THE FAUNA OF BRITAIN. 99 



Dr. Wallace makes mention of a fairly large num- 

 ber of species and varieties of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, 

 and land and freshwater Mollusca, supposed to be 

 peculiar to the British Islands. Even if these were all 

 found to be of British origin, most of their nearest 

 relatives are continental species. Many, however, must 

 be looked upon as mere races or sub-species of 

 familiar continental forms. But others, such as Geo- 

 jualacus maculosus and Asiminea Grayana, are by no 

 means confined to the British Islands. Some of 

 the so-called varieties enumerated by Dr. Wallace 

 are merely slight individual variations in form and 

 colour, which, only by the extraordinary tendency of 

 the variety-monger to advertise himself, have received 

 a distinct Latin denomination. The number of the 

 remaining species, after weeding out the unworthy 

 ones, will be found to be insignificant. 



Similarly, the list of seventy -five species and 

 varieties of flowering plants included by Dr. Wallace 

 among the forms peculiar to the British Islands 

 (p. 360) is reduced by Sir Joseph Hooker to twenty. 

 The remainder are to be considered as varietal forms 

 of a very trifling departure from the type, or as 

 hybrids. 



Just as we distinguish in the British Islands the 

 parts inhabited by Englishmen, Scotchmen, and Irish- 

 men, so we can recognise three divisions in the animal 

 world, and these roughly correspond to the boundaries 

 of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Most of the 

 eastern species inhabit England, most of the northern 



