INTRODUCTION. 



The Steere Expedition to the Philippines went out from the 

 University of Michigan in the year 1887, and spent about twelve 

 months in the Islands. The object of the expedition was to make 

 general zoological collections, at the same time visiting as many dis- 

 tinct localities as possible, so that the distribution of species in the 

 islands themselves could be studied. Fifteen of the larger islands, 

 situated in all parts of the group, were visited, and from two to six 

 weeks spent upon each. This amount of time, with a party of five 

 collectors from the United States, and such native help as could be 

 obtained, sufficed to make very large, though by no means exhaus- 

 tive collections of vertebrates, and important collections in several 

 groups of invertebrates. 



As island after island was reached and collected upon by the 

 party, the discovery was made that the group is divided into several 

 quite distinct zoological subdivisions, which I have considered to be 

 sub-provinces, and have named as follows : 1st, the sub-province of 

 North Philippines, made up of Luzon, and small adjacent islands ; 

 2d, Mindoro ; 3d, Central Philippines, embracing the islands of Pa- 

 nay, Negros, Guimaras, Cebu, and Masbate ; 4th, West Philippines, 

 Paragua and Balabac ; 5th, South Philippines, Mindanao and Basi- 

 lan; 6th, East Philippines, Samar, Leyte, and probably Bojol. 



There are marks of still further differentiation within these 

 divisions, notably in the instances of Cebu and Basilan. 



The discovery by the expedition in the centrally placed island 

 of Mindoro of a new species of water buffalo, the tamarou, an 

 animal of such habits and of such large size as to make its intro- 

 duction by man improbable, goes far toward destroying the hypoth- 



