CHAP. HI 



ZOOLOGICAL REGIONS 



33 



abroad ; we shall therefore proceed to explain its nature 

 and the principles on which it is established, as it will 

 have to be often referred to in future chapters of this work, 

 and will take the place of the old geographical divisions 

 whose inconvenience has already been pointed out. The 

 primary zoological divisions of the globe are called 

 " regions," and we will begin by ascertaining the limits of 

 the region of which our own country forms a part. 



The Jhcmr/c of British 3 fammals as indicating a Zoological 

 Region. — We will first take our commonest wild mammalia 

 and see how far they extend, and especially whether they 

 are confined to Europe or range over parts of other 

 continents : 



1. Wildcat 



2. Fox 



3. Weasel ... 



4. Otter 



5. Badger ... 



6. Stag 



7. Hedgehog 



8. Mole 



9. Squirrel... 

 10. Dormouse 

 n. Water-rat 



12. Hare 



13. Rabbit ... 



Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Europe 

 Euroj)e 

 Eurojjo 

 Europe 

 Europe 



N. Africa 

 N. Africa 

 N. Africa 

 N. Africa 

 N. Africa 

 N. Africa 



jST. Africa 



Siberia, 

 Central 

 Central 

 Siberia. 

 Central 

 Central 

 Central 

 Central 

 Central 



Afghanistan. 

 A.sia to Anioor. 

 Asia to Anioor. 



Asia to Amoor. 

 Asia to Ainoor. 

 Asia to Amoor. 

 Asia. 



Asia to Amoor. 



Central Asia to Amoor. 

 AV. Siberia, Persia. 



We thus see that out of thirteen of our commonest 

 quadrupeds only one is confined to Europe, while seven 

 are found also in Northern Africa, and eleven range into 

 Siberia, most of them stretching quite across Asia to the 

 valley of the Amoor on the extreme eastern side of that 

 continent. Two of the above-named British species, the 

 fox and weasel, are also inhabitants of the New World, 

 being as common in the northern parts of North America 

 as they are with us ; but with these exceptions the entire 

 range of our commoner species is given, and they clearly 

 show that all Northern Asia and Northern Africa must be 

 added to Europe in order to form the region which they 

 collectively inhabit. If now we go into Central Europe 

 and take, for example, the quadrupeds of Germany, we 

 shall find that these too, although much more numerous, 

 are confined to the same limits, except that some of the 



D 



