10 ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF ANIMALS. 



persion, and yet experience teaches us, that certain 

 divisions of the earth are characterised by peculiar 

 animals. We are now to enquire,, what are these divisions? 

 how they are to be defined ? and what are their pecu- 

 liarities ? We shall, in the first instance, notice the dif- 

 ferent theories that have been formed upon these points, 

 enquire how far they are in accordance with observed 

 facts, and then explain our own views upon this inter- 

 esting subject. 



(l.S.) Fabricius appears to have been the first na- 

 turalist who ventured on any actual definitions of what 

 he conceived to be natural climates or provinces, and 

 his views are confined alone to the insect world. He 

 considers that there are eight of these divisions, which 

 he has named the Indian, 2. Egyptian, 3. Southern, 4. 

 Mediterranean, 5. Northern, 6. Oriental, 7. Occidental, 

 and 8. Alpine. The first comprehends the tropics of 

 the Old and the New World ; the second, the northern re- 

 gions immediately adjoining ; the third, the southern ; 

 the fourth, the countries bordering the Mediterranean, 

 and part of Asia Minor ; the fifth, the northern parts 

 of Europe ; the sixth, the coldest regions of northern 

 Asia ; the seventh includes North America. Japan, and 

 China ; and the eighth, all those mountains whose sum- 

 mits are clothed in perpetual snow. 



(14.) The objections to this theory, as urged by 

 M. Latreille, are, that the divisions are too vague, and 

 at the same time too arbitrary ; and that if heat is to 

 be considered as of such primary importance, it is not 

 sufficiently correct as to temperature. This learned 

 entomologist further observes (what, indeed, must be 

 obvious to every one at all acquainted with the subject), 

 that in places where the temperature is the same, the 

 insects, and, we may add, the animals, in general, are 

 totally different. The fact is, that Fabricius, by not 

 attempting to demonstrate the correctness of any one 

 of his divisions, seems to have subsequently abandoned 

 them altogether, since no one, it may be fairly presumed, 



