282 
ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. 
[part III. 
The few insect groups peculiar to these islands will be noted 
when we deal with the entomology of Madagascar. 
Extinct fauna of the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar. — Before 
quitting the vertebrate groups, we must notice the remarkable 
birds which have become extinct in these islands little more 
than a century ago. The most celebrated is the dodo of the 
Mauritius ( Didus ineptus), but an allied genus, Pczophaps , in- 
habited Rodriguez, and of both of these almost perfect skeletons 
have been recovered. Other species probably existed in Bourbon. 
Remains of two genera of flightless rails have also been found, 
Aphanapteryx and Erythromachus ; and even a heron ( Ardca 
mcgacephala) which was short-winged and seldom flew ; while 
in Madagascar there lived a gigantic Struthious bird, the 
JEpyomis. Some further details as to these extinct forms will 
be found under the respective families, Dididae, Rallidae, and 
iEpyornithkhe, in the fourth part of this work ; and their bear- 
ing on the past history of the region will be adverted to in the 
latter part of this chapter. Dr. Gunther has recently dis- 
tinguished five species of fossil tortoises from Mauritius and 
Rodriguez, — all of them quite different from the living species 
of Aldabra. 
Insects. — The butterflies of Madagascar are not so remarkable 
as some other orders of insects. There seems to be only one 
peculiar genus, Hderopsis {Satyr idee). The other genera are 
African, Lcptoneura being confined to Madagascar and South 
Africa. There are some fine Papilios of uncommon forms. The 
most interesting lepidopterous insect, however, is the fine diurnal 
moth ( Urania ), as all the other species of the genus inhabit 
tropical America and the West Indian Islands. 
The Coleoptera have been better collected, and exhibit some 
very remarkable affinities. There is but one peculiar genus of 
Cicindelidae, Pogonostoma, which is allied to the South American 
genus, Ctenostowa. Another genus, Pcridcxia , is common to 
Madagascar and South America. None of the important African 
genera are represented, except Eurymorpha ; while Meglaomma 
is common to Madagascar and the Oriental region. 
In the Carabidae we have somewhat similar phenomena on a 
