GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF LIFE IN NORTH AMERICA. 411 
since on another page of the same work he states that there are three 
peculiar genera of moles in North America.* 
He states further: “ Among carnivorous animals the lynxes (nine 
species) and the badgers (two species) are peculiar to it [the Palearctic 
region] in the old world, while in the new the lynxes are found only in 
the colder regions of North America” (Island Life, 1880, 41), thus 
implying that there are no badgers in North America, and ignoring the 
presence of lynxes all along the southern border of the United States 
from Florida and Texas to southern California. Continuing, he men- 
tions a nunber of groups which, he says, ‘‘have only afew species else- 
where.” Among these are the ‘‘ voles, dormice, and pikas.” Pikas 
inhabit the mountains of western Canada and range south in the Cas- 
eades and High Sierra to southern California, and in the Rocky Moun- 
tains to Colorado. They have been reported also from the high moun- 
tains of Lower California in Mexico. The group of voles or Arvicoline, 
exclusive of the lemmings, is represented in Boreal North America by 
not less than four genera, five sub-genera, and nearly fifty species. It 
is only fair to add, however, that some of these have been described 
since Wallace’s book was written. 
“The Nearctic region is so similar to the Palearctic in position and 
climate,” he admits, ‘and the two so closely approach each other at 
Bering Strait that we can not wonder at their being a certain amount 
of similarity between them,—a similarity which some naturalists have 
so far over-estimated as to think that the two regions ought to be united.” 
After enumerating a number of mammals common to the two he goes 
on to say: “ We undoubtedly find a very close resemblance between 
the two regions, and if this were all, we should have great difficulty in 
separating them. But along with these we find another set of mam- 
mals, not quite so conspicuous but nevertheless very important. We 
have first, three peculiar genera of moles, one of which, the star-nosed 
mole, is a most extraordinary creature, quite unlike anything else. 
Then there are three genera of the weasel family, including the well- 
known skunk (Mephitis), all quite different from eastern forms. Then 
we come to a peculiar family of carnivora, the raccoons, very distinct 
from anything in Europe or Asia; and in the Rocky Mountains we find 
the prong-horned antelope (Antilocapra) and the mountain goat of the 
trappers (Aplocerus [=Mazama}|), both peculiar genera. Coming to 
the rodents, we find that the mice of America differ in some dental 
peculiarities from those of the rest of the world, and thus form several 
*In his earlier work he says: ‘‘ Condylura (one species), the star-nosed mole, in- 
habits eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Pennsylvania; Scapanus (two 
species) ranges across from New York to San Francisco; Scalops (three species), the 
shrew moles, range from Mexico to the GreatLakes. - - - Uvrotrichus is a shrew- 
like mole which inhabits Japan, and a second species has been discovered in the 
mountains of British Columbia.” (Geog, Dist. of Animals, 1876, 11, 190.) 
