August 1, 1898.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



175 



ingly sensitive that they contract at once if exposed to 

 dry air. 



The spiderwort, commonly ^rown as a hanging plant, 

 has sheathing leaves capable of retaining water, and emits 

 rootlets in the same way. There are a few hairs at each 

 node, but they are not continued down the stem. The 

 spiderwort has, however, a special provision against desic- 

 cation ; the upper layer of the leaf consists of aqueous 

 tissue, composed of clear prismatic cells filled with water. 

 A piece of this plant may be carried about in one's pocket 

 for more than a week without quite losing its freshness. 

 Leaf-cups, however, occur chiefly on plants growing in 

 places where there is little risk of desiccation ; hence it is 

 supposed by some that in aerial absorption the object is not 

 so much water as to obtain a supply of nitrogen. Nor is 

 it at all improbable that the rootlets of the chickweed take 

 up nitrogenous compounds and other substances dissolved 

 in the rain-water which accumulates in its leaf-cups. But 

 this question must be reserved for future consideration. 



CELEBES: A PROBLEM IN DISTRIBUTION. 



By E. LVDEKKKR, II. A., K.R S. 



PROBABLY at least nine out of every ten of the 

 readers of Knowledc;e who do me the honour to 

 peruse the present article, would pronounce the 

 name of the island mentioned in the heading 

 with the second syllable short — Celebes ; and if it 

 were an English name they would be right in so doing. 

 But the Malays have a habit of accenting the middle 

 syllable of three-syllabled words, and we thus have 

 Sarawak, Basilan, Celebes, etc. In this respect Malay 

 names are the exact opposite of South American, in which 

 the accent falls on the third syllable, as in Panama, 

 Bogot;i, and Ecuador. Doubtless it is a small matter, 

 but it is well to be correct even in the pronunciation of 

 names. 



Having put matters right in this respect, the next point 

 is to inform my readers why Celebes has been selected as 

 the subject of an article at all; and why Borneo, Sumatra, 

 or Java would not have done just as well. To render this 

 point clear I must refer briefly to the geographical position 

 of Celebes and the neighbouring islands. Borneo, Sumatra, 

 and .Java, as my readers are no doubt well aware, are the 

 three largest of the Malayan islands lying nearest to the 

 Malay Peninsula ; and although they possess many peculiar 

 animals — notably the orang, which is confined to Borneo 

 and Sumatra — yet their fauna as a whole is very similar 

 to that of the Malay mainland, and thus intimately con- 

 nected with that of India. Accordingly, naturalists are 

 pretty well agreed in including these islands in what is 

 called the Oriental region of zoological distribution, of 

 which the Philippine Islands likewise form a part. 



Now, Celebes lies due east of Borneo, from which it is 

 separated by the Macassar Strait, and also nearly midway 

 between the Philippines on the north and the small islands 

 of Lombok, Sumbawa, and Flores on the south ; these 

 three latter islands forming the continuation of the line 

 of Sumatra and -Java, which evidently indicate an old 

 peninsula. Eastward of Celebes lie the Moluccas (or 

 Spice Islands) on the north, and Ceram (which forms the 

 lowest member of the same group) in the south ; both 

 these being nearly midway between Celebes and Papua, 

 or New Guinea. And when we reach the latter country 

 we are practically in Australia, the animals being quite 

 unlike those of the typical Malayan islands and the other 

 countries of the Oriental region ; we have, for instance, 



in New Ouinca, tree kangaroos, cuscuses, flying phalangers, 

 bandicoots, echidnas or spiny anteaters, cassowaries, cocka- 

 toos, birds of paradise, and bower birds, all of which are 

 essentially Australian types, although some, like the birds 

 of paradise, attain their maximum development in New 

 Guinea itself. The little island of Ceram has also a fauna 

 of an Australian type, including, among other forms, a 

 cassowary. Accordingly, all naturalists are agreed that 

 Australia, New Guinea, Ceram, and the other Moluccas, 

 together with the Aru and some of the other small islands 

 in the neighbourhood, form one great zoological province, 

 which may be called the Australasian. But the problem 

 has been in which region to place Celebes, whose fauna is 

 in some respects intermediate between that of the Austral- 

 asian and Oriental regions. By Dr. A. R. Wallace, the 

 great authority on the geographical distribution of animals, 

 it was at first classed with the former, although subse- 

 quently given a doubtful position ; and his views have 

 been followed by most later writers. Quite recently, 

 however, Mr. W. L. Sclater, the Director of the South 

 African Museum, has come to the conclusion that it should 

 be included in the Oriental region. 



A glance at the map will show that Celebes is an island 

 of very peculiar and unusual shape. It consists of an 

 irregular central region, from' which are given off four 

 still more irregular peninsulas, of which the one running 

 in the direction of the Moluccas is considerably the largest. 

 Its general outline is more like that frequently assumed 

 by an ama-ba than anything else, and it is quite clear from 

 this remarkable shape that the island is situated in a 

 subsiding area, and once formed a portion of a much 

 larger land mass. From the peculiarity of its animals it 

 is evident that Celebes has existed as an island since an 

 epoch comparatively remote ; and the question naturally 

 arises whether its last connection was with Borneo and 

 the other Malayan islands, or with Ceram and New (iuinea. 

 In a question of this nature the depths of the surrounding 

 seas have, of course, a most important bearing. There is 

 reason to believe that recent investigations will do much 

 towards clearing up this question, but as they have not 

 yet been published they cannot be further referred to on 

 this occasion. 



Putting, then, the evidence of soundings on one side, 

 we may endeavour to find out how much light the animals 

 of Celebes are capable of throwing on the problem. 



Those of my readers who have any acquaintance with 

 the subject of the geographical distribution of animals, are 

 doubtless aware that no marsupials at all are found to the 

 westward of Celebes, and that to the eastward of that 

 island monkeys are quite unknown, while hoofed animals 

 are represented only by a deer in Timor and a second in 

 the Moluccas, and likewise by a semi-wild pig in Ceram and 

 another in New Guinea. In fact, the quadrupeds of the 

 Australasian region, apart from bats and these exceptions, 

 consist exclusively of egg-laying mammals, marsupials, and 

 various peculiar kinds of rats and mice ; while, as already 

 said, their birds include cassowaries, cockatoos, birds of 

 paradise, bower-birds, and a host of other kinds more or 

 less completely unknown in the regions to the westward. 



But, unfortunately, there is another element in the 

 problem which introduces a further complexity. The 

 Malays, as we know, are bold and clever sailors, fond of 

 voyaging from island to island in these summer seas. 

 And they are also wonderful adepts in taming animals of 

 various kinds. Many of these they carry about with them 

 in their voyages — some probably for food and others as 

 pets. When they land on a strange island some of these 

 animals may occasionally escape, or possibly may be turned 

 loose intentionally. Now there is a very considerable 



