428 
G. J. DE FEJ ÉRVÁR Y 
connexion with the subject he alludes to Árpád Dégen, 1 who declares 
«everything reported by Dr. Tuzson in view of confirming his opinion, as 
founded on error and mistaken interpretation of actual facts». Not being a 
botanist, and not belonging to those who, whilst versed in a restricted branch 
of zoology, still desire to statute general laws relating to other realms of 
biological science, I cannot judge at what extent Dr. Tuzson may be right 
or how far mistaken. With regard to Prof. Méhely’s above quoted decla¬ 
ration which generalizes certain characters in reference to the p u s z t a ’s 
fauna of all Hungary — which it is not my intention to examine 
here more accurately — I shall, for the present, confine myself to remark that 
«Grau theurer Freund ist alle Theorie, Und grün ist des Lebens goldner 
Baum». The Hungarian fauna presents many elements which beyond 
discussion, may be perceived in Eastern fauna also, it were 
however anachronistic to conclude therefrom to the E aste r n 
origin of every member of this fauna, as well would we commit an 
anachronism in seeking to prove an African origin of the Quercy 
«fauna essenzialmente africana». We must not forget that Prof. Méhely 
cautiously, only alludes to the Pleistocene and recent 
p u s z t a-fauna of Hungary, although even despite this restriction, 
a generalization of the principle developed by him does 
not appear possible. The first question to solve would be which 
animals should be distinguished as «puszta inhabitants»? In the course of 
his argumentation Prof. Méhely does not strictly keep to the «puszta» 
fauna, but remarks that «apparently indifferent species scattered over 
all Northern and Central Europe also prove to be of Eastern origin». And 
this is the point in Dr. Méhely’s theory, which seems least resistant. Re¬ 
ferring to the variation of Lacerta agilis and L. viridis he judiciously infers 
their truly Asiatic origin ; these however are only two examples. 
Going back to Varanus , it is easy to ascertain that in the Præ. glacial 
period itself — belonging already partly to the Pleistocene - 
such forms existed as would prove of a Western origin. Varanus offers an 
example all the more worthy of attention, for the fact of its contempo¬ 
raries (occurring with this South-Hungarian form), bearing the «stepp e»- 
or «p uszt a» - character. If besides, I wished to allude to other «in¬ 
different» animals, herpetology might at once furnish us with an example 
in Salamandra atra Laur., a living proof of eastward migration. 
Furthermore taking into account that among the Quercy fossils 0 ph i- 
saurs known from the Miocene of Germany are also present, after 
1 Translated from : Magyar Botanikai Lapok, 1912 No. 1/4, p. 82 (Fide Méhely, 
Hungarian text, p. 43). 
