CHAP. XXIV SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 



541 



nary studies we have made enable us to afford a simpler 

 and more definite interpretation of the peculiar relations 

 of Java to the continent and its differences from Borneo 

 and Sumatra, than was given in my former work (The 

 Geographical Distribution of Animals). 



Japan and Formosa are next taken, as examples of 

 islands which are decidedly somewhat more ancient than 

 those previously considered, and which present a number 

 of very interesting phenomena, especially in their relations 

 to each other, and to remote rather than to adjacent parts 

 of the Asiatic continent. 



We now pass to the group of Ancient Continental Islands, 

 of which Madagascar is the most typical example. It is 

 surrounded by a number of smaller islands which may be 

 termed its satellites since they partake of many of its 

 peculiarities ; though some of these — as the Comoros and 

 Seychelles — may be considered continental, while others — as 

 Bourbon, Mauritius, and Rodriguez — are decidedly oceanic. 

 In order to understand the peculiarities of the Madagascar 

 fauna we have to consider the past history of the African 

 and Asiatic continents, which it is shown are such as to 

 account for all the main peculiarities of the fauna of these 

 islands without having recourse to the hypothesis of a now- 

 submerged Lemurian continent. Considerable evidence 

 is further adduced to show that " Lemuria " is a myth, 

 since not only is its existence unnecessary, but it can be 

 proved that it would not explain the actual facts of distri - 

 bution. The origin of the interesting Mascarene wingless 

 birds is discussed, and the main peculiarities of the 

 remarkable flora of Madagascar and the Mascarene islands 

 pointed out ; w^hile it is shown that all these phenomena 

 are to be explained on the general principles of the perma- 

 nence of the great oceans and the comparatively slight 

 fluctuations of the land area, and by taking account of 

 established palseontological facts. 



There remain two other islands — Celebes and New 

 Zealand — which are classed as " anomalous," the one because 

 it is almost impossible to place it in any of the six 

 zoological regions, or determine whether it has ever been 

 actually joined to a continent — the other because it 



