THE SMALLEST WILD CATTLE 
Amone the larger mammals the species or varieties in- 
habiting islands are more or less markedly inferior in 
point of size to their nearest continental relatives. In 
the case of the smaller islands, like Sardinia and Corsica, 
the reason of such a diminution in stature is not far to 
seek, and it is therefore not in the least surprising to 
find that the Corsican red-deer is a very inferior edition 
of its prototype of the mainland. The buffalo of the 
small island of Mindoro, in the Philippines, is greatly 
inferior in size to the wild buffaloes of the tall grass- 
jungles of Assam. In the case of islands of the 
dimensions of Sumatra and Borneo the reason of the 
phenomenon is by no means apparent, especially when 
we find them inhabited by a man-like ape (the orang- 
utan) almost rivalling in bulk and stature the gorilla 
of Western Africa. Nevertheless, even in such areas 
the same feature is to a certain extent noticeable, the 
wild buffalo of Borneo being considerably smaller than 
its Indian relative. As regards its actual area, the 
island of Celebes occupies a kind of intermediate position, 
since it is much inferior in extent to either Sumatra or 
Borneo, although far too extensive to come under the 
denomination of a small island. From its peculiar shape, 
which recalls the form often assumed by an amoeba, it has, 
however, a much smaller area that could be enclosed by 
303 
