chap, xii.] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 355 



would alone enable us to trace. Should we ever arrive at a 

 fair knowledge of the physical changes that have resulted in 

 the present condition, we shall almost certainly find that many 

 of the differences and anomalies of their existing fauna and 

 flora will be accounted for. 



In Birds we hardly find anything to differentiate Borneo and 

 Sumatra in any clear manner. Pityriasis and Carpococcyx, once 

 thought peculiar to the former, are now found also in the latter ; 

 and we have not a single genus left to characterize Borneo except 

 Scluvaneria a peculiar fly-catcher, and Indicator, an African and 

 Indian group not known to occur elsewhere in the Malay 

 sub-region. Sumatra as yet alone possesses Psil&pogon, a remark- 

 able form of barbet, but we may well expect that it will be soon 

 found in the interior of Borneo or Malacca ; it also has Bereni- 

 cornis, an African form of hornbill. The Malay Peninsula 

 appears to have no genus peculiar to it, but it possesses 

 some Chinese and Indian forms which do not pass into the 

 islands. As to the species, our knowledge of them is at present 

 very imperfect. The Malay Peninsula is perhaps the best 

 known, but it is probable that both Sumatra and Borneo are 

 quite as rich in species. With the exception of the genera 

 noted above, and two or three others as yet found in two islands 

 only, the three districts we are now considering may be said to 

 have an almost identical bird-fauna, consisting largely of the 

 same species and almost wholly of these together with closely 

 allied species of the same genera. There are no well-marked 

 groups which especially characterise one of these islands rather 

 than the other, so that even the amount of speciality which 

 Borneo undoubtedly exhibits as regards mammalia, is only 

 faintly shown by its birds. The Pittidae may perhaps be named 

 as the most characteristic Bornean group, that island possessing 

 six species, three of which are peculiar to it and are among the 

 most beautiful birds of an unusually beautiful family. Yet Suma- 

 tra possesses two peculiar, and hardly less remarkable species. 



In other classes of vertebrates, in insects, and in land-shells, 

 our knowledge is far too imperfect to allow of our making any 

 useful comparison between the faunas. 



