98 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
clad slopes of the outer Himalaya, and the lofty arid plains of Turk- 
estan and Tibet, scorched by a burning sun in summer and chilled by 
a still more terrible cold in winter. Its extreme limits in the west 
are marked by the Canaries and Azores, and in the east by distant 
Japan ; and yet throughout this vast expanse we find a great uni- 
formity of life, as exemplified by the large number of British genera 
which occur also in Japan. The mammals which are on the whole 
the most characteristic of this region are the Sheep and Goats, forming 
a section of the great family of Bovide, nearly all the species of which 
are Palearctic, although we meet with one Goat (Capra) in the 
Nilgherries of Southern India, and a Sheep (Ovis) in the Nearctic 
region. The Musk Ox (Ovibos) is characteristic of the Palearctic 
and Nearctic regions. At least one species of Camel is characteristic 
of this region, and it is not improbable that the second may also 
have originated in it. There are a few characteristic types of 
Antelopes, such as the Alpine Chamois (fupicapra), the Saiga of 
Tartary, and the Chiru (Pantholops) of Tibet, each of which is 
represented by only a single species; and we miss the host of 
Antelopes so characteristic of the Ethiopian region. Deer (Cervus) 
are abundant, although by no means confined to this region; and 
the Musk Deer (JJoschus), the sole representative of the subfamily 
Moschine, is exclusively Palearctic. Monkeys, as a rule, are absent, 
although we meet with one species of Macacus in Northern 
Africa and at Gibraltar, and some other types on the southern 
border of Tibet. The Moles (Zalpa) are mainly Palearctic, 
although one species enters Northern India, while the Desmans 
(Myogale) of the Pyrenees and Southern Russia are unknown 
beyond the limits of this region. The Water-shrew (Nectogale) is 
likewise a peculiar eastern Palearctic type. Among the Rodents, 
the Picas or Tailless Hares (Lagomys) and the Dormice (J/yorus) 
are essentially Palearctic forms, only one species of each being found 
beyond the limits of the region, and the one extra-Palzarctic species 
of Lagomys occurring in the cognate Nearctic region. The Mice and 
Rats are represented by the typical genus J/us and other types, 
and Hares (Lepus) and one species of Squirrel (Scivrus) are common. 
The Carnivora include two species of Bears (Ursus), Wolves and 
Foxes (Canis), a Lynx and a few species of Cats (Felis), as well as 
numerous weasels (Mustela), and some other types. 
Ethiopian Region—The Ethiopian region is of great interest to 
the student of mammals, since it is inhabited by a number of forms 
remarkable for their large size. A considerable portion of the area 
consists of desert, especially in the north; but there is also a wide 
extent of grassy plains (veltd), as well as vast tracts of equatorial 
forests of great density. Perhaps the most striking feature in the 
Ethiopian fauna is the number of Ungulates, both of the Artio- 
dactyle and Perissodactyle sections. In the former section we have 
