156 Natural History of the 



corapleteAess in both islands to make a general comparison 

 of much value, and so many species have been obtained only 

 as live specimens in captivity, that their locality has often 

 been erroneously given — the island in which they were ob- 

 tained being substituted for that from which they originally 

 came. Taking into consideration only those whose distribu- 

 tion is more accurately known, we learn that Sumatra is, in a 

 zoological sense, more nearly related to Borneo than it is to 

 Java. The great man-like apes, the elephant, the tapir, and 

 the Malay bear, are all common to the two former countries, 

 while they are absent from the latter. Of the three long- 

 tailed monkeys (Semnopithecus) inhabiting Sumatra, one ex- 

 tends into Borneo, but the two species of Java are both pecul- 

 iar to it. So also the great Malay deer (Rusa equina) and 

 the small Tragulus kanchil are common to Sumatra and 

 Borneo, but do not extend into Java, where they are replaced 

 by Tragulus javanicus. The tiger, it is true, is found in Su- 

 matra and Java, but not in Borneo. But as this animal is 

 known to swim well, it may have found its way across the 

 Straits of Sunda, or it may have inhabited Java before it was 

 separated from the main-land, and from some unknown cause 

 have ceased to exist in Borneo. 



In ornithology there is a little uncertainty, owing to the 

 birds of Java and Sumatra being much better known than 

 those of Borneo ; but the ancient separation of Java as an 

 island, is well exhibited by the large number of its species 

 which are not found in any of the other islands. It possess- 

 es no less than seven pigeons peculiar to itself, while Sumatra 

 has only one. Of its two parrots one extends into Borneo, 

 but neither into Sumatra, Of the fifteen species of wood- 

 peckers inhabiting Sumatra only four reach Java, while eight 

 of them are found in Borneo and twelve in the Malay Pen- 

 insula. The two trogons found in Java are peculiar to it, 

 while of those inhabiting Sumatra at least two extend to 

 Malacca and one to Borneo. There are a very large number 

 of birds, such as the great Argus pheasant, the fire-backed 

 and ocellated pheasants, the crested partridge (RoUulus cor- 

 onatus), the small Malacca parrot (Psittinus incertus), the 

 great helmeted hoi*nbill (Buceroturus galeatus), the pheasant 

 ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx radiatus), the rose-crested bee- 



