5. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



In the intermediate seas between the Euro-asiatic and the Australian con- 

 tinents there is stretched out the largest and most numerously membered archi- 

 pelago of the earth, with a fauna and flora derived partly from the West and 

 partly from the East. AVhere do we now find the frontier of these two faunas 

 and floras, which contrast so strongly with one another in their extreme forms; 

 or do they pass into one another so insensibly that a sharply deflned frontier 

 cannot be traced? It would be very premature to attempt a sketch of the 

 geological history of this region of the earth in view of the quite insufflcient 

 knowledge available concerning the living and, especially, concerning the extinct 

 fauna and flora of the Archipelago, for we are acquainted with only a small 

 fragment of the latter (the extinct,; we must content ourselves with an attempt to 

 answer the above interesting question with the aid of the rather better established 

 data of the present time '), and, in accordance with the character of our book, 



<; The status of geological knowledge as to Celebes is very defective as yet, though some valuable work 

 has been done recently and more is to be expected from Drs. P. & F. Sarasin. In this state of things we 

 have found it preferable to abstain entirely from discussing the past history of the island , but give some of 

 its literature, where references to further geological, palaeontological and mineralogical papers are to be found : 

 1883. K. Martin: Wiss. Aufg., welche der geologischen Erforschung des Indischen Archipels gestellt sind. 



'Lecture. Leyden. Brill). Id. : Die wichtigsten Daten unserer geologischen Kenntniss vom Niederl. Ost-ind. 



Arch.: Bijdr. taal- land- en volkenk. van Ned. Ind., uitg. ter gelegenheid van het t>. intern. Congres der 



Orientalisten te Leiden. Land- en volkenkunde. 18S3, 17 Celebes p. 23j with summary of literature. 

 1S88. C. M. Kan: Bodengesteldheid der eilanden en diepte der Zeeen van den ind. Arch.: Tdschr. Ned. aardr. 



Gen. (2) V (Versl.;, 202. Kaart R^ 

 1890. K. Martin: Die Kei Inseln und ihr Verhaltniss zur australisch-asiatischen Grenzlinie. zugleich ein Bei- 



trag zur Geologie von Timor und Celebes: Tdschr. Ned. aardr. Gen. 2; VII, 241. Id.: Zur Geologic von 



Celebes: 1. c. 1891 VIII, 180. 

 1890. A. Wichmann: Bericht iiber eine . . . Keise etc. IL Celebes. 1. c. [2) VU, 921 Tab. II; 1S92 IX, 258. 



Id.: Die Binnenseen von Celebes: Petermann's Mitth. 1893, 215 Taf 10. Id.: Petrogr. Studien iiber den 



Ind. Arch. I. Leucitgesteine von der Insel Celebes: Nat. Tschr. Ned. Ind. LIII, 315, with plate. 1895 



II. Zur Geol. der Insel Saleyer: 1. c. LIA^ 236 pi. V. 

 1894. AV. F. van Vliet jr.: De verticale ligging en de geologische bouw van Celebes: Tdschr. gesch., land en 



volkenk. 9. Jaarg., 257 (with summai7 of literature;. 

 IS95. I. W. Retgens: . . . Gesteenten van Celebes: .laarb. Mijnwezen in Ned. Oost-Ind. 24 Jaarg., 124. 

 1896. Eucyclopaedie van Ned. Indie by van der Lith and others I, 317 (s, a.;. A general report on the 



geological formation of Celebes. 

 1896. K. Martin : Zur Frage nach der Entstehung des ost- und westindischen Archipels: Geogr. Zeitschr. II, 376. 



It is nearly the same with the flora of the Archipelago. Though relatively much is already known, we 

 are very far from a thorough knowledge, which would enable us to draw trustworthy conclusions. We, there- 

 fore, likewise abstain from touching these questions, which are discussed in the works of Grisebach Vege- 

 tation der Erde 1872. Ges. Abh. u. kl. Schr. zur Pflanzengeographie 1S80', Engler iVersuch einer Entwick- 

 lungsgeschichte der Pflanzenwelt, insbesondere der Florengebiete seit der Tertfarperiode 1882;, Drude Die 



