( 189) 



local races are well defined, and only overlaj) at the junctures of their areas of 

 distribution, other creatures in certain portions of their range have developed 

 into races which are clearly defined, while in other portions of their area the factors 

 determining variation seem to be of an indeterminate character, and consequently 

 we find individuals representing all the forms as well as some with mixed 

 characters occurring in one and the same locality ; so that we find a subspecies 

 or local race occurring as such in one place, while in another it occurs only as 

 an aberration. 



Of Mr. Allan's specimens the Fak Fak ones were bought from natives by the 

 collector, and have an element of doubt as to the place of origin. Sorong is on 

 the south-west portion of Arfak Peninsula, and would be most likely to have more 

 in common with the fauna of the Onin Peninsula, BlacCluer's Inlet, etc., than 

 with the fauna of the somewhat isolated Mount Arfak. The first fact I have to 

 bring forward in refutation of Mr. Allan's statements is tliat we now know of five 

 recent specimens from east of the Fly River, three from German and two from 

 British New Guinea, and they are all identical and are undoubtedly Zaglossus 

 bruijiti IjuHoid Thos. On the other hand, the eight living specimens from 

 Kaimana, Charles Louis Mountains, consist of two specimens agreeing with 

 Z. h. bartoni, two or three agreeing with Z. b. niyroacide'ita Rothsch., and the 

 rest being intermediate. This, however, is not wonderful, because although 1 

 originally gave the locality of my type of Z. b. nigrouculeata as Charles Louis 

 Mountains, I never had definite proof beyond a live-stock dealer's word, and I 

 have from other evidence reason to believe it came from near Soroug. If this were 

 80, Kaimana would be on the border-line between the areas of Z. b. 7iigroaculeat.a 

 and Z. b. bartoni. If the Fak Fak specimens are really from there, we should 

 again have specimens intergrading on the one hand with Z. h. hraijui and on the 

 other with Z. b. iiigroaculeata and Z. b. goodfellowi of iSalwatty, and this in an 

 intermediate area. The only difiiculty which in my mind could arise concerns 

 Z. b. bruijni and Z. h. tillosissima, for we undoubtedly find specimens which have 

 come from Mount Arfak and yet have the extra thick fur and shorter spines 

 which are characteristic of rillosissiitw. However, the fact remains that the 

 three more recent specimens of cillosissimu at Tring are all pale brown — almost 

 cinnamon — all over, with whitish heads, while all the Arfak specimens have the 

 dark, blackish brown fur and paler brown heads characteristic of Z. b. hridjni. 

 The above-mentioned three viUosissi ma were sent over in the last collection 

 received from A. Bruijn, which I bought in 1890 or 1891. In this collection 

 were large numbers of birds and mammals from the islands in, and shores of, 

 Geelvink Bay, and I have little reason to doubt that these three Zaglossus were 

 also collected by Bruijn's hunters somewhere on the eastern shores of Geelviidv 

 Bay. The specimens at Tring of Z. b. nigroacaleatu consist of the very large 

 and aged type specimen, a fair-sized one apparently adult, and a young one about 

 three-fifths of the size of the type — i.e. about the size of Tachygloasus aculeata 

 lawesi. The small one has the black, flat spines and sparse, long, coal-black hair 

 of the type, thus proving that the nature of the pelage is not a (piestion of age. 



At Tring there are three Z. b. good/dlowi, and also two Z. b. barton from 

 German New Guinea, and I have examined these, the two from Kaimana now alive 

 in the London Zoological Gardens, as well as a young Kaimana specimen which 

 was sent me in the fiesli. The two living animals an; fully adult, and very large, 

 the bigger one measuring from tip of tail over curve of back U> tip of snout mory 



