THE NEOTROPICAL REGION 67 



greater part of South America from the Isthmus of 

 Panama to the southern limits of the great forest in about 

 lat. 30° S., and from the forest of the eastern slopes of the 

 Andes to the Atlantic, including Trinidad and the other 

 islands off the coast of Venezuela. 



4. The Patagonian Sub-region, comprising the higher 

 ranges and western slopes of the Andes from Guyaquil to 

 Tierra del Fuego and the pampas of Argentina and 

 Patagonia. 



Section IV. — The Antillean Sub-region 



The Mammal-fauna of the Antillean Sub-region is 

 exceedingly poor, so poor, indeed, that it seems almost 

 doubtful whether the islands of which it is composed have 

 ever been directly connected with the mainland of America 

 as at present constituted. To begin with the Rodents, 

 four genera of this order are represented within its limits, 

 and three of these are restricted to the Sub-region. Mega- 

 lomys (a large rat, over twelve inches in length without the 

 tail) is allied to the Vesper-mice of the American continent, 

 and has been obtained only in the islands of Martinique 

 and St. Lucia, where it is now becoming very rare (10). 

 A more important factor in the Antillean mammal-fauna 

 is Capromys, a genus allied, according to Flower and 

 Lydekker, to the Coypu rat of South America, but also 

 showing some affinities to the Porcupines. There are five 

 or six species of this genus usually recognised, of which 

 two or three are restricted to Cuba, one is peculiar to 

 Jamaica, and one to the Bahamas, while another species 

 has been recently discovered in Swan Island, situated 



