138 THE GEOGRAPHY OF MAMMALS 



genera inhabiting this Sub-region, and it is consequently 

 out of the question to lay down anything but a very 

 uncertain boundary between this Sub-region and the neigh- 

 bouring Palrearctic Region. It is probable, however, that 

 even when Western China and Tibet have been thoroughly 

 explored, it will still be difficult to trace an absolute frontier 

 between the Palsearctic and Oriental Regions. As we 

 already know, Northern China and Japan contain a con- 

 siderable number of purely Oriental species. Even the 

 Tiger, usually associated with tropical jungles, ranges 

 through China into the valley of the Amoor and the island 

 of Saghalien, where a most severe Arctic winter is met 

 with. In the same way, two species of a typically Oriental 

 genus of Monkeys are found in North-East Asia — one 

 (Macacus speciosus) in Nipon, the largest of the Japanese 

 group of islands; the other (Macacus tcheliensis) in the 

 mountains north of Pekin. 



On the other hand, a good many purely Palasarctic 

 forms extend into Southern China. This is more espe- 

 cially the case among the birds, which have hitherto 

 received a preponderating share of the attention of the 

 naturalists and collectors in the Chinese Empire. 



Passing over the Edentates, represented, as in the 

 Indian Sub-region, by two species of Pangolin (Manis), we 

 come to the Ungulates of the Burmo-Chinese Sub-region. 

 Here we remark the disappearance of the Antelopes, and 

 the great development of the Deer-family (Cervidze), of 

 which no less than fifteen species are found in this Sub- 

 region. One of these (Elaphodus) is a curious little Deer 

 with very small simple antlers and large canine teeth ; it 

 was first described by Milne-Edwards from Western Tibet, 

 and subsequently a second species of the same genus was 



