326 NATURAL HISTORY [chap.xiv. 



The Mammalia of Timor as well as those of the other 

 islands of the group are exceedingly scanty, with the 

 exception of bats. These last are tolerably abundant, and 

 no doubt many more remain to be discovered. Out of 

 fifteen species known from Timor, nine are found also in 

 Java, or the islands west of it ; three are Moluccan spe- 

 cies, most of which are also found in Australia, and the 

 rest are peculiar to Timor. 



The land mammals are only seven in number, as follows : 

 1. The common monkey, Macacus cynomolgus, which is 

 found in all the Indo -Malayan islands, and has spread 

 from Java through Bali and Lombock to Timor. This 

 species is very frequent on the banks of rivers, and may 

 have been convej'ed from island to island on trees carried 

 down by floods. 2. Paradoxurus fasciatus ; a civet cat, 

 very common over a large part of the Archipelago. 

 3. Felis megalotis; a tiger cat, said to be peculiar to Timor, 

 where it exists only in the interior, and is very rare. Its 

 nearest allies are in Java. 4. Cervus timoriensis ; a deer, 

 closely allied to the Javan and Moluccan species, if dis- 

 tinct. 5. A wild pig, Sus timoriensis ; perhaps the same 

 as some of the Moluccan species. 6. A shrew mouse, Sorex 

 tenuis ; supposed to be peculiar to Timor. 7. An Eastern 

 opossum, Cuscus orientalis ; found also in the Moluccas, 

 if not a distinct species. 



The fact that not one of these species is Australian, or 



