chap, xin.] THE AUSTRALIAN REGION. 431 



only a single species ; and by the powerful Phasianidae, repre- 

 sented only by the common Malay jungle fowl, perhaps intro- 

 duced. The entire absence of Pycnonotidae is a very anomalous 

 fact, since one of the largest genera, Criniger, is well represented 

 in several islands of the Moluccas, and one has even been found 

 in the Togian islands in the great northern inlet of Celebes ; 

 but yet it passes over Celebes itself. Ceyx, a genus of small 

 kingfishers, is a parallel case, since it is found everywhere from 

 India to New Guinea, leaving out only Celebes ; but this comes 

 among those curiosities of the Celebesian fauna which we shall 

 notice further on. In the list of genera derived from Borneo or 

 Java, no less than 6 are represented by identical species (indi- 

 cated by sp. after the name) ; while in the Moluccan list 5 

 are thus identical. These must be taken to indicate, either that 

 the genus is a recent introduction, or that stragglers still occa- 

 sionally enter, crossing the breed, and thus preventing specific 

 modification. In either case they depend on the existing state 

 of things, and throw no light on the different distribution of 

 land and sea which aided or checked migration in former times ; 

 and they therefore to some extent diminish the weight of the 

 Indo-Malay affinity, as measured by the relations of the peculiar 

 species of Celebes. 



From our examination of the evidence thus far, — that is, taking 

 account firstly, of the species, and, secondly, of the genera, which 

 are common to Celebes and the groups of islands between which 

 it is situated, we must admit that the connexion seems rather 

 with the Oriental than with the Australian region; but when we 

 take into account the proportion of the genera and species pre- 

 sent, to those which are absent, and giving some weight to the 

 greater extent of coast line on the Indo-Malay side, we seem 

 justified in stating that the Austro-Malay element is rather the 

 most fully represented. This result applies both to birds and 

 mammals ; and it leads us to the belief, that during the epoch of 

 existing species and genera, Celebes has never been united with 

 any extensive tract of land either on the Indo-Malay or Austro- 

 Malay side, but has received immigrants from both during a very 

 long period, the facilities for immigration having been rather the 



