﻿On Certain Birds from the Moluccas. 57 



as they pass the thermometer do not show differences of 

 temperature exceeding 2° to 3°. We must look largely to 

 other causes for such reversals of the temperature as are 

 indicated near St. Paul's Island. 



Jan., 1896. 



On Certain Birds from the Moluccas, now in the 

 Society's Museum. 



By J. B. Williams, Esq., F.Z.S. • 



The Moluccas form, zoologically, a very peculiar and 

 interesting group of islands. Immediately to the east 

 of them lies the great island of New Guinea, with Aus- 

 tralia to the south of it ; while on the other side are the 

 Celebes, with the islands of Borneo and Java in close 

 proximity. 



It was by the study, especially, of the birds and insects 

 in this Malay archipelago that the celebrated naturalist 

 A. R Wallace was convinced of the necessity of some 

 theory such as Mr. Darwin's to explain the facts connected 

 with their variation and geographical distribution, noted 

 during a residence of seven or eight years among the 

 various islands. 



In Borneo the fauna is altogether Indian, while the 

 Moluccas are, zoologically, closely allied to Australia. 



In Borneo some of the commonest birds are Trogons, 

 Woodpeckers, and Barbets. These all disappear in the 

 Moluccas, and the bird families most frequently seen 

 there are Parrots, Kingfishers, Pigeons, and Honeysuckers. 



In Borneo we find the Indian elephant and tiger, besides 

 many smaller carnivora, and hosts of monkeys. In the 

 Moluccas there are hardly any mammals except bats, and 

 five or six out of the nine or ten that are there have pro- 

 bably been introduced by the natives. These introduced 

 animals include one monkey and one civet cat, which are 



