114 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



exceeding inequality of the submarine floor; the islands, great 

 and small, appearing like the subsisting ruins of a once united 

 region, which the straits of Malacca, Sunda, Bali, the Sea of 

 Banda, &c, have separated, from the effect of immense percus- 

 sions, originating at a great depth. No small confirmation to 

 this supposition is drawn from the frequent identity of the 

 mammalia observed on the i.slands and the neighboring conti- 

 nent; in several cases, the species cannot, with any probability, 

 be supposed to have been transported from one to the other, by 

 human intervention. Some of these are Pachyderms, common 

 to both, and others of the same order, of different species; such 

 as, 1st. Large ruminants: The Banting, Bos leucoprymnus? 

 Rusa, or Cervus eqiimus, Elant of the Javanese Dutch. 2d. 

 The Elephant ? two or three species of Rhinoceros, a Tapir, 

 and many more. In the distribution of zoological species, 

 there is no other instance of great Pachyderms being confined 

 to insulated locations, and none where the same species occur 

 on two or more of them, and again on the mainland of the next 

 continent. They offer, therefore, additional arguments in 

 favor of the conclusion, that in the earlier period of the existing 

 zoology, all these great islands formed part of the continent ; 

 and that in one anterior to it, the connection extended to Aus- 

 tralia, since fossil remains of great Proboscideans (Elephas 

 angustidens ?) have already been discovered in that soil ; not- 

 withstanding that the present mammalia, perhaps with the 

 only exceptions of the dog and rat, (both imported species,) 

 are entirely im placental, with fewer congeners on the Asiatic 

 than on the American side of the southern hemisphere. These 

 exceptions in the former direction, are chiefly confined to those 

 islands, great and small, clustered together on the north of the 

 Australasian group, and with more questionable connection, 

 extending by New Guinea to the south-east, including several 

 Archipelagos and Nev Caledonia, all notoriously encumbered 

 with cora. reefs, ever he certain indications of comparatively 

 shoal waters, and by Torres Straits passing to Australia 



