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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XL V 



islands in the region lying between. It is not at all impos- 

 sible that also a considerable portion of the present fauna 

 of the Australian part of the Archipelago exists as a Relic- 

 tenfauna coming down from the earliest times, although 

 the geologic data warn us that Celebes and a considerable 

 portion of the remaining archipelago was also covered by 

 the sea during the Cretaceous period (Sarasin, 1901). So 

 that, according to the latest geological evidence, it becomes 

 apparent that in the Cretaceous period the archipelago 

 could not all have been above water. Australia may well 

 have received its ancient fauna from South America 

 (Sarasin), or may equally well have had a connection with 

 nearer India lying to the southward of the existing Archi- 

 pelago (see Verbeek's MoVakkerwerschlag) . 



However that may have been, in any case the Indo- 

 Australian continuity may well have been broken in Ter- 

 tiary times, and thus the penetration of the Indian fauna 

 into Australia have been brought to an end. Animals 

 which up to that time had reached out into the archipelago 

 would be unable any longer to reach Australia. 



To such a class belong, for example, among the fresh- 

 water fishes, the family Cyprinida 1 ; among the amphibians, 

 the Ranidae ; both of which are present in the Indian region 

 by numerous representatives, while they are wanting in 

 Australia. It is thus of importance for us to search out 

 what may be the easterly boundary of such groups in the 

 archipelago. Following Wallace's theory, the line which 

 he constructed should answer this purpose. As a matter 

 of fact the Cyprinidas have served as one of the most 

 important arguments for his opinion, since they did really 

 stop at the supposed boundary line ; since then, however, 

 upon Bali we find a single pair of species of this family 

 (Barbus maculatus and Raspora argyrotanea). During 

 the expedition of the Siboga, Professor Weber, happened 

 by chance to collect Rasbora upon Lombok (Weber, 1902, 

 A) ; and I myself lately found the Gurami fish-ponds of 

 the old pleasure-palace of Narmada filled with another 



