606 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 
faunas of the two areas was much mote intimate than it is now.” * 
Why the giraffe, hippopotamus and other Ethiopian types died out 
altogether in the Oriental region we do not know. 
4. Hoxarctic Recion.—The Holarctic region cor- 
responds to North America, Europe, Northern Africa and 
all Asia not included in the Oriental. This vast area 
appears to have sufficient community of ‘fauna to comprise 
one region. It has characteristically large numbers of 
Bovide, especially sheep, goats-and oxen, the deer, camels 
and pigs being also present (Dasses occur in Syria). Of 
rodents, the squirrels, beavers, AZuride, picas, rabbits and 
hares. In the Carnivora there are abundance of bears and 
Mustelide (weasels, polecats, martens, wolverenes, otters, 
skunks and badgers), whilst the /é/ide are poorly repre- 
sented by the lynxes and other forms, as also are the civet- 
family by mongooses and genets, the Canzd@ by wolves and 
foxes. Of the Zzsectivora, the moles, hedgehogs and shrews 
are all common, and in bats only the Mfrcrochiroptera are 
found, except for those inhabiting the Pyramids. The only 
Primates are the baboons of Gibraltar. 
There is hence a marked absence of a great number of 
large Ungulates, Carnivora, and of the 2dentata, lemurs 
and monkeys, in comparison with the other regions. Two 
typical families of rodents, the beaverst and picas, are 
confined to the region, and the camels are not found else- 
where in Arctogcea. The walruses (Z7ichechide) are also 
peculiar to the region. The moles and shrews are very 
characteristic and are found only to a small extent outside 
the region. 
At first sight it appears anomalous to separate Africa and 
Madagascar into regions and to unite Eurasia and North 
America into one region, but the large number of identical 
or closely allied species occurring in these two continents 
compel us to adopt such a classification. 
As regards the past history of the region we have already referred to 
the widely scattered Mesozoic Polyfrotodontia and to the lemurs of a 
later date. But as late as the Pleistocene epoch the mammals of the 
Holarctic region resembled those of the Ethiopian and Oriental far more 
nearly than at the present day. For example, there are well-authenti- 
cated remains from the Pleistocene of Europe, of the macaque monkeys, 
* Lyddeker. Geo. History of Mammals, page 288. 
t Also found_in Sonoran. 
