CHAPTER IX. 
ZOOLOGY 
LTHOUGH British Central Africa would appear to be a purely political 
and artificial division of the continent it is, as a matter of fact, coincident 
with a clearly marked zoological sub-region as far as its mammalian 
fauna is concerned, though these special peculiarities in the distribution of species 
are not quite so marked in the birds and reptiles, and still less so in fishes and 
invertebrates. 1 These distinctive zoographical features of British Central 
Africa, however, are rather negative than positive, and relate more to what 
the country does not possess than to its monopoly of peculiar forms. As 
a matter of fact all British Central Africa as far west as the Upper Zambezi, 
together with the province of Mozambique, the southern part of German East 
Africa, and the southernmost districts of the Congo Free State, forms a 
remarkable break between South and East Africa in the range of well known 
types of mammals and birds. The British Central Africa sub-region differs 
from that of West f\frica in not possessing any form of anthropoid ape, and in 
the absence of a good many monkeys, of several small antelopes, and of the 
interesting Dorcatherium. On the other hand it agrees with West Africa in 
possessing a peculiar Civet (Nandinia), one or more genera of bats, and a 
Colobus monkey closely allied to or identical with the common West African 
form. Amongst the birds which it shares alone with West Africa is the 
remarkable black and white vulturine fishing eagle, Gypohierax , 2 
Although this sub-region possesses much closer relationships (as might be 
supposed owing to its geographical position) with the South African sub-region 
south of the Zambezi, and the East African sub-region (north of the Rufiji 
river and to the east of Tanganyika), still it differs from these two sub-regions 
(which are more closely allied the one to the other than each is to British 
Central Africa) in not possessing the following forms, in whose distribution the 
interposition of this sub-region under review causes a complete break : the 
Caracal lynx, the Aard-wolf ( Proteles ), found in South and South West Africa 
and in Somaliland ; the long-eared foxes, the mountain zebras, the wild asses, 
(to which group I consider the South African quagga to belong); the Oryx 
antelopes, the gazelles, the true jerboas, the Orycterop7is or antbear, the 
secretary vulture, the typical vultures of the genera Gyps and Pseudogyps , and 
the ostrich. 
1 Though if a portion of Tanganyika be included—as it is intended to be—within the term “ British 
Central Africa” this lake still more markedly than Nyasa differs in its marine fauna from the other great 
lakes of Africa farther to the north. 
2 I have seen it asserted by some naturalists that Gypohierax reappears on Pemba Island near Zanzibar 
but this statement is unsupported by conclusive evidence. 
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