353 



ISLAND LIFE. 



[part II. 



facts to be considered, which seem to imply much greater 

 and more complex revolutions than the recent separation of 

 Borneo from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, and that these 

 changes must have been spread over a considerable lapse of time. 

 In order to understand what these changes probably were, we 

 must give a brief sketch of the fauna of Java, the peculiarities 

 of which introduce a new element into the question we have to 

 discuss, 



Java. 



The rich and beautiful island of Java, interesting alike to the 

 politician, the geographer, and the naturalist, is more especially 

 attractive to the student of geographical distribution, because 

 it furnishes him with some of the most curious anomalies and 

 difficult problems in a place where such would be least expected. 

 As Java forms with Sumatra one almost unbroken line of 

 volcanoes and volcanic mountains, interrupted only by the 

 narrow Straits of Sunda, we should naturally expect a close 

 resemblance between the productions of the two islands. But 

 in point of fact there is a much greater difference between them 

 than between Sumatra and Borneo, so much further apart, and 

 so very unlike in physical features. Java differs from the three 

 great land masses — Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula, 

 far more than either of these do from each other ; and this is 

 the first anomaly we encounter. But a more serious difficulty 

 than this remains to be stated. Java has certain close resem- 

 blances to the Siamese Peninsula, and also to the Himalayas, 

 which Borneo and Sumatra do not exhibit, and looking at the 

 relative position of these lands respectively, this seems most 

 incomprehensible. In order fully to appreciate the singularity 

 and difficulty of the problem, it will be necessary to point out 

 the exact nature and amount of these peculiarities in the fauna 

 of Java. 



General character of the Fauna of Java. — If we were only to 

 take account of the number of peculiar species in Java, and the 

 relations of its fauna generally to that of the surrounding lands, 

 we might pass it over as a less interesting island than Borneo or 

 Sumatra. Its mammalia (ninety species) are nearly as numerous 



