448 



ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



[part III. 



of land and sea by which the phenomena of animal distribution 

 in the Pacific have been brought about. 



Reptiles of the Polynesian Sub-region. — The researches of 

 Mr. Darwin on Coral Islands, proved, that large areas in the 

 Pacific Ocean have been recently subsiding; but the peculiar 

 forms of life which they present, no less clearly indicate the 

 former existence of some extensive lands. The total absence of 

 Mammalia, however, shows either that these lands never formed 

 part of the Australian or Papuan continents, or if they did, that 

 they have been since subjected to such an amount of subsidence 

 as to exterminate most of their higher terrestrial forms of life. 

 It is a remarkable circumstance, that although Mammalia (except 

 bats) are wanting, there are a considerable number of reptiles 

 ranging over the whole sub-region. Lizards are the most 

 numerous, five families and fourteen genera being represented, 

 as follows : — 



1. Cryptoblepharus 



2. Ablepharus 



3. Lygosoma 



4. Mabouya 



5. Euprepes 



6. Dactyloperus ... 



7. Dory lira 



8. Gehyra 



9. A mydosaurus . . . 



10. Heteronota 



11. Corrclophus ... 



12. Brachylophus ... 



13. Lophura 



14. Chloroscartes ... 



(Gyrunopthalnridse) 

 (Scincidas) 



(Geckotidre) 

 (Geckotidse) 



(Iguanidse) 

 (Aganiidse) 



Fiji Islands. 



All the islands. 



Pelew Islands, New Caledonia. 



Samoa Islands. 



Pacific Islands. 



Sandwich Islands. 



Pacific Islands. 



Fiji Islands. 



Tahiti. 



Fiji Islands. 



New Caledonia. 



Fiji Islands. 



Pelew Islands. 



Fiji Islands. 



The first five are wide-spread genera, represented mostly by 

 peculiar species ; but sometimes the species themselves have a 

 wide range, as in the case of Ablepharus pazcilopleurus, which 

 (according to Dr. Giinther) is found in Timor, Australia, New 

 Caledonia, Savage Island (one of the Samoa group), and the 

 Sandwich Islands ! Gehyra and Heteronota are Australian 

 genera ; while Lophura has reached the Pelew Islands from the 

 Moluccas. The remainder (printed in italics), are peculiar genera ; 

 Brachylophus being especially interesting as an example of an 



