BISTKIBUTIOK OF OMIBIAKS. 
211 
animals wliicli inhabit the countries situated to the north 
of the grand plateau of Africa, and those which inhabit 
Western Asia as far as Hindustan. It is true, that in 
both continents these animals choose as their abode deserts 
which appear to be continuous. The regions of Africa, 
indeed, that border on the Mediterranean, support some 
animals which are natives of all the coast of that sea, and 
which, consequently, are found also in some parts of Europe. 
Before commencing a detail of the geographical distribu- 
tion of African serpents, I may be permitted to strengthen 
my remarks, by citing several curious facts drawn from 
the distribution of other animals inhabiting that continent. 
The number of animals scattered over the surface of 
Africa, without exhibiting local differences, appears to be 
rather limited, and these animals belong to species of great 
size, such as the elephant, the giraffe, the hippopotamus, 
the common crocodile, the lion, &c. Among the animals 
common to most parts of the grand African plateau, a 
great number of ruminants are chiefly distinguishable ; 
such, for example, are the Cape Buffalo, of which 
M. BiippELL brought home the spoils from Abyssinia; the 
Antilope strepsiceros, which inhabits the Cape, Abyssinia, 
and the coast of Guinea ; the Antilope equina of Senegal, 
probably identical with the Ant. leucophoea of the Cape ; 
the Antilope oreotragus, which is found at the Cape, in 
Ashantee, and in Abyssinia ; the Ant. pygarga (of which 
the young is Ant. personata), which is found at the Cape, 
and on the Gold Coast, &c. Many other animals are 
equally found in lands very distant from each other ; as, 
for example, the Phascochoerus communis, which is the 
same at the Cape and at Senegal ; the Sciurus setosus is 
equally proper to those two regions ; as are also Myoxus 
murinus, Canis pictus, Gulo mellivorus (the Batel), the 
Geometric Tortoise, and others. A no less considerable 
number of animals, on the other hand, present, in those 
different African localities, local varieties sometimes very 
curious. Thus, we find the Cape Jackal, Canis mesomelas, 
replaced in the northern parts of Africa, by a variety with 
bright tints, without the black on the back (Canis varie- 
gatus et Anthus?) of the Frankfort Museum ; the Hyrax 
