CHAPTER XVIII. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF CELEBES. 



rilHE position of Celebes is the most central in the 

 Archipelago. Immediately to the north are the Philip- 

 pine islands; on the west is Borneo; on the east are the 

 Molucca islands ; and on the south is the Timor group : 

 and it is on all sides so connected with these islands by 

 its own satellites, by small islets, and by coral reefs, that 

 neither by inspection on the map nor by actual observa- 

 tion around its coast, is it possible to determine accurately 

 which should be grouped with it, and which with the 

 surrounding districts. Such being the case, we should 

 naturally expect to find, that the productions of this central 

 island in some degree represented the richness and variety 

 of the whole Archipelago, while we should not expect 

 much individuality in a country, so situated, that it would 

 seem as if it were pre-eminently fitted to receive stragglers 

 and immigrants from all around. 



As so often happens in nature, however, the fact turns 

 out to be just the reverse of what we should have ex- 



