14 THE NATURAL HTSTORT REVIEW. 



Northern Asia meets that of the Indian Eegion in its wide sense, 

 and excluding the Malayan provinces on the eastern side of the Bay 

 of Bengal, about 227 species of Mammals are met with. Amongst 

 these are representatives of every one of the great orders of 

 Mammals, except the Seals and Marsupials. The beasts of prey are 

 very fully developed, and amongst them are the two largest and 

 finest species of the typical genus Felis. The important order of 

 Ruminants is also well represented, although not to the extent that it 

 is in Africa, where the Antelope-group is very numerous. 



But it is hardly fair to compare the country we have been 

 speaking of with the huge continent of Africa. India, we must 

 recollect, is but a portion of a great Zoological Eegion, which 

 embraces not only the Indian peninsula and adjoining lands up to 

 the Himalayas, but also the whole of South-eastern Asia, together 

 with the great Islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo and other 

 islands up to the line through the Strait of Macassar, which Mr. 

 Wallace has shown* to be the boundary between this and the 

 Australian EegiOn^ In any comparison with Africa this region should 

 be taken in its entirety, and it is not our present purpose to enter 

 upon such a wide field of discussion. It may suffice to say that the 

 Indian Eegion, in its wide sense, is richly endowed with repre- 

 sentatives of all the most highly organized forms of Mammals, and 

 that whether we look at it as regards variety of forms and species or 

 perfection of type, it is but little if at all iuferior to the Ethiopian 

 Eegion. 



So much for the Mammals of our Indian dominions. The subject 

 is a fertile one, and we have occupied so much space in discussing it 

 that we are constrained to reserve our account of Dr. Jerdon's 

 volumes on the Birds of India, and Dr. Giinther's elaborate work on 

 the Ecptiles of the same country for another number. 



* Jouni. Roy. Gcograph. Soc. Vol. xxxiii. p 217. 



