THE OSPREY. 



155 



the great phenomena of nature", he expressed 

 the opinion that "his speculations on these sub- 

 jects may be briefly characterized, not merely 

 as fanciful, but absolutely absurd; leading in 

 some instances, if legitimately followed out to 

 their conclusions, to consequences of a very 

 pernicious tendency".* Swainson, indeed, was 

 a typical believer in special creation! 



But in those "good olddays" (happily passed?) 

 when some one or other was constantly on the 

 lookout for heresy lurking in every publica- 

 tion, even Quinarians were not exempt from 

 suspicion. One pointed out that "the doctrine 

 of types, passage, and aberration indeed, seems 

 only another version of the visions of Epicurus, 

 Kobinet, [Erasmus] Darwin, and Lamarck; for 

 in the Quinary system we find the very language 

 of the latter theorists", etc. Thus, "though 

 religious feelings have hitherto stood promi- 

 nent in the school, it certainly appears calcu- 

 lated to be turned to the worst purposes of the 

 Sceptic".) 



We may now dismiss the "circular theory" 

 and some may think we have already given it too 

 much attention. So far as its merits are con- 

 cerned, we at once admit the charge. But the 

 consideration of mental aberrations and dis- 

 eases, and especially of psychological epidemics, 

 is to many of as much interest as physical 

 epidemics and to some more so, and the prev- 

 alence for a time among otherwise good nat- 

 uralist of such a hallucination as the "theory" 

 in question is certainly an interesting' phase of 

 biological history. For this reason we will hope 

 for pardon from those who may think we have 

 given it undue consideration. 



THK GEOGRAPHY OH ANIMALS. 



Swainson had contributed to Murray's " En- 

 cyclopaedia of Geography", a general systematic 

 work published in 1834, numerous paragraphs 

 on the geographical distribution of Man and 

 Animals. Those paragraphs or sections were 

 arranged under the heads of continents and 

 prominent countries, and similar views were 

 published in the work now under consideration. 



The first part of Swainson's "Treatise on 

 the Geography and Classification of Animals" 

 is really quite notable and approaches much 

 nearer to modern ideas than does the other 

 parts. The most general view respecting the 

 distribution of animals in the first half of the 

 century was that they should be grouped in zones 

 determined by temperature. Swainson entirely 

 departed from this method and made his great 

 geographical combinations of animals coinci- 

 dent rather with the generally recognized con- 

 tinents, but by no means entirely so. Aftera 

 review of some of the attempts at zoogeography 

 made by predecessors and the difficulties in the 

 way of expressing the facts of distribution, he 

 gives his own vews in the following proposi- 

 tions (p. 14). 



"Since, then, there is as marked a distinction 

 between the animals of the great continents as 

 there is between the races of mankind bv whom 



they are inhabited, it remains to be considered 

 whether the general distribution of both are not 

 in unison? Whether their Divink CREATOR has 

 not, by certain laws, incomprehensible to 

 human understanding, regulated the distribu- 

 tion of man and of animals upon the same plan? 

 These questions led us to the following- proposi- 

 tions: — 



"1. That the countries peopled by the five re- 

 corded varieties of the human species, are like- 

 wise inhabited by different races of animals, 

 blending into each other at their confines. 



"2. That these regions are the true zoological 

 divisions of the earth. 



"3. That this progression of animal forms is 

 in unison with the first great law of natural 

 arrangement, viz. the gradual amalgamation of 

 the parts, and the circularity of the whole". 



After comments on the races of mankind, he 

 applies his propositions to the distribution of 

 animals in the following terms |p. 16). 



"In attempting, therefore, to give a more ac- 

 curate definition to the foregoing divisions, we 

 are compelled to fill up the outline, at the best 

 with diffidence, and, in some cases, by conjec- 

 ture. The following, however, may be regarded 

 i> some approximation to the truth. 1. The 

 European or Caucasian range includes the 

 whole of Europe, properly so called, with part 

 of Asia Minor, and the shores of the Mediterra- 

 nean: in Southern Africa the zoological pecu- 

 liarities of this region begin to disappear: they 

 are lost to the eastward of the Caucasian moun- 

 tains, and are blended with those of Asia and 

 America to the north. 2. The Asiatic range: 

 comprehending the whole of Asia east of the 

 Ural mountains, a natural and well-defined 

 barrier between the two continents. The chief 

 seat of this zoological region is probably in 

 central Asia; its western confines blend into the 

 European towards Persia, and disappear on the 

 west of the Caucasian chain; it is united to the 

 African range among the provinces of Asia 

 Minor; and is again connected with Europe, and 

 also with America, by the arctic regions of the 

 three continents; finally, its most southern 

 limits are marked by the islands of Java and 

 Sumatra, where the zoological character of the 

 Australian region begins to be apparent. 3. 

 The American range. United to Europe and 

 Asia at its northern limits, this range or pro- 

 vince comprehends the whole of the New World; 

 but into which it blends at the other extremity 

 is uncertain. 4. The next includes the whole 

 of Africa south of the Great Desert: a part, at 

 least, of the countries bordering on the Medi- 

 terranean exhibit a decided affinity tothe Euro- 

 pean range: while the absence of large animals 

 in Madagascar, and the presence of genera pecu- 

 liar to New Holland and the extreme point of 

 Southern Africa, lead us to the fifth or the Aus- 

 tralian range, 5. To this range nature has 

 given peculiar characters, both in regard to its 

 geographic situation and to its animal produc- 

 tions. 



I To be Continued.) 



♦Taxidermy and Biography p. 230. 1840. 



IRennie Ornithological Diet. B. Birds. 2d eil.. p. x. 1831. 



