BIRDS OP SOUTH AMERICA 369 



colours, being characteristic of the Brazilian forest fauna. 

 The family is unknown in the Old World, but, as in the case 

 of the humming birds, we have closely allied groups (Ama- 

 thusidae, etc.) in western Polynesia and southern Asia, so 

 that the Morphidae or their ancestors may possibly have 

 entered South America, as so many other groups have done, 

 from the west. 



The large and mostly active lizards belonging to the family 

 Teiidae are spread all over South America, ranging northward 

 as far as California and Texas and through the West Indies. 

 They appear to have only extended their range into North 

 America in comparatively late geological times, although they 

 are known from early Tertiary deposits in South America. 

 Nevertheless the Teiidae are quite unknown in the Old World. 

 Instances of that kind might easily be cited from every group 

 of vertebrates and invertebrates. 



Yet although these examples seem to show that the faunistic 

 community between South America and Africa is so slight 

 as not to necessitate the hypothesis of a former land connec- 

 tion between these continents, we possess other very striking 

 features of distribution which are strongly opposed to such 

 a conclusion. I may draw attention again to the most re- 

 markable fact, pointed out by Professor Bouvier,* that the 

 genus Peripatus is peculiar to America, with the single ex- 

 ception of Peripatus tholloni of West Africa. All the other 

 Peripatus -like creatures have been proved by Professor 

 Bouvier to belong to different genera or groups. 



During his travels in the Amazon region, Mr. Bates dis- 

 covered a curious archaic spider-like creature, which was 

 named Cryptostemma westermanni. More recently the same 

 species has been recorded from Sierra Leone and from the 

 Cameroons in West Africa. Those who allege that accidental 

 dispersal is responsible for such cases of distribution, pro- 

 bably accept the discovery of Cryptostemma westermanni 

 on both sides of the Atlantic as a notable instance of the 

 facility with which species are wafted across the ocean. But 

 we must remember that there are thousands of species of 

 animals and plants inhabiting the coasts of West Africa and 



* Bouvier, E. L., " Monographie des Onychophores," I., p. 91. 

 L.A. B B 



