^4 ISLAND LIFE 



l^ART I 



more arctic kinds, as already stated, extend into the colder 

 regions of North America. 



Range of East Asian and North African Mammals. — 

 Let us now pass to the other side of the great northern 

 continent, and examine the list of the quadrupeds of 

 Amoorland, in the same latitude as Germany. We find 

 that there are forty-four terrestrial species (omitting the 

 bats, the seals, and other marine animals), and of these no 

 less than twenty-six are identical with European species, 

 and twelve or thirteen more are closely allied representa- 

 tives, leaving only five or six which are peculiarly Asiatic. 

 We can hardly have a more convincing proof of the 

 essential oneness of the mammalia of Europe and Northern 

 Asia. 



In Northern Africa we do not find so many European 

 species (though even here they are very numerous) be- 

 cause a considerable number of West Asiatic and desert 

 forms occur. Having, however, shown that Europe and 

 Western Asia have almost identical animals, we may treat 

 all these as really European, and we shall then be able to 

 compare the quadrupeds of North Africa with those of 

 Europe and West Asia. Taking those of Algeria as the best 

 known, we find that there are thirty-three species identical 

 with those of Europe and West Asia, while twenty-four 

 more, though distinct, are closely allied, belonging to the 

 same genera ; thus making a total of fifty-seven of European 

 type. On the other hand, we have seven species which 

 are either identical with species of tropical Africa or allied 

 to them, and six more which are especially characteristic 

 of the African and Asiatic deserts which form a kind of 

 neutral zone between the temperate and tropical regions. 

 If now we consider that Algeria and the adjacent countries 

 bordering the Mediterranean form part of Africa, while 

 they are separated from Europe by a wide sea and are only 

 connected with Asia by a narrow isthmus, we cannot but 

 feel surprised at the wonderful preponderance of the 

 European and West Asiatic elements in the mammalia 

 which inhabit the district. 



The Range of British Birds. — As it is very important 

 that no doubt should exist as to the limits of the zooloo^ical 



