304 THE ORIENTAL REGION. [CHAP. 



tion from Sipora "does not show the very slightest special 

 relationship to Sumatra, and therefore lends weight to the view 

 that the Mentawi chain is the remnant of a long peninsula or 

 island, similar in shape to, but separate from the Malay Peninsula 

 or Sumatra. Further than this I cannot at present go, mainly 

 because we know so little of the small terrestrial mammals of the 

 other islands of the chain, those of the Nicobars being almost 

 unknown, and those of Simalu, Sibiru, and Pagi entirely, while 

 in Nias-and Engafio the collections consist mainly of bats. Still 

 the few indications there are, such as the relations to each other of 

 Pteropus nicobaricus, modiglianii, and natalis, and of Mus siporamis 

 and macleari, show that the mammals, like the other animals, pre- 

 sent a general similarity throughout the chain the whole way from 

 the Nicobars to Christmas Island." 



Hitherto the Philippine Islands (exclusive of Palawan, Cala- 



mianes, etc., which are classed with the Bornean 

 sub-re^on. 6 group ') have been regarded as forming a portion of 



the Malayan sub-region ; but the discovery of a very 

 peculiar mammalian fauna in the mountains of Luzon 2 clearly 

 proves their right to form a sub-region apart. This mountain 

 fauna, which it is highly probable may also prove to be existent in 

 Mindanao, is evidently a very ancient one, showing certain indi- 

 cations of affinity with that of Australia; while the plain fauna 

 is of a more modern and generally Oriental type. Curiously 

 enough, the indications of affinity with the fauna of Celebes are 

 by no means strongly marked. Unfortunately, there is at present 

 no knowledge of the palseontological history of the mammalian 

 fauna of the group. The following species of mammals, exclusive 

 of bats, have been recorded from this sub-region 3 ; the names of 

 such genera and species as are peculiar being printed in italic type. 

 PRIMATES. Hylobates leuciscus. 



Macacus cynomolgus. A distinct race 4 . 



Tarsius philippinensis 1 '. 



Nycticebus tardigradus. 



1 Vide supra, p. 294. 2 See Thomas, Appendix, No. 31. 



3 In addition to the paper cited above, see Bourns and Dear, Appendix, 

 No. n. 4 Often separated as M. philippinensis. 



5 Meyer, Abh. Mtts. Dresden, 1894, Art. i, p. i. 



