LIST OF MAPS PLATE I. Outline Map of the World, showing the six Regions of the Geographical Distribution of Mammals . . . . . . To face page 16 , II. Map of the Australian Region, showing its Division into five Sub-regions . . . , 50 ., III. Map of the Neotropical Region, showing its Division into four Sub-regions. . . , IV. Map of the Ethiopian Region, showing its Division into four Sub-regions. . . Division into four Sub-regions . . » VI. Map of the Nearctic Region, showing its Division into three Sub-regions . . , VII. Map of the Palæarctic Region, showing its Division into three Sub-regions . . ,, VIII. Outline Map of the World, showing the six Sea-regions · · · · · · 122 152 176 196 216 Fig. 1. The Duck-bill (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) . . 2. The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) . . 3. The Notoryct (Notoryctes typhlops) . . . „ 4. The Common Wombat (Phascolomys mitchelli) . 5. The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) . . . THE NEOTROPICAL REGION . . l'IG. 7. The Quica Opossum (Didelphys opossum) . . . , 8. Hoffmann's Sloth (Cholopus hoffmanni) . . . 9. The Great Ant-eater (Myrmecophaga jubata) . : 10. The Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus) . , 11. The Lama (Lama peruana) . . . . . . „ 12. The Barrigudo (Lagothrix humboldti). :.. . THE ETHIOPIAN REGION . . . Fig. 13. The Cape Aard-vark (Orycteropus capensis) . „ 14. The White-bellied Pangolin (Manis tricuspis) . „ 15. The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) . 16. The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) . . . , 17. The Aard-wolf (Proteles cristatus) . . . „ 18. The Chimpanzee (Anthropopithecus troglodytes) . . . . . . . Fig. 19. The Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) . . . 20. The Tenrec (Centetes ecaudatus) . . 21. The Indris (Indris brevicaudatus) . . FIG. 24. The Nylghaie (Boselaphus tragocamelus) . „ 25. The Gayal (Bibos frontalis). . . . ,, 26. The Binturong (Arctictis binturong) . . Fig. 29. The Virginian Opossum (Didelphys virginiana). . 30. The Prong-buck (Antilocapra americana) . . . 31. The Rocky-mountain Goat (Haploceros montanus). 32. The Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus). . . . . THE PALÆARCTIC REGION FIG. 35. The Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) . 36. The Musk-deer (Moschus moschiferus) . , 37. The Chamois (Rupicapra tragus) . . „ 38. The Barbary Sheep (Ovis tragelaphus) Fig. 41. The Patagonian Sea-lion (Otaria jubata) . 42. The Atlantic Walrus (Trichechus rosmarus) ,, 43. The Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) . . 44. The Manatee (Manatus americanus) . . , 45. The Dugong (Halicore dugong) . . . 46. The Right Whale (Balæna mysticetus) . 47. The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) , 48. The See-see (Platanista gangetica) . . 27 NOS THE GEOGRAPHY OF MAMMALS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION (Plate I., p. 16) It has long been evident to naturalists that the ordinary political divisions of the earth's surface do not correspond with those based on the geographical distribution of animal life. Europe, for instance, the most important of all the continents politically speaking, is for zoological geographers, as well as for physical, but a small fragment of Asia. Again, the strip of Africa which borders the Mediterranean and extends to the Sahara agrees closely, as regards its animal life, with Europe, and is altogether different from the great mass of the African continent. Proceeding to America we find that physical geographers, as well as political, divide the two great masses of the New World at Panama. But those who study distribution have ascertained that Central America and Southern Mexico belong zoologically to South America, and they are consequently obliged to place the line of demarcation much further north. Let us, therefore, dismiss from our minds for the moment the ordinary notions of both physical and political |