Natueal History of Celebes. 277 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF CELEBES. 



The position of Celebes is the most central in the Archi- 

 pelago. Immediately to the north are the Philippine islands ; 

 on the west is Borneo ; on the east are the Molucca Islands ; 

 and on the south is the Timor group : and it is on aU sides so 

 connected with these islands by its own satellites, by small 

 islets, and by coral reefs, that neither by inspection on the 

 map nor by actual observation around its coast is it possible 

 to determine accurately which should be grouped with it, and 

 which with the surrounding districts. Such being the case, 

 we should naturally expect to find that the productions of this 

 central island in some degree represented the richness and va- 

 riety of the whole Archipelago, while we should not expect 

 much individuality in a country so situated that it would seem 

 as if it were pre-eminently fitted to receive stragglers and im- 

 migrants from all around. 



As so often happens in nature, however, the fact turns out 

 to be just the reverse of what we should have expected ; and 

 an examination of its animal productions shows Celebes to be 

 at once the pooi'est in the number of its species, and the most 

 isolated in the character of its productions of all the great 

 islands in the Archipelago. With its attendant islets, it spreads 

 over an extent of sea hardly inferior in length and breadth 

 to that occupied by Borneo, while its actual land area is near- 

 ly double that of Java ; yet its Mammalia and terrestrial birds 

 number scarcely more than half the species found in the last- 

 named island. Its position is such that it could receive im- 

 migrants from every side more readily than Java, yet in pro- 

 portion to the species which inhabit it far fewer seem derived 

 from other islands, while far more are altogether pecuhar to 

 it ; and a considerable number of its animal forms are so re- 

 markable, as to find no close allies in any other part of the 

 world. I now propose to examine the best known groups of 



