218 ON THE GEOGKArillCAL 



speaking of the two Indian peninsulae, Avhich it is con- 

 venient to approach from Malayan Asia, I nuist say a 

 few words on the islands composing the empire of Ja- 

 pan, which approximate in their productions to the tem- 

 perate regions of Asia and to Em-ope ; while their south- 

 ern parts exhibit an identity with intertropical Asia. The 

 study of the animals of Japan offers the most beautiful 

 results for the justification of my method of investiga- 

 tion ; namely, the grouping together the animals which 

 being modelled on the same type, are the mutual repre- 

 sentatives of each other in the different countries of the 

 globe ; and comprehending them under the same specific 

 name, admitting, as sub-divisions, the local varieties, or 

 those due to climate. The results which we obtain by 

 means of this mode of study, will serve at the same time 

 to destroy the prejudice, that allied species are so rigor- 

 ously separated from each other, that we can establish 

 l)crfectly distinctive characters for each. Several Mammals 

 of Japan* are not distinguishable from those of Europe : 

 there exists in that empire a badger, absolutely the same 

 as ours, but with darker tints, and a less powerful form ; 

 the Mole of Japan differs from that of Europe by a 

 colour somewhat lighter ; the Pine-Martins of that country 

 have the spot under the throat more yellow than in ours ; 

 the Fox and the Otter are entirely similar to ours ; the 

 SquiiTel approaches to that variety of squirrel living on 

 lofty mountains of Europe. Other mammifera of that 

 country differ from those of Europe ; thus, in the Island 

 of Jezo is found a large Bear, probably allied to the 

 Grizzly Bear of the Eocky Mountains ; while in the other 

 isles of that empire are found the Bear of Thibet ; an Ape 

 (Innuus speciosus) ; a new and very curious Dog (Canis 

 viverrinus) ; two species of Flying Squirrel (Pteromj's), 

 one of which is very large ; a Chamois analogous to the 

 Antilope Sumatrensis, and A. montana of the Bocky 



* The numerous researches made in Japan by M. Von Siebold, and 

 more lately by ]Mr Burgek, have put us in possession of most of the 

 productions of that empire : having a great number of specimens of 

 each species before my eyes, we may be sure of the facts which are ad- 

 vanced in the following pages. 



