FORMER PACIFIC CONTINENT. 235 
beyond Java and Borneo, do essentially form a part of a 
former Australian or Pacific continent, although some of 
them may never have been actually joined to it. This 
continent must have been broken up not only before the 
Western islands were separated from Asia, but pro- 
vably before the extreme south-eastern portion of 
Asia was raised above the waters of the ocean; for a 
great part of the land of Borneo and Java is known to 
be geologically of quite recent formation; while the very 
great difference of species, and in many cases of genera 
also, between the productions of the Eastern Malay 
islands and Australia, as well as the great depth of the 
sea now separating them, all point to a comparatively 
long period of isolation.” 
“Tt is interesting to observe among the islands them- 
selves how a shallow sea always intimates a recent land 
connection. The Aru islands, Maisol and Waigiou, as 
well as Jobic, agree with New Guinea in their species of 
mammalia and birds much more closely than they do 
with the Moluccas, and we find that they are all united to 
New Guinea by a shallow sea. In fact, the 100-fathom 
line round New Guinea marks out accurately the range 
of the true Paradise birds. 
“It is further to be noted—and this is a very interesting 
point in connection with theories of the dependence of 
special forms of life on external conditions—that this 
division of the Archipelago into two regions character- 
ized by a striking diversity in their natural productions, 
does not in any way correspond to the main physical or 
climatal divisions of the surface.” We will further 
quote only the following: ‘ Borneo and New Guinea, as 
alike physically as two distinct countries can be, are 
