66 MAMMAL ANOMALIES. 



that Africa, as it at present exists, contains land that once 

 formed part of jNIadagascar. 



" 2. Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands (which are 

 universally acknowledged to belong to the same category) 

 nnist have remained for a long epoch separated from every 

 other part of the globe, in order to have acquired the many 

 peculiarities now exhibited in their mammal fauna — e.g., 

 lemur, chiromys, eupleres, centetes, &c. — to be elaborated by 

 *he gradual modification of pre-existing forms. 



" 3. Some land-connection must have existed in former 

 acjes between Madagascar and India, whereon the original 

 stock — whence the present Lemuridse of Africa, Madagascar, 

 and India are descended — flourished." 



He concludes by saying that " the anomalies of the mammal 

 fauna of jMadagascar can be best explained by supposing that 

 anterior to the existence of Africa in its present shape a 

 large continent occupied parts of the Atlantic and Indian 

 Oceans, stretching out towards (what is now) America to the 

 west, and to India and its islands on the east ; that this con- 

 tinent was broken up into islands, of which some have become 

 amalgamated with the present continent of Africa, and some, 

 possibly, with what is now Asia ; and that in Madagascar 

 and the Mascarene Islands we have existing relics of this 

 great continent, for which, as the original focus of the stirps 

 lemurum, I should propose the name Lemuria ! " 



Dr. Hartlaub, who has described minutely the birds of 

 Madagascar, lays great stress upon their Indian affinities, as 

 if these were equal in number and value to the African re- 

 lationships ; an extreme view, which is apparently not borne 

 out by the facts of the case. 



The most careful study of the subject is, however, to be 

 found in Mr. Alfred Wallace's recent work on Hie Geogra- 

 phical Distribution of Animals, to which I have already 

 repeatedly referred, and to which I am greatly indebted for 

 exact and minute information with regard to the classification 

 of the animals of Madagascar. 



I can only indicate in a very few words the main points 

 which I tiiink are established by this valuable work. Mr. 

 "Wallace agrees to a great extent with Dr. Sclater in deeming 



