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 
