82 PTFROPCS. 



■well-marked, and the change from the former to the latter as abrupt, 

 in this genus of hats as in any group of non-tl\ ing mammalia ; it is 

 in this case an almost sudden change from a remarkably poor to 

 an extremely rich and varied fauna. The number of species thus 

 far known from Austro-Malaya is, as said above, 35, as against 13 

 from Indo-Malaja; but it the chain of islands extending from the 

 Andamans through the Nicobars, Nias, and Erigano, to Christmas 

 Island, with its rather peculiar Fteropiis fauna, were cut off' from 

 Iiido-ilalaya, the contrast would become greater still : 35 Austro- 

 Malayan against only 6 ludo-Malayan species, or twelve mostly 

 richly differentiated Austro-ilalayan against four poorly represented 

 Indo'-Mah.yan groups of the genus.— t)f the 'A5 species, 31 are 

 peculiar to Austro-Malaya. The four species which extend beyond 

 the limits of the subregion are Ft. hiipomelaniis, rnhuus, vampijrvs, 

 and consi>inllatiis. Ft. vamp>/rus has very little to do with tiie 

 genuine Austro-Malayan fauna; it is an Indo-Malayan type ex- 

 tending only to the south-west corner of Austro-Malaya (Lesser 

 Sunda Islands). Ft. rninnis is perhaps a Cclebeiin species which 

 has spread to the Philippines, rather than the reverse, and Ft. 

 conspiciUatus is undoubtedly a New Guinean species Avhich has 

 made its way to N. Australia. Only Ft. hiipomelanus is widely 

 distributed both in Austro- and Indo-ilalaya, but it has probably 

 originated in the former area. 



Of the twelve Austro-Malayan groups of the genus, four are 

 peculiar to this fauni.stic area, viz., the Ft. cunkeps (three species), 

 rayneri (six), temmincl-i (three), and neoJubernicus groups (two), 

 Tliree, of the remaining eight, groups are common to Austro-Malaya 

 and Australia, but unrepresented in Indo-Malaya, namely the Ft. 

 coiispieillatus (two Austro- Malayan species, one common to New 

 Guinea and N. Australia), macroiis (two Austro-Malayan, one 

 Australian species), and scajmlatns grou] s (one Austro-Malayan, 

 one Australian species). There can be little doubt that at least 

 two of these groups, the cnnspkillntus and macrotis groups, are of 

 Austro-Malayan, or more strictly Papuan, origin and have spread 

 comparatively recently to Australia; as to the third group, the 

 Ft. scapulatits group, 'which numbers only two species, one in the 

 Solomon Islands {Ft. woonfonli) and one in Australia (Ft. scapu- 

 lattis), both with precisely the same peculiar modifications of the 

 dentition and skull, its place of origin is doubtful, but the group is 

 closely connected with the Austro-Malayan Ft. macrotis type.— Of 

 the remaining five groups, one, the Ft. aUcto group, is nearly 

 confined to Austro-Malaya (two species) and Australia (one), but 

 has spread to the south-east corner of Indo-Malaya (Bawean Island, 

 one species); it is probably of Austro-Malayan origin. A second, 

 the Ft. melanopof/on group, is common to Austro-Malaya (three 

 species) and the Malagasy region (one), a third, the Ft. lomhocensis 

 group, to the same two areas (respectively two and ono species) 

 and Micronesia (one). Finally, the last two groups, the Ft. Jiypo- 

 melanas and vampijntu types, are common to Austro- and Indo- 

 Malaya ; of these," the former has probably spread east to west, 



