448 



ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



[part in. 



of land and sea by which the phenomena of animal distribution 

 in tlie Pacific have been brought about. 



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

 Mr. Darwin on Coral Islands, provetl, 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 sul)iected to sucli an amount of subsideu-;e 

 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 rep ales 

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

 luimerous, five families and fourteen genera being represented, 

 as follows : — 



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 tlie species themselves have a 

 wide range, as in tlie case of Ahlephants ^^oecilojjlennis, 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 Hetermwta are Australian 

 genera ; while Lophura has reached the Pelew Islands from the 

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

 JJj'dchy/ophus being especially interesting as an example of an 



