1893.] MAifMALS or THE TBOEN^EAK ISLANDS. 493 



Palawan, is drawn immediately to the eastward of the islands of 

 Cagayan Sulu and Sibutii, — whence it is continued through the 

 Macassar Straits south of the Paternoster, Lauriot (Laset Ketjil), 

 and Solombo islets, and in a north-westerly direction through the 

 Karimata Strait back to the island of St. Juhan. 



In attempting thus to define the area within which the neigh- 

 bouring smaller islands may be regarded as being affiliated zoo- 

 logicallj' to Borneo, there exists no guide in many cases beyond 

 their gi'eater proximity to the latter island than to the other large 

 masses of land bv ^^iiich they are more or less closely environed, 

 supplemented by the e^^dence (often very imperfect) afforded by the 

 soundings shown on our Admiralty charts. The limits adopted above 

 must therefore be looked upon as being in some degree approxi- 

 mate. Nevertheless, as there are not any islands of considerable 

 size of which the fauna is wholly unknown bordering upon the line 

 of delimitation, it is not probable that material extensions or 

 contractions of the boundary here assumed for the Bornean group 

 as a Avhole ■oill be necessitated b}^ the result of future field-work. 



Turning to the accompanying list, it may be remarked that no 

 family of Mammals is peculiar to the group and that only three 

 genera are so, viz. Xasalis, Trichys, and RMthroscmms, which, so 

 far as we know at present, are all confined exclusively to the 

 island of Borneo itself. Peculiar species, however, are fairly 

 numerous, and they are indicated in the list by the pi'efix of a 

 single or double asterisk in accordance with their being confined to 

 Borneo or to the Palawan Sub-group respectively. Although the 

 general facies of the mammalian fauna of the Sub-group is clearly 

 Bornean, it is to be noted that no species appears to be peculiar to 

 the group as a whole, a fact which suggests the inference that, 

 closely connected as Borneo has undoubtedly been with Bahibac 

 and Palawan, and isolated as they have been together from the 

 mainland of Asia, there has also been much isolation of Borneo 

 and Palawan inter se. 



A few of the species enumerated have been no doubt introduced 

 by man. Such are the Common Mouse and the Black and Bro\\n 

 Eat, with the Buffalo ; and it seems prol)able that the Javan 

 Sambur (C'ervus hij^pdapliim) and the Elepliant owe their presence 

 to the same agency. A few other species which have been credited 

 to Borneo will be found to have been omitted below. Thus Ihjlo- 

 hates roncolor, Harlan, is almost certainly identical with //. muelleri, 

 Martin. Macacus maarus, F. Cuv., long belie\od to inhabit Borneo, 

 has been shown ', to be restricted to the southern piMiinsula of 

 Celebes and to the neighbouring island of Bouton. There is a 

 stuffed specimen of Cania avn'iis, Linn., in the Leyden Museum 

 which is labelled as having been collected by Diard in Borneo, but it 

 is more than doubtful whether the locality is correct". The Javan 

 Rhinoceros (R. sonflfiicus) has been supjxjsed to exist in Borneo, but 

 my inquiries on the subject have failed to elicit any reliable evidence 



' Weber, Zool. Ergohn. Nicderl. Ost-Tiul., Leiden. 1890, p. 103. 

 ^ Blanford, Faun. Brit. ludia, Maunualia, i. p. 141. 



