TEOPICAL FLORAS 53 



pelago has bad, however, a different origin, and has been 

 much longer isolated. Celebes and the Philippines have cer- 

 tain features in common, indicating a remote but partial union 

 with, or approximation to, the Asiatic continent, and probably 

 subsequent submergence to an extent that has greatly impov- 

 erished their mammalian fauna. Xew Guinea, however, 

 stands alone, not only as the largest island in the world (ex- 

 cluding Australia), but as, in some respects, the most remark- 

 able, both by its extraordinary length of about 1500 miles, 

 and its possession of a range of snow-capped and glaciated 

 mountains. Biologically it is unique by having produced the 

 wonderful paradise-birds, numbering about 50 species ; while 

 its true land-birds already known amount to about 800 species, 

 a number very far beyond tliat of any other island — Borneo, 

 with its almost continental fauna, having about 450, and the 

 great island-continent of Australia about 500. 



But, as regards plant-life, this vast archipelago is much less 

 known than that of inter-tropical Asia, though it will, I believe, 

 ultimately prove to be even richer. Of the two larger w-estern 

 islands, Sumatra and Borneo, I can obtain no estimate of the 

 botanical riches, and the same is the case with the whole of 

 the Moluccas. Java is better known, but still inadequately. 

 There remains for consideration the Philippines, Celebes, and 

 ^ew Guinea, as to which we have recent information of con- 

 siderable interest. 



Since the Americans have established themselves in the 

 Philippines they have done much to make known its natural 

 products; and Mr. E. D. Merrill, botanist to the Bureau of 

 Science at Manilla, has greatly increased our former scanty 

 knowledge of its very interesting flora. He has been so kind 

 as to send me several of his published papers, as well as a 

 complete MS. list of the families and genera of vascular plants, 

 with the number of species known to inhabit the islands up to 



species of flowering plants then known. As such large portions of all the 

 islands are almost unknown botanically, it seems not improbable that the 

 actual numbers may be three times as many. 



