THE NATURAL HISTORY OF CHINA. 



ARTHUR DE CARLE SOWERBY, F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. 



The Bubject we have before us is a very big one, far too 

 big for anything approaching justice to be done to it in the 

 time at our disposal. It may even be argued that the time 

 18 nut ripe for anyone to attempt to deal with the Natural 

 II - •/ i China as a whole, that our knowledge of the 

 subject is still too fragmentary, that it is both unsafe and 

 unwise to try and form any far reaching theories as to the 

 orig bribution, past and present, and the present status 



(.t the animal- that inhahit this part of the great Asiatic land 

 it, that a great deal more research work has 

 to be done, both in the field and laboratory, before a general 

 siir. the fauna of this ancient land can be brought 



within the compass of a single discussion. 



Th i certain extent, is true, for there undoubtedly 



pen imount of work to be done in China before 



it ma\ be said that even the vertebrates are all known, 



ater time must elapse before the in- 



ma has been thoroughly explored. Neverthe- 



itterl} >us, not- to say unfair to past workers 



field arch, to say, as has been done 



thai tl >iral History of China is practically 



unknown. I ie that in certain groups of animals, for 



families of invertebrates, the Chinese 



wn, but our knowledge of others, 



is actually nearing completion, and it is 



that tins knowledge, coupled with what 



the faunas of other countries and their distnbu- 



D throuAout tl is amply sufficient to enable us 



• a and put forward theories, tentative 



ugh the\ be, in regard to that of China. < 



very big country and comprises within her 

 1miI I topography and many kinds ot 



In the west mighty mountains rise to heights tar 

 fce sno* hne; in the north -cast lie immense alluvial 

 plains; in the sout* and south-east the country is all broken 

 upbyirreguL hills and low mountains. Mighty 



rv the land from end to end, cutting through 



