OF THE TIMOR GROUP, 



205 



separates Austj-alia from Timor. But this would be a hasty 

 and, as we shall soon see, an uiiwarriinted supposition. 

 Besides these birds ideutical with species inhabiting Java 

 and Australia, there are a coiisideraljle number of othera 

 very closely allied to species peculiar to those conntriesj 

 imd we must take these also into account before we form 

 any conclusion on the matter. It will be as well to coiii- 

 bine these with the former table thus : 



In Lorobock. In Flores. lu Tiruur 





33 



23 



11 



Closely allicii to Javan "birds . . 



1 









34 



28 



17 





4 



5 



10 



i'loacly nlUtiil to An&traliuii liirds . 



3 



9 



26 





7 



14 



36 



We now see that the total number of birds w!iich seem 

 to have been derived from Java ami Australia is very 

 nearly equal, but there is this remarkable difference be- 

 tween tlie two series ; that whereas the larger proportion 

 by far of the Java set are identical with those still inhabit- 

 ing that country, an almost equally large proportion of the 

 Australian set are distinct, though often very closely allied 

 species. It is to be observed also, that these representative 

 or allied species diminish in number as they recede from 

 Austraiia, while they increase in number as they recede 

 from Java. There are two reasons for this, one being that 

 the islands decrease rapidly in size from Timor to Lom- 

 bock, and can therefore support a decreajsing number of 

 species ; the other and the more important is, that the dis- 

 tance of Austraha irom Timor cuts off the supply of fresh 

 immigrants, and has thus allowed variation to have full 

 play ; while the vicinity of Lorabock to Bali and Java 

 has allowed a continual intlux of fresh individualf; which, 

 by crossing with the earlier immigrants, has checked 

 variation. 



To simplify our view of the derivative origui of the 

 birds of these islands let us treat them as a whole, and 

 thus perhaps render more intelligible their respective rela- 

 tions to Java and Australia, 



