the malay archipelago-1-第27章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ndant；　and　the　genus　Grammatophyllum　a　gigantic　epiphytal　orchid；　whose　clusters　of　leaves　and　flower…stems　are　ten　or　twelve　feet　longis　peculiar　to　it。　Here；　too；　is　the　domain　of　the　wonderful　pitcher　plants　（Nepenthaceae）；　which　are　only　represented　elsewhere　by　solitary　species　in　Ceylon；　Madagascar；　the　Seychelles；　Celebes；　and　the　Moluccas。　Those　celebrated　fruits；　the　Mangosteen　and　the　Durian；　are　natives　of　this　region；　and　will　hardly　grow　out　of　the　Archipelago。　The　mountain　plants　of　Java　have　already　been　alluded　to　as　showing　a　former　connexion　with　the　continent　of　Asia；　and　a　still　more　extraordinary　and　more　ancient　connection　with　Australia　has　been　indicated　by　Mr。　Low's　collections　from　the　summit　of　Kini…balou；　the　loftiest　mountain　in　Borneo。

Plants　have　much　greater　facilities　for　passing　across　arms　of　the　sea　than　animals。　The　lighter　seeds　are　easily　carried　by　the　winds；　and　many　of　them　are　specially　adapted　to　be　so　carried。　Others　can　float　a　long　tune　unhurt　in　the　water；　and　are　drifted　by　winds　and　currents　to　distant　shores。　Pigeons；　and　other　fruit…eating　birds；　are　also　the　means　of　distributing　plants；　since　the　seeds　readily　germinate　after　passing　through　their　bodies。　It　thus　happens　that　plants　which　grow　on　shores　and　lowlands　have　a　wide　distribution；　and　it　requires　an　extensive　knowledge　of　the　species　of　each　island　to　determine　the　relations　of　their　floras　with　any　approach　to　accuracy。　At　present　we　have　no　such　complete　knowledge　of　the　botany　of　the　several　islands　of　the　Archipelago；　and　it　is　only　by　such　striking　phenomena　as　the　occurrence　of　northern　and　even　European　genera　on　the　summits　of　the　Javanese　mountains　that　we　can　prove　the　former　connection　of　that　island　with　the　Asiatic　continent。　With　land　animals；　however；　the　case　is　very　different。　Their　means　of　passing　a　wide　expanse　of　sea　are　far　more　restricted。　Their　distribution　has　been　more　accurately　studied；　and　we　possess　a　much　more　complete　knowledge　of　such　groups　as　mammals　and　birds　in　most　of　the　islands；　than　we　do　of　the　plants。　It　is　these　two　classes　which　will　supply　us　with　most　of　our　facts　as　to　the　geographical　distribution　of　organized　beings　in　this　region。

The　number　of　Mammalia　known　to　inhabit　the　Indo…Malay　region　is　very　considerable；　exceeding　170　species。　With　the　exception　of　the　bats；　none　of　these　have　any　regular　means　of　passing　arms　of　the　sea　many　miles　in　extent；　and　a　consideration　of　their　distribution　must　therefore　greatly　assist　us　in　determining　whether　these　islands　have　ever　been　connected　with　each　other　or　with　the　continent　since　the　epoch　of　existing　species。

The　Quadrumana　or　monkey　tribe　form　one　of　the　most　characteristic　features　of　this　region。　Twenty…four　distinct　species　are　known　to　inhabit　it；　and　these　are　distributed　with　tolerable　uniformity　over　the　islands；　nine　being　found　in　Java；　ten　in　the　Malay　peninsula；　eleven　in　Sumatra；　and　thirteen　in　Borneo。　The　great　man…like　Orangutans　are　found　only　in　Sumatra　and　Borneo；　the　curious　Siamang　（next　to　them　in　size）　in　Sumatra　and　Malacca；　the　long…nosed　monkey　only　in　Borneo；　while　every　island　has　representatives　of　the　Gibbons　or　long…armed　apes；　and　of　monkeys。　The　lemur…like　animals；　Nycticebus；　Tarsius；　and　Galeopithecus；　are　found　on　all　the　islands。

Seven　species　found　on　the　Malay　peninsula　extend　also　into　Sumatra；　four　into　Borneo；　and　three　into　Java；　while　two　range　into　Siam　and　Burma；　and　one　into　North　India。　With　the　exception　of　the　Orangutan；　the　Siamang；　the　Tarsius　spectrum；　and　the　Galeopithecus；　all　the　Malayan　genera　of　Quadrumana　are　represented　in　India　by　closely　allied　species；　although；　owing　to　the　limited　range　of　most　of　these　animals；　so　few　are　absolutely　identical。

Of　Carnivora；　thirty…three　species　are　known　from　the　Indo…Malay　region；　of　which　about　eight　are　found　also　in　Burma　and　India。　Among　these　are　the　tiger；　leopard；　a　tiger…cat；　civet；　and　otter；　while　out　of　the　twenty　genera　of　Malayan　Carnivora；　thirteen　are　represented　in　India　by　more　or　less　closely　allied　species。　As　an　example；　the　Malayan　bear　is　represented　in　North　India　by　the　Tibetan　bear；　both　of　which　may　be　seen　alive　at　the　Zoological　Society's　Gardens。

The　hoofed　animals　are　twenty…two　in　number；　of　which　about　seven　extend　into　Burmahand　India。　All　the　deer　are　of　peculiar　species；　except　two；　which　range　from　Malacca　into　India。　Of　the　cattle；　one　Indian　species　reaches　Malacca；　while　the　Bos　sondiacus　of　Java　and　Borneo　is　also　found　in　Siam　and　Burma。　A　goat…like　animal　is　found　in　Sumatra　which　has　its　representative　in　India；　while　the　two…horned　rhinoceros　of　Sumatra　and　the　single…horned　species　of　Java；　long　supposed　to　be　peculiar　to　these　islands；　are　now　both　ascertained　to　exist　in　Burma；　Pegu；　and　Moulmein。　The　elephant　of　Sumatra；　Borneo；　and　Malacca　is　now　considered　to　be　identical　with　that　of　Ceylon　and　India。

In　all　other　groups　of　Mammalia　the　same　general　phenomena　recur。　A　few　species　are　identical　with　those　of　India。　A　much　larger　number　are　closely　allied　or　representative　forms；　while　there　are　always　a　small　number　of　peculiar　genera；　consisting　of　animals　unlike　those　found　in　any　other　part　of　the　world。　There　are　about　fifty　bats；　of　which　less　than　one…fourth　are　Indian　species；　thirty…four　Rodents　（squirrels；　rats；　&c。）；　of　which　six　or　eight　only　are　Indian；　and　ten　Insectivora；　with　one　exception　peculiar　to　the　Malay　region。　The　squirrels　are　very　abundant　and　characteristic；　only　two　species　out　of　twenty…five　extending　into　Siam　and　Burma。　The　Tupaias　are　curious　insect…eaters；　which　closely　resemble　squirrels；　and　are　almost　confined　to　the　Malay　islands；　as；are　the　small　feather…tailed　Ptilocerus　lowii　of　Borneo；　and　the　curious　long…snouted　and　naked…tailed　Gymnurus　rafllesii。

As　the　Malay　peninsula　is　a　part　of　the　continent　of　Asia；　the　question　of　the　former　union　of　the　islands　to　the　mainland　will　be　best　elucidated　by　studying　the　species　which　are　found　in　the　former　district；　and　also　in　some　of　the　islands。　Now；　if　we　entirely　leave　out　of　consideration　the　bats；　which　have　the　power　of　flight；　there　are　still　forty…eight　species　of　mammals　common　to　the　Malay　peninsula　and　the　three　large　islands。　Among　these　are　seven　Quadrumana　（apes；　monkeys；　and　lemurs）；　animals　who　pass　their　whole　existence　in　forests；　who　never　swim；　and　who　would　be　quite　unable　to　traverse　a　single　mile　of　sea；　nineteen　Carnivora；　some　of　which　no　doubt　might　cross　by　swimming；　but　we　cannot　suppose　so　large　a　number　to　have　passed　in　this　way　across　a　strait　which；　except　at　one　point；　is　from　thirty　to　fifty　miles　wide；　and　five　hoofed　animals；　including　the　Tapir；　two　species　of　rhinoceros；　and　an　elephant。　Besides　these　there　are　thirteen　Rodents　and　four　Insectivora；　including　a　shrew…mouse　and　six　squirrels；　whose　unaided　passage　over　twenty　miles　of　sea　is　even　more　inconceivable　than　that　of　the　larger　animals。

But　when　we　come　to　the　cases　of　the　same　species　inhabiting　two　of　the　more　widely　separated　islands；　the　difficulty　is　much　increased。　Borneo　is　distant　nearly　150　miles　from　Biliton；　which　is　about　fifty　miles　from　Banca；　and　this　fifteen　from　Sumatra；　yet　there　are　no　less　than　thirty…six　species　of　mammals　common　to　Borneo　and　Sumatra。　Java　again　is　more　than　250　miles　from　Borneo；　yet　these　two　islands　have　twenty…two　species　in　common；　including　monkeys；　lemurs；　wild　oxen；　squirrels　and　shrews。　These　facts　seem　to　render　it　absolutely　certain　that　there　has　been　at　some　former　period　a　connection　between　all　these　islands　and　the　mainland；　and　the　fact　that　most　of　the　animals　common　to　two　or　more　of　then；　show　little　or　no　variation；　but　are　often　absolutely　identical；　indicates　that　the　separation　must　have　been　recent　in　a　geological　sense；　that　is；　not　earlier　than　the　Newer　Pliocene　epoch；　at　which　time　land　animals　began　to　assimilate　closely　with　those　now　existing。

Even　the　bats　furnish　an　additional　argument；　if　one　were　needed；　to　show　that　the　islands　could　not　have　been　peopled　from　each　other　and　from　the　continent　without　some　former　connection。　For　if　such　had　been　the　mode　of　stocking　them　with　animals；　it　is　quite　certain　that　creatures　which　can　fly　long　distances　would　be　the　first　to　spread　from　island　to　island；　and　thus　produce　an　almost　perfect　uniformity　of　species　over　the　whole　region。　But　no　such　uniformity　exists；　and　the　bats　of　each　island　are　almost；　if　not　quite；　as　distinct　as　the　other　mammals。　For　example；　sixteen　species　are　known　in　Borneo；　and　of　these　ten　are　found　in　Java　and　five　in　Sumatra；　a　proportion　about　the　same　as　that　of　the　Rodents；　which　have　no　direct　means　of　migration。　We　learn　from　this　fact；　that　the　seas　which　separate　the　islands　from　each　other　are　wide　enough　to　prevent　the　passage　even　of　flying　animals；　and　that　we　must　look　to　the　same　causes　as　having　led　to　the　present　distribution　of　both　groups。　The　only　sufficient　cause　we　can　imagine　is　the　former　connection　of　all　the　islands　with　the　continent；　and　such　a　change　is　in　perfect　harmony　with　what　we　know　of　the　earth's　past　history；　and　is　rendered　probable　by　the　remarkable　fact　that　a　rise　of　only　three　hundred　feet　would　convert　the　wide　seas　that　separate　them　into　an　immense　winding　valley　or　plain　about　three　hundred　miles　wide　and　twelve　hundred　long。　It　may；　perhaps；　be　thought　that　birds　which　possess　the　power　of　flight　in　so　pre…eminent　a　degree；　would　not　be　limited　in　their　range　by　arms　of　the　sea；　and　would　thus　afford　few　indications　of　the　former　union　or　separation　of　the　islands　they　inhabit。　This；　however；　is　not　the　case。　A　very　large　number　of　birds　appear　to　be　as　strictly　limited　by　watery　barriers　as　are　quadrupeds；　and　as　they　have　been　so　much　more　attentively　collected；　we　have　more　complete　materials　to　work　upon；　and　are　able　to　deduce　from　them　still　more　definite　and　satisfactory　results。　Some　groups；　however；　such　as　the　aquatic　birds；　the　waders；　and　the　birds　of　prey；　are　great　wanderers；　other　groups　are　little　known　except　to　ornithologists。　I　shall　therefore　refer　chiefly　to　a　few　of　the　best　known　and　most　remarkable　families　of　birds　as　a　sample　of　the　conclusions　furnished　by　the　entire　class。

The　birds　of　the　Indo…Malay　region　have　a　close　resemblance　to　those　of　India；　for　though　a　very　large　proportion　of　the　species　are　quite　distinct；　there　are　only　about　fifteen　peculiar　genera；　and　not　a　single　family　group　confined　to　the　former　district。　If；　however；　we　compare　the　islands　with　the　Burmese；　Siamese；　and　Malayan　countries；　we　shall　find　still　less　difference；　and　shall　be　convinced　that　all　are　closely　united　by　the　bond　of　a　former　union。　In　such　well…known　families　as　the　woodpeckers；　parrots；　trogons；　barbets；　kingfishers；　pigeons；　and　pheasants；　we　find　some　identical　species　spreading　over　all　India；　and　as　far　as　Java　and　Borneo；　while　a　very　large　proportion　are　common　to　Sumatra　and　the　Malay　peninsula。

The　force　of　these　facts　can　only　be　appreciated　when　we　come　to　treat　the　islands　of　the　Austro…Malay　region；　and　show　how　similar　barriers　have　entirely　prevented　the　passage　of　birds　from　one　island　to　another；　so　that　out　of　at　least　three　hundred　and