Home Territories 23 
it begins as scrub forest at the southern margin of the tundra 
at about the latitude of the Yablonoi and southern Stanovoi 
Mountains, and it extends southward into Mongolia and north 
China, to terminate at a line that roughly follows the northern 
edge of Mongolia to the Khingan Mountains, across central 
Hopei to the coast. To it belong Sakhalin, and parts of Korea 
and of northern Japan. Its more northern portions are com- 
posed of coniferous forest; its southern parts contain mixed 
conifers and hardwoods such as pines, firs, larches, oaks, and 
birches. 
Its mammal fauna consists of northern forest dwellers : spe- 
cies of Shrews, Moles, Hedgehogs, several genera of Vesper- 
tilionid Bats, Brown Bear, Red Fox, Wolf, Old World Badger, 
several Weasels, Otter, Lynx, Siberian Tiger, European Squir- 
rel, Ground Squirrel, Eurasian Flying Squirrel, several kinds 
of Voles and Mice, Birch Mice, Pikas, northern Hares, Wild 
Pig, various kinds of northern Deer. Goral and Serow occur 
high on the mountains. 
South of latitude 40°, due to marked differences between 
coastal and interior climates, the zonal pattern of the faunal 
areas becomes interrupted. There are at least four coastal areas 
and three internal areas south of the Northern Forest belt in 
China. 
The Northeast China Faunal Area extends from the 
southern foothills of the Khingan Mountains east to the coast, 
to the Siberian Maritime Province, southern Korea, and north- 
ern Honshu, and southward in China to a poorly defined region 
of transition with the South China area, roughly at the latitudes 
of the Ch'in-ling Mountains and the northern edge of the lower 
Yangtse valley. The vegetation is chiefly a mixture of decid- 
uous and coniferous woods. According to Cressy, the original 
vegetation of much of this country has been destroyed. 
The mammals of northern China include invaders from ad- 
joining areas as well as widespread species and a few endemics. 
