662 ZOOLOGY. 
forms. Indeed, at almost any point in temperate North 
America the fauna is found to consist of three elements— 
1.€., mainly a temperate, with a certain percentage of boreal 
or subarctic and of southern or semi-tropical forms; and if 
the point be situated near some lofty range of mountains, a 
fourth element—.e., a purely arctic or alpine feature—-is 
superadded. The earth’s surface may then be mapped out 
into general and speciai divisions. First, a tropical, tem- 
perate, and arctic or circumpolar fauna or realm, and, sec- 
oridly, each continent may form asmaller subdivision or spe- 
cific centre—i.e., the Europeo-Asiatic, the African, the Aus- 
tralian, and the South and North American regions, for 
each of these continental divisions have been peopled with 
animals which have been from the earliest geological times 
the original possessors of the soil, though they may have: 
adopted members of each other’s faune. 
Confining ourselves to the North American Continent, 
let us examine the distribution of life on its surface. We 
shall have to throw out the -arctic regions, which belong 
with the arctic regions of Europe and Asia, to a distinct 
circumpolar fauna or realm, and then map out the rest of 
the continent into five provinces—i.¢., the Canadian, the 
Alleghanian, Campestrian or Rocky Mountains, the Pacific 
or Californian, and the Mexican ; all of these provinces are- 
bounded by natural geological limits and differ in tempera- 
ture and moisture. While the cougar, or Felis concolor, is 
common to each one of them, and the bison and black bear 
range throughout the Canadian, Alleghanian, and Central 
provinces, there is a certain pergentage of animals which 
are confined to each province ; and on closer examination, 
each province, especially on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, 
will be found capable of minater subdivision into more lo- 
cal faune or faunule. 
It will also be found that the animals, especially the. 
insects, of the Atlantic province have certain elements: 
reminding us of Northeastern Asia, while on the Pacific 
slope—t.e., the Californian province, a few insects, shells, 
and crustacea, as well as the birds, remind us of European, 
types, which are wholly wanting east of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. 
