chap. xi.J THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 265 



Here, too, we find some interesting relations with the Oriental 

 region on the one side, and the Neotropical on the other. The 

 snakes of the family Homalopsidse have a wide range, in America, 

 Europe, and all over the Oriental region, but are confined to 

 West Africa in the Ethiopian region. Dryiophis (Dryiophidre) 

 and Dipsadoboa (Dipsadidae) on the other hand, are genera of 

 tropical America which occur also in West Africa. The family 

 of lizards, Acontiacke, are found in West and South Africa, 

 Ceylon, and the Moluccas. The family of toads, Engystomida?, 

 in West and South Africa and the whole Oriental region ; while 

 the Phryniscidse inhabit tropical Africa and Java. 



Insects. — We have here a large number of peculiar genera. 

 There are 10 of butterflies, Lachnoptera, Amphidema, and Catuna 

 belonging to the Nymphalidse, while four others are Lycsenidse. 

 The genus Euxanthe is common to West Africa and Madagascar. 



Of Coleoptera there are 53 peculiar genera ; 20 are Carabida3, 

 2 Lucanidse, 12 Cetoniidse, 3 Prionidae, 16 Cerambycidae, and 

 34 Lamiidre. Besides these there are 4 or 5 genera confined to 

 West Africa and Madagascar. 



Land Shells. — West Africa is very rich in land shells, but it 

 does not appear to possess any well-marked genera, although 

 several of the smaller groups or sub-genera are confined to it. 

 Helicidae of the genera Nanina, Buliminus and Achatina are 

 abundant and characteristic. 



Islands of the West African Sub-region. — The islands in the 

 Gulf of Guinea are, Fernando Po, very near the main land, with 

 Prince's Island and St. Thomas, considerably further away to the 

 south-west. Eernando Po was once thought to be a remarkable 

 instance of an island possessing a very peculiar fauna, although 

 close to the main land and not divided from it by a deep sea. 

 This, however, was due to our having obtained considerable 

 collections from Fernando Po, while the opposite coast was 

 almost unknown. One after another the species supposed to be 

 peculiar have been found on the continent, till it becomes prob- 

 able, that, as in the case of other islands similarly situated, it 

 contains no peculiar species whatever. The presence of nume- 

 rous mammalia, among which are baboons, lemurs, Hyrax, and 



Vol. I.— 19 



