THE ORIENTAL REGION ll."» 



which is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and 

 Borneo, the only other Tapirs now existing in the world 

 being met with in Centra] and Soul, hern America. This is 

 one of the most interesting cases known of what is termed 

 " discontinuous " distribution, but the explanation of it is 

 DOt very diffioult. [f wc; turn to the records of paheon- 



tology, we find undoubted remains of the members of 



the genus Tct/pvrU8 recorded in the Miocene formation of 



France, in North America, and also in the Pliocene of 

 China, There can be little doubt, therefore, that the 

 Tapir, which is a harmless beast, destitute of all means of 

 offence and defence, has been driven out of these northern 

 Countries into the tropical forests of South America, and 



Malaya, where the absence of competition has enabled it 



to survive. 



Among the Malayan Rodents we find the squirrels 

 (Sciwrid&) even more abundant than in the Last Sub- 

 region. Two of the species belong to a separate genus 



( //// ilhrosri urns) which does not occur elsewhere. There 

 are also two endemic genera Of rats (M ii rid:r)- one 



(Phlsecyniys) from the Philippines, the other (Pithechvrus) 

 from Sumatra and .lava. 



A genus of Porcupines (Trichys), which differs from 

 A/licriirii in several important crania] characters, is con- 

 fined to Borneo. 



Three genera of Malayan Carnivores are worthy of 

 special mention. One of these is Hemigale, not very far 

 removed from the Palm-cats, with two species, a second 



one having been recently discovered hy Mr. Hose in the 

 mountains of Borneo. The second is Cynogale, also be 

 longing to the same family. The latter, which is semi- 

 aquatic in its habits, and bears a superficial resemblance 



