312 THE HOLARCTIC REGION. [CHAP. 



were found in France and England, yet the Holarctic region is 

 now characterised by the absence of all these animals, save a few 

 species of Macacus on its southern borders ; and if a Mediterranean 

 region could be satisfactorily defined, even these, as well as hyaenas 

 and certain other southern types, would likewise be excluded. 

 The fruit-bats constituting the family Pteropodidce. are likewise 

 practically wanting in this region; and Effodientia are quite 

 unknown. On the other hand, carnivores, such as wolves, foxes, 

 bears, martens, weasels, and the glutton, are abundant ; while the 

 rodents are specially represented by such types as the marmots, 

 beavers, voles, and picas ; and the ungulates comprise the bisons, 

 nearly all the sheep, the true goats (absent in the western half of 

 the region), and all the typical deer. 



Referring in more detail to the peculiar generic types common 

 to the region as a whole, we have, first of all, among the Insecti- 

 vora the typical or true shrews (Sorex] which belong to that 

 section of the Soricidcz characterised by having the tips of the teeth 

 stained brownish-red in the main characteristic of this region, 

 although in America they extend southwards into the Sonoran. 

 In the allied family of the Talpida, the mole-shrews ( Urotrichus], 

 which are near relatives of the European desmans, are represented 

 solely by one Japanese, and a second North American species, 

 although the latter is frequently separated generically as Neuro- 

 trichus. 



The peculiar genera of Carnivora are but few, although certain 

 groups are either confined to, or very strongly represented in, the 

 region. For instance, among the Felidce the true lynxes which 

 although generally included in the genus Felts, are by some 

 regarded as entitled to form a genus by themselves are absolutely 

 confined to this region, where they range as far south as Spain. 

 The bears (Ursus], also, are very strongly represented; brown- 

 coloured species being peculiar to the Holarctic area, as is the 

 very distinct polar species to its Arctic portions. The peculiar 

 sea-otter, the sole representative of the genus Latax, has a distri- 

 bution very similar to that of the mole-shrews ; this animal occur- 

 ring on the coasts of Kamschatka and the Kurile Islands, as well 

 as on those of the Aleutians. The wolverene (Gulo}, which is like- 

 wise the only member of its genus, has a more extended range, 



