14 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap. i. 



the islands, which shall so divide them that one-half shall 

 truly helong to Asia, while the other shall no less certainly 

 he allied to Australia. I term these respectively the 

 Indo-Malayan, and the Austro-Malayan divisions of the 

 Archipelago. (See Physical Map.) 



On referring to pages 12, 13, and 36 of Mr. Earl's 

 pamphlet, it will be seen that he maintains the former 

 connexion of Asia and Australia as an important part of 

 his view, whereas I dwell mainly on their long continued 

 separation. Notwithstanding this and other important 

 differences between us, to him undoubtedly belongs the 

 merit of first indicating the division of the Archipelago 

 into an Australian and an Asiatic region, which it has 

 been my good fortune to establish by more detailed 

 observations. 



Contrasts in Natural Productions. — To understand the 

 importance of this class of facts, and its bearing upon 

 the former distribution of land and sea, it is necessary to 

 consider the results arrived at by geologists and naturalists 

 in other parts of the world. 



It is now generally admitted that the present distribu- 

 tion of living things on the surface of the earth is mainly 

 the result of the last series of changes that it has under- 

 gone. Geology teaches us that the surface of the land 

 and the distribution of land and water is everywhere 

 slowly changing. It further teaches us that the forms 



