CELEBES U 8 7 



eater (McrojJogon) ; three remarkable genera of starlings 

 {Basilornis, Unodcs, and Scissirostrum) ; two peculiar 

 magpies {Streptocitta and Charitornis) ; and an anomalous 

 kingfisher {Ceycopsis), have none of them any near allies 

 in the archipelago, and are only remotely connected 

 with groups now inhabiting the Asiatic or African con- 

 tinents. They appear, in fact, to be remnants of the 

 Miocene fauna, at a period when the ancestors of all the 

 chief types of both the temperate and tropical zones of 

 the Eastern hemisphere were to be found in the Euro- 

 Asiatic continent. The peculiarities of the animal life of 

 Celebes may be best explained by supposing it to be an 

 outlying portion of that Miocene continent, which became 

 detached from it, and has since never been actually 

 joined to any Asiatic or Australian land. It has thus 

 preserved to us some descendants of ancient types, and 

 these have become intermingled with such immigrants 

 from both east and west as were enabled to establish 

 themselves in competition with the ancient inhabitants. 

 To the naturalist, therefore, Celebes is an island of ex- 

 treme interest. It cannot be said to belong either to the 

 eastern or the western divisions of the archi]Delago, but 

 to stand almost exactly midway between them ; the relic 

 of a more ancient land, and dating from a period perhaps 

 anterior to the separate existence of any of the islands. 



The insects, although less perfectly known, offer 

 analogous peculiarities to those presented by the higher 

 animals. They are isolated alike from those of the Sunda 

 Islands and the Moluccas, and present certain specialities 

 of form and coloration not found elsewhere. The details 

 are of too technical a nature to find a place here, but 

 they are such as fully to confirm the general conclusion 

 we have arrived at, as to the long-continued isolati(jn of 

 this remarkable country. 



