CHAP. XX CELEBES 45I 



volcanoes; it is connected with the British Islands and 

 with Greenland by seas less than 500 fathoms deep ; and 

 it possesses a few mammalia, one of which is peculiar, and 

 at least three peculiar species of birds. It was therefore 

 almost certainly united with Greenland, and probably with 

 Europe by way of Britain, in the early part of the Tertiary 

 period, and thus afforded one of the routes by which that 

 intermigration of American and European animals and 

 plants was effected which we know occurred during some 

 portion of the Eocene and Miocene periods, and prob- 

 ably also in the Pliocene. The fauna and flora of this 

 island are, however, so poor, and offer so few peculiarities, 

 that it is unnecessary to devote more time to their 

 consideration. 



There remains the great Malay island — Celebes, which, 

 owing to its possession of several large and very peculiar 

 mammalia, must be classed, zoologically, as " ancient con- 

 tinental " ; but whose central position and relations both to 

 Asia and to Australia render it very difficult to decide in 

 which of the primary zoological regions it ought to be 

 placed, or whether it has ever been united with either of 

 the great continents. Although I have pretty fully dis- 

 cussed its zoological peculiarities and past history in my 

 Geographical DisMjution of Animals, it seems advisable to 

 review the facts on the present occasion, more especially 

 as the systematic investigation of the characteristics of 

 continental islands we have now made will place us in a 

 better position for determining its true zoo-geographical 

 relations. 



Physical Features of Celches. — This large and still com- 

 paratively unexplored island is interesting to the geo- 

 grapher on account of its remarkable outline, but much 

 more so to the zoologist for its curious assemblage of 

 animal forms. The geological structure of Celebes is 

 almost unknown. The extremity of the northern pen- 

 insula is volcanic ; while in the southern peninsula there 

 are extensive deposits of a crystalline limestone, in some 

 places overlying basalt. Gold is found in the northern 

 peninsula and in the central mass, as well as iron, tin, and 

 copper in small quantities ; so that there can be little 



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