AKNIVERSAEY ABDEESS OP THE PKKSIDElfT. 77 



It may, however, be very fairly urged that the avifauna of Mada- 

 gascar differs quite as widely from that of Africa as the mammalian 

 fauna does, and that the question of the Nearctic region is, after all, 

 of secondary importance. At the same time the objections noticed 

 tend completely to invalidate the idea of equality in the different 

 regions, so far as mammalia are concerned. 



Passing on to the E-eptilia, we shall find a greater difference. I 

 have already mentioned that Dr. Giinther, who at first accepted 

 Sclater's regions, has been induced by the large additions to our 

 knowledge in the course of the last 30 years to reconsider the whole 

 subject ; and he has published the result in the article on reptiles in 

 the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica.' He adopts a different set of regions 

 for each of the three living orders of the Eeptilia, of which nume- 

 rous representatives are found in the world. The regions adopted 

 for land and freshwater Tortoises are the following : — 



Chelonian Regions. 



1. All Europe and Asia, I^orthern Africa, North and Central 



America. 



2. Africa. 



3. a. Tropical America. 

 h. Madagascar. 



4. Tropical Pacific (Australia, jSTew Guinea, (fee). 



5. New Zealand. 



The divisions for Lizards will be found to differ materially. 



Lacertilian Regions. 



1. Africa with the Western Palaearctic region. 



2. India with the Manchurian (Eastern Palaearctic) subregion. 

 .3. Tropical Pacific (Austraha, &c. as before). 



4. Madagascar. 



5. South and North America. 



6. New Zealand. 



Lastly, the regions adopted for Snakes show a third arrange- 

 ment. 



2. Africa, south of the Tropic of Cancer. 



3. Oriental, South-eastern Asia and Malay Islands to Wallace's line. 



4. Aquilonian, Europe, Asia north of the Himala.yas, Africa north of 



the Tropic of Cancer, and America north of about 45°, 



5. Medio- Columbian, America, between about 25° and 45° N. lat. 

 The last being of decidedly inferior value as a distinct division. 



In some respects this rational distribution resembles that of Mr. Andrew- 

 Murray (Geographical Distr. Mamm. 1866 ; maps c. ci.). 



