. DISTRIBUTION. Ill 



with those of the giant marsn^iials. Further peculiarities of the 

 Australian region are the birds-of-j3aradise in New Guinea, the 

 egg-laying mammals Orultliorhyncliiis, Ecliulna, and Proechidna, 

 and the cassowaries and the Australian ostrich {Bromcexs nuvm- 

 Iwllandim). 



It is easily understood that the isolated island groups of the 

 South Sea (Polynesia) have developed many faunistic peculiarities, 

 as well as that an exchange of forms may have taken place between 

 the islands of the oriental province and the islands faunally related 

 to Australia, and that • Wallace's Line ' is not so sharp a boundary 

 as it was once thought to be (extension of marsupials into Celebes, 

 of placentals into the Moluccas). On the other hand the distinct- 

 ness of New Zealand needs mention. It is distinguished from 

 Australia by a large number of peculiar birds [Aptcnjx and the 

 extinct Dinornithidas), reptiles (the ancient Sphenoiloii), and 

 molluscs. If the bats and mice — unimportant in matters of dis- 

 tribution — be excepted. New Zealand lacks all native mammals, 

 even marsupials. 



(3) The neotrojiical province (South and Central America) is, 

 next to Australia, the most sharply characterized, and, like that 

 region, has been set aside as a special division ' Neogaia,' especially 

 when considered with reference to its geological history, which 

 shows that during the cretaceous and early tertiary time it was 

 separated from North America by the sea and had developed a 

 jieculiar fauna (e.g., gigantic edentates, no carnivores). These 

 peculiarities disappeared towards the end of the tertiary Ijy the 

 entrance of carnivores and ungulates from the north aiul an 

 extension of the edentates to the northern hemisphere. To the 

 Neogala belong the phityrhine apes, the catarrhine to the Old 

 World. Characteristic edentates are the armadillos, sloths, and 

 ant-eaters; the marsupials are represented by the opossums and 

 Ccenolestes; among birds the humming-birds, toucans, the peculiar 

 Cotingida3, Tanagridaj, Tinamous, Palamedidte, Kliea, etc. The 

 almost entire absence of insectivores and the considerable develojj- 

 ment of rodents (cavies, agoutis, chinchillas) are noteworthy. 



The four remaining jirovinces are still closely connected 

 geographically and form a third great division, ' Arctogsa,' charac- 

 terized by the entire absence of platyrhine apes, monotremes, and, 

 except the North American opossum, of marsupials. In the 

 secondary and tertiary times the northern parts of these lands were 

 connected ami an interchange of faunas occurred, this Ijeing the 

 easier on account of the extension of the warm climate to the far 



