16 THE MALAY J&CEJPELAGO. [chap. i. 



climatal divisions of tlie surface. The great volcanic 

 chain nuis through hoth parts, and appears to produce no 

 effect in assimilating their productions. Borneo closely 

 iiesendflfs New Guinea not only in its vast si^e and it5 

 freedom from volcanoes, hut in its variety of geological 

 structure, its uniibmiity of climate, nud the general Eispect 

 of the forest vegetation that clothes its surface. The 

 Moluccas are the countei'part of the I'ldlippines in their 

 volcanic strncture, their extreme fertility, their luxuriant 

 forests, and their frequent earthquakes ; and Bali with the 

 east end of Java has a climate almost as diy and a soil 

 almost as arid as that of Timor. Yet between these cor- 

 responding groups of islands, constructed as it were after 

 the same pattern, subjected to the same climate, and 

 bathed by the same oceans, there exists the greatest pos- 

 sible contrast when we compare their animal prodnctions. 

 Nowhere does tlie ancient doctrine — that ditlerences or 

 similarities in the various Ibmis of life that inhabit dif- 

 ferent countries are due to coi-responding physical dif- 

 ferences or siniilarities in the countries themselves — meet 

 with so direct and palpable a contradiction. Borneo and 

 New Guinea, as alike physically as two distinct countries 

 can be, are zoologically wide as the poles asunder ; while 

 Austraha, with its dry winds, its ojien plains, its stony 

 deserts, and its temperate climate, yet produces birds and 

 cpiadrupeds which are closely related to those inhabitiug 

 the hot damp luxuriant forests which everywhere clothe 

 the plains and mountains of New Guinea. 



In order to illustrate more clearly the means by which 

 1 suppose this great contrast has been brought about, let 

 us consider what would occur if two strongly contrasted 

 divisions of the eai-th were, by natural means, brought 

 into proximity. No two parts of the world diiTer so 

 radically in their productions as Asia and Australia, but 

 the difference between Afiica and South Ameiica is also 

 very great, and these two regions wdl well seive to illus- 

 trate the question we are considering. On the one side 

 we have baboons, lions, elephants, buffaloes, and gii-affes ; 

 on the other spider-monkeys, pumas, tapirs, ant-eaters, 

 and sloths ; wlule among birds, the hornbiUs, turacos, 

 orioles, and houeysuckers of Alrica contrast strongly with 



