belong to Euro- 

 pean species ; but that all the Saurians of that Island have colours ex- 

 tremely dark : there is found the ocellated Schink, the Wall-Lizard, and 

 the common Frog. 



