THE AMERICAN PROVINCE. 5? 



is so complete, that it might, perhaps, appear more 

 natural to have followed up the developement of this 

 change by immediately entering upon the zoology of 

 Australasia ; but this transition, striking as it is, is not 

 more conspicuous than that which may be traced from 

 the zoology of Asia to that of America. It must be re- 

 membered, also, that each of these zoological provinces 

 are connected with the rest at more than one point. The 

 Asiatic blends into the European, both at its northern 

 and at it western confines ; and it is again united to 

 the African range through the medium of Asia Minor 

 and Arabia : nor will it be found less harmonised with 

 the zoology of the New World, when we look to the 

 productions of Kamtschatka, in Arctic Asia, and the 

 opposite shores of California; while the islands of Papua 

 or New Guinea, New Ireland, and New Caledonia, as 

 before remarked, incontestably prove the union of the 

 Asiatic with the Australian range. United, therefore, at 

 so many points, it becomes perfectly immaterial from 

 which we depart, and commence a further investigation, 

 provided we preserve that uniformity of plan so desir- 

 able in expositions of this nature. 



(79-) The Arctic regions, as we have already urged, 

 can only be considered as equally belonging to the three 

 great zoological provinces of Europe, Asia, and America. 

 Their productions, at these extreme limits, although not, 

 in numerous cases, perfectly similar, belong nevertheless 

 to the same natural groups. Several of the northern 

 quadrupeds of Asia range over the Arctic snows of 

 Europe, and again occur, in similar latitudes, upon the 

 American continent. Many, however, remain within 

 what may be termed their original boundaries. The 

 aquatic birds are more generally dispersed ; and there 

 are very few in one continent, that have not been de- 

 tected in another. In proportion, therefore, as we leave 

 these frozen latitudes, common to animals whose nature 

 fits them for extreme cold, and advance to the more genial 

 latitudes of these continents, shall we discover a corre- 

 sponding developement of their true zoological features. 



