THE NEOTROPICAL EEGION 



71 



approximation of land areas) by this route ever existed, 

 cannot at present be definitely settled. On the one hand, 

 as pointed out by Mr. Chapman, the disproportionately 

 rich fauna of Jamaica, the shallow sea, and the West 

 Indian affinities of Swan Island (as shown by the presence 

 of a species of Capromys) lead to such a direct connection. 

 On the other hand, the scarcity of land-mammals in 

 Jamaica and Cuba, and the absence of many families of 

 Birds found on the mainland, rather point the other way. 

 The help in these questions to be derived from palaeontology 

 is up to this time very scanty. Almost the only remains of 

 fossil mammals that have been yet obtained from the West 

 Indies are certain detached teeth and some fragmentary 

 bones, found in some caves in the island of Anguilla, which 

 is situated just to the east of the deep channel separating 

 the Greater from the Lesser Antilles, and must, therefore, 

 be included in the latter province. These remains have 

 been described by Professor Cope (5), who considers them 

 to be related to the Chinchillas, a family of rodents con- 

 fined to South America. 



The nature of the Mammalian genera of the Antillean 

 Region is summarised in the subjoined table : — 



