373 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On tiik Geographical Distribution ok Hi i-im.es. 

 By Dr. Albert Gi'ntiii.u. 



It was with great pleasure I read Mr. Sclater's paper ' On the 

 Geographical Distribution of the Members of the Class Am-,' pub- 

 lished in the ' Proceedings of the Linnuean Society,' February 1858. 

 And again, in personal interviews with my friend on similar subjects 

 I had often the satisfaction to agree with him in results he had gained 

 from another part of the animal kingdom. But such gratifying re- 

 sults as we find in the aforesaid paper can only he obtained, not 

 merely by an extended knowledge of the whole animal kingdom, but 

 by a complete knowledge of the details of a separated portion of it ; 

 an I the reason why all the attempts at a general account of the geo- 

 graphical distribution of animals are not satisfactory enough tor the 

 naturalist, is to be found in the circumstance, that the authors were 

 not acquainted in the same degree with every part of the subject 

 treated, as also in our limited knowledge of zoology. Thus I may follow 

 the example of Mr. Sclater and give for the present only an account 

 of the geographical distribution of those animals, to the knowledge 

 of which especially I have latterly devoted myself; and often refer- 

 ring to that paper, I shall show how far I can agree with the general 

 views contained therein, and whether these parts of the natural 

 kingdom give us a division of the earth's surface into the same 

 natural provinces. 



Part I. 

 On the Geographical Distribution of the Snakes. 



Schlegel, as he first founded philosophical views in the knowledge 

 of Snakes, first gave an essay on their geographical distribution, 

 showing the then most possibly exact locality of the species. He 

 however only pointed out the geographical areas over which the spe- 

 cies extends, — certainly the first basis upon which a knowledge ot the 

 geographical distribution of the families and genera can be founded. 

 But at that time the much more limited knowledge of specific forms 

 obliged him to establish genera of too great extent ; and in conse- 

 quence he could not bring, in a more or less accordant correspondence 

 with a certain province of the earth's surface, those genera which are 

 really peculiar to such a separated district. And although that 

 sketch, by which the first volume of Schlegel' 8 ' ESssai 1 is concluded, 

 deserves the more admiration, as this part of the Bcience, nut pre- 

 viously cultivated, was raised by him at once to a degree <>f phi- 

 losophical view adequate to hi- Bystem : it must share the destiny 

 of every such attempt, when our knowledge of the fauna as well a- 

 of the geography is more advanced: mans stated truths will hold 

 b l — a part or all the principles applied before "ill form the K.-i-i- 



of the next attempt ; but man] Other points will appear to be modi- 

 fied or wrong, and will be placed with other re-nlts. For a better 



