ETHIOPIAN REALM 479 



speaking, however, the South American realm is clearly 

 defined and is one of the most interesting in the world. 



Ethiopian Realm. — This realm includes the whole of 

 Africa south of the Sahara Desert, Arabia south of the 

 Tropic of Cancer, Madagascar and several adjacent 

 islands. It thus corresponds in position to the South 

 American realm, and while many of the fishes and land 

 shells of the two districts are closely related, the mam- 

 mals are very distinct. The apes and monkeys are of the 

 narrow-nosed type, and in addition to the man-like chim- 

 panzee and gorilla there are several species of baboons 

 and lemurs. Open or forested country is the home of the 

 African elephant, giraffe, zebras, and other wild asses, 

 and many antelopes, while in regions where marshy tracts 

 prevail the rhinoceros and hippopotamus are character- 

 istic animals. The lion, leopard, and ostrich are likewise 

 inhabitants of this realm though they extend beyond its 

 limits through Arabia. The Sahara Desert acts as an al- 

 most perfect barrier, so that the African animals along the 

 Mediterranean Sea are very distinct from those elsewhere 

 on the continent. 



The Oriental Realm embraces that part of Asia south 

 of the Himalaya Mountains, Java, Borneo, the Philip- 

 pines, and many other islands between India and Austra- 

 lia. The animals of this region are clearly related to those 

 of Africa, yet there are many characteristic species that 

 are found in no other region. The man-like apes are 

 represented by the orang-utan and the gibbons. There 

 are also the Indian elephant, the tiger, several species 

 of bears and deer, the peacocks, and the jungle fowl from 

 which our domesticated fowl has descended. On the 

 other hand there are very few species of horses, asses, 

 and zebras, no rhinoceros, and scarcely any antelopes. 



The Australian Realm comprises Australia, Tas- 

 mania, New Guinea, and several of the adjacent islands 

 of smaller size. The greater part of this territory is 

 arid, some districts being a desert with but scanty vege- 



