102 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



Halmahera, collection of W. Kiikenthal (Boettger, Zool. anz., 1895, 18, 

 p. 129) 



Peters and Doria (Ann. Mus. civ. Geneva, 1878, 13, p. 384) write the follow- 

 ing on the history of this species : — " Questa specie fu descritta da Peters sopra 

 un unico esemplare raccolto a Ternate dal dott. von Martens. Appunto da 

 questa localita il sig. Bruijn ce ne ha inviato una bella serie d'individui e cio ci 

 fu credere che esse vi debba essere piuttosto abbondante. II Beccari poi ce 

 ne fece avere un esemplare raccolto a Bacian." 



The term Molucca Islands, as used for the habitat of this form, is used in 

 the old strict term. Formerly only the islands whence came cloves and nutmegs, 

 — viz. that small chain on the western coast of the large island of Halmahera, — 

 were known by this name. Now the term is used to designate the Dutch Resi- 

 dency, which embraces all the islands from Halmahera and Morotai on or north 

 of the equator, to the distant groups of the Ke, Aru, Tenimbar or Timor- Laut, 

 and Sermata Islands. These lie far to the south, and the extreme southwestern 

 islands meet the chains of the Lesser Sunda Islands. 



It is probable that this species will be taken on Tidor and the islets between 

 it and Bat j an, unless exterminated by the widespread and rather constant or 

 frequent volcanic acti\'ity. 



Psrthon reticulatus (Schneider). 

 ScHNEiDEK, Hist. Amphib., 1801, 2, p. 264. Bouuinger, Cat. snakes Brit, mus., 1893, 1, p. 85-86. 



Type locality: — not given. 



This Python, which apparently grows larger than any other, is common 

 throughout its extensive range. It is especially abundant in western Java. 

 Everywhere it is essentially a deep forest species, wandering occasionally, how- 

 ever, into cultivated areas. 



The geographical distribution of this and other members of the genus is of 

 great interest. P. reticulatus is now known from the following islands, as well 

 as from Burma, and the Malay and Indo-Chinese Peninsulas: — Java (M. C. Z.) ; 

 Sumatra (Werner, Verh. Zool. bot. ges. Wien, 1896, 46, p. 13); Borneo (Blgr., 

 loc. cit.); Philippines (Blgr., he. cit.); Celebes (Peters & Doria, Ann. Mus. civ. 

 Genova, 1878, 13, p. 399); Ceram (M. C. Z.); Ambon, Ternate, and Halmahera 

 (Peters & Doria, loc. cit., and M. C. Z.); Timor-Laut (Blgr., loc. cit.); and more 

 recently it has been taken on Great Natuna Island (Blgr., loc. cit., 1896, 3, p. 

 592). Six Javan examples from Buitenzorg and Depok, five from the Bryant 

 collection, have an average scale-formula of 72i§|. 



