THE ORIENTAL REGION 125 



The boundary between the Australian and the Oriental 

 Regions called Wallace's Line, as having been first pointed 

 out by that distinguished naturalist, runs between the two 

 small islands of Bali and Lombok. Bali is connected by 

 shallow water, and also by its zoological relationships, with 

 Java ; while Lombok agrees in character with Timor and 

 the other Australian islands further east. From Bali the 

 boundary of the Oriental Region runs in a north-eastward 

 direction, between Celebes on the one side and the Sula 

 islands and Gilolo on the other. 



Section II. — General View of the Mammal-fauna 

 of the Oriental Region 



The Oriental Region lies almost wholly within the 

 tropics. The greater part of the country within its borders 

 enjoys a bountiful rainfall, and is covered with luxuriant 

 forests ; the only portion which is less favoured being the 

 north-western part of India and the strip of country along 

 the northern shores of the Persian Gulf. In these districts 

 there is very little rain, and desert conditions and a desert 

 Fauna, somewhat resembling those of the African Sahara, 

 prevail. 



The Fauna of the Oriental Region presents, on the 

 whole, a striking contrast to that of the Australian Region. 

 The characteristic features of the latter are doubtless due 

 to the long isolation to which it has obviously been sub- 

 jected, whereas the Oriental Region as regards its charac- 

 teristic forms is more nearly allied to the neighbouring 

 Palaearctic Region, from which probably most of its in- 

 habitants have been derived. 



