•2.S0 ZooUXiK'AL (il-:U(JiJAPllY. [rAur ui. 



Africa l»y the sinu,le geims Agama, liave liere three peculiar 

 <;en(a-a, Trachdoj^fj/chus, CJudarodon, and Hoplarvs. Lastly, the 

 American Ignaniche are said to be represented by a sjjccies of the 

 8outh American genus Oplnnis. The classification of Eeptiles 

 is in sucli an unsettled state that some of these determinations 

 of affinities are prol)ably erroneous; but it is not likely that 

 any corrections which may be re(piired will materially affect the 

 general bearing of the evidence, as indicating a remarkalile 

 amount of Oriental and Amevicnn relationship. 



The other gToups are of less interest. Tortoises are rejire- 

 sented by two African or wide-s})read genera of Testudinid?e, 

 Tcstudo and CJicisina, and by one peculiar genus, Pijxis ; and 

 there are also two African genera of Chelydidie. 



The Amphibia are not very well known. They appear t(j be 

 confined to species of the wide-s]iread Ethiopian and Oriental 

 genera — Hijlarana, Foli/jjcdatcs, and Bu2'iina (Polypedatidie) ; 

 and Pyxice/phcdus (Ranidae). 



Frcsh-vxikr Fishes. — These appear to be at present almost 

 unknown. Vhen carefully collected they will no doubt furnish 

 some important i'acts. 



The Ma sea /■cue hUnnls. 



The various islands which surround IMadagascar — Dourbon, 

 Mauritius, Eodriguez, the Seychelles, and the Comoro Islands 

 — all partake in a considerable degree of its peculiar fauna, 

 M'hile having some special features of their own. 



Indigenous ]\fammalia (except Ijats) are probaljly absent from 

 all these islands (except the Comoros), although Lemur and Cen- 

 tefes are given as natives of Bourlion and ]\Iauritius. They have, 

 however, })erhaps been introduced from J\Iadagascar. Lemur 

 rnetyottc7hsis, a peculiar species, is found in the Comoro Islands, 

 where a IMadagascar species of Viverra also occurs. 



Bourl)on and jNIauritius may be taken together, as they much 

 resend)le each other. They each ])Ossess species of a peculiar 

 genus of Campephagid?e, or caterpillar shrikes, Oxynotus; while 

 the remarkable FrecjUuims, belonging to the starling family, 

 inhabits Bourljon, if it is not now extinct. Tliey also have 



