6 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



and subspecies. In the same way Iredale and Troughton's Australian 

 check-list (1934) serves for the marsupial groups. In other groups 

 (such as the Carnivora and the Primates) I have merely attempted 

 to follow general usage in so far as any such usage has been 

 discoverable. In the category of subspecies, the original, "nominate," 

 or "typical" subspecies is introduced first, and is followed by the 

 others, usually in a more or less geographical sequence from north to 

 south or east to west. 



Under each family heading a brief paragraph has been introduced, 

 stating the general distribution of the family, the number of genera 

 and species or subspecies it contains (exclusive of fossil forms) , and 

 the number of forms that have called for discussion in Dr. Allen's 

 preceding volume and in the present volume. The number so 

 treated varies from one in each of several families to more than a 

 hundred in the cattle family (Bovidae). Since no indigenous land 

 mammals occur in Antarctica, there is no need of further mention 

 of this region in the distributional statements. 



The 1933 London Convention for the Protection of the Fauna and 

 Flora of Africa is mentioned with considerable frequency in this 

 volume. Since some readers may not be familiar with this Con- 

 vention and its far-reaching importance in the cause of international 

 wildlife preservation, a few words of explanation are inserted here. 

 The conference was called by invitation of Great Britain and was 

 attended by accredited representatives of the nine countries having 

 territories in Africa. The Convention became effective in January, 

 1936, when it had been ratified by five of the nine participating 

 governments. By January, 1940, ratification by three more countries 

 had taken place. Among the measures agreed upon by the Con- 

 vention are the establishment of national parks and nature reserves, 

 the regulation of traffic in animals, and the prohibition of encircling 

 fires and (wherever possible) of the use of poison, dazzling lights, 

 nets, and traps for hunting animals. The Annex to this Convention 

 lists, as Class A species, 17 mammals, 3 birds, and 1 plant, for 

 which rigid protection is agreed upon. It also lists, as Class B 

 species, 13 mammals and 9 birds which, although not requiring 

 such rigid protection, may be taken only under a special form of 

 license. The number of mammals so protected is actually much 

 larger than indicated in the above statements; for example, the 

 40 forms of Madagascar lemurs count as only a single item in the 

 list, and the same is true of the dozen subspecies of Giraffes. Further 

 details are set forth in Special Publications 6 and 10 of the American 

 Committee for International Wild Life Protection (1935 and 1940). 



