the malay archipelago-2-第21节

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her；　Monarcha　loricata；　whose　swelling　throat　was　beautifully　scaled　with　metallic　blue；　and　several　of　less　interest。　I　also　obtained　a　skull　of　the　babirusa；　one　specimen　of　which　was　killed　by　native　hunters　during　my　residence　at　Cajeli。


CHAPTER　XXVII。

THE　NATURAL　HISTORY　OF　THE　MOLUCCAS。

THE　Moluccas　consist　of　three　large　islands；　Gilolo；　Ceram；　and　Bouru；　the　two　former　being　each　about　two　hundred　miles　long；　and　a　great　number　of　smaller　isles　and　islets；　the　most　important　of　which　are　Batchian；　Morty；　Obi；　Ke；　Timor…Laut；　and　Amboyna；　and　among　the　smaller　ones；　Ternate；　Tidore；　Kaióa；　and　Banda。　They　occupy　a　space　of　ten　degrees　of　latitude　by　eight　of　longitude；　and　they　are　connected　by　groups　of　small　islets　to　New　Guinea　on　the　east；　the　Philippines　on　the　north；　Celebes　on　the　west；　and　Timor　on　the　south。　It　will　be　as　well　to　bear　in　mind　these　main　features　of　extent　and　geographical　position；　while　we　survey　their　animal　productions　and　discuss　their　relations　to　the　countries　which　surround　them　on　every　side　in　almost　equal　proximity。

We　will　first　consider　the　Mammalia　or　warm…blooded　quadrupeds；　which　present　us　with　some　singular　anomalies。　The　land　mammals　are　exceedingly　few　in　number；　only　ten　being　yet　known　from　the　entire　group。　The　bats　or　aerial　mammals；　on　the　other　hand；　are　numerousnot　less　than　twenty…five　species　being　already　known。　But　even　this　exceeding　poverty　of　terrestrial　mammals　does　not　at　all　represent　the　real　poverty　of　the　Moluccas　in　this　class　of　animals；　for；　as　we　shall　soon　see；　there　is　good　reason　to　believe　that　several　of　the　species　have　been　introduced　by　man；　either　purposely　or　by　accident。

The　only　quadrumanous　animal　in　the　group　is　the　curious　baboon…　monkey；　Cynopithecus　nigrescens；　already　described　as　being　one　of　the　characteristic　animals　of　Celebes。　This　is　found　only　in　the　island　of　Batchian；　and　it　seems　so　much　out　of　place　there　as　it　is　difficult　to　imagine　how　it　could　have　reached　the　island　by　any　natural　means　of　dispersal；　and　yet　not　have　passed　by　the　same　means　over　the　narrow　strait　to　Gilolothat　it　seems　more　likely　to　have　originated　from　some　individuals　which　had　escaped　from　confinement；　these　and　similar　animals　being　often　kept　as　pets　by　the　Malays；　and　carried　about　in　their　praus。

Of　all　the　carnivorous　animals　of　the　Archipelago　the　only　one　found　in　the　Moluccas　is　the　Viverra　tangalunga；　which　inhabits　both　Batchian　and　Bouru；　and　probably　come　of　the　other　islands。　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　this　also　may　have　been　introduced　accidentally；　for　it　is　often　made　captive　by　the　Malays；　who　procure　civet　from　it；　and　it　is　an　animal　very　restless　and　untameable；　and　therefore　likely　to　escape。　This　view　is　rendered　still　more　probable　by　what　Antonio　de　Morga　tells　us　was　the　custom　in　the　Philippines　in　1602。　He　says　that　〃the　natives　of　Mindanao　carry　about　civet…cats　in　cages；　and　sell　them　in　the　islands；　and　they　take　the　civet　from　them；　and　let　them　go　again。〃　The　same　species　is　common　in　the　Philippines　and　in　all　the　large　islands　of　the　Indo…Malay　region。

The　only　Moluccan　ruminant　is　a　deer；　which　was　once　supposed　to　be　a　distinct　species；　but　is　now　generally　considered　to　be　a　slight　variety　of　the　Rusa　hippelaphus　of　Java。　Deer　are　often　tamed　and　petted；　and　their　flesh　is　so　much　esteemed　by　all　Malays；　that　it　is　very　natural　they　should　endeavour　to　introduce　them　into　the　remote　islands　in　which　they　settled；　and　whose　luxuriant　forests　seem　so　well　adapted　for　their　subsistence。

The　strange　babirusa　of　Celebes　is　also　found　in　Bouru；　but　in　no　other　Moluccan　island；　and　it　is　somewhat　difficult　to　imagine　how　it　got　there。　It　is　true　that　there　is　some　approximation　between　the　birds　of　the　Sula　Islands　（where　the　babirusa　is　also　found）　and　those　of　Bouru；　which　seems　to　indicate　that　these　islands　have　recently　been　closer　together；　or　that　some　intervening　land　has　disappeared。　At　this　time　the　babirusa　may　have　entered　Bouru；　since　it　probably　swims　as　well　as　its　allies　the　pigs。　These　are　spread　all　over　the　Archipelago；　even　to　several　of　the　smaller　islands；　and　in　many　cases　the　species　are　peculiar。　It　is　evident；　therefore；　that　they　have　some　natural　means　of　dispersal。　There　is　a　popular　idea　that　pigs　cannot　swim；　but　Sir　Charles　Lyell　has　shown　that　this　is　a　mistake。　In　his　〃Principles　of　Geology〃　（10th　Edit。　vol。　ii　p。　355）　he　adduces　evidence　to　show　that　pigs　have　swum　many　miles　at　sea；　and　are　able　to　swim　with　great　ease　and　swiftness。　I　have　myself　seen　a　wild　pig　swimming　across　the　arm　of　the　sea　that　separates　Singapore　from　the　Peninsula　of　Malacca；　and　we　thus　have　explained　the　curious　fact；　that　of　all　the　large　mammals　of　the　Indian　region；　pigs　alone　extend　beyond　the　Moluccas　and　as　far　as　New　Guinea；　although　it　is　somewhat　curious　that　they　have　not　found　their　way　to　Australia。

The　little　shrew；　Sorex　myosurus；　which　is　common　in　Sumatra；　Borneo；　and　Java；　is　also　found　in　the　larger　islands　of　the　Moluccas；　to　which　it　may　have　been　accidentally　conveyed　in　native　praus。

This　completes　the　list　of　the　placental　mammals　which　are　so　characteristic　of　the　Indian　region；　and　we　see　that；　with　the　single　exception　of　the　pig；　all　may　very　probably　have　been　introduced　by　man；　since　all　except　the　pig　are　of　species　identical　with　those　now　abounding　in　the　great　Malay　islands；　or　in　Celebes。

The　four　remaining　mammals　are　Marsupials；　an　order　of　the　class　Mammalia；　which　is　very　characteristic　of　the　Australian　fauna；　and　these　are　probably　true　natives　of　the　Moluccas；　since　they　are　either　of　peculiar　species；　or　if　found　elsewhere　are　natives　only　of　New　Guinea　or　North　Australia。　The　first　is　the　small　flying　opossum；　Belideus　ariel；　a　beautiful　little　animal；　exactly　line　a　small　flying　squirrel　in　appearance；　but　belonging　to　the　marsupial　order。　The　other　three　are　species　of　the　curious　genus　Cuscus；　which　is　peculiar　to　the　Austro…Malayan　region。　These　are　opossum…like　animals；　with　a　long　prehensile　tail；　of　which　the　terminal　half　is　generally　bare。　They　have　small　heads；　large　eyes；　and　a　dense　covering　of　woolly　fur；　which　is　often　pure　white　with　irregular　black　spots　or　blotches；　or　sometimes　ashy　brown　with　or　without　white　spots。　They　live　in　trees；　feeding　upon　the　leaves；　of　which　they　devour　large　quantities；　they　move　about　slowly；　and　are　difficult　to　kill；　owing　to　the　thickness　of　their　fur；　and　their　tenacity　of　life。　A　heavy　charge　of　shot　will　often　lodge　in　the　slain　and　do　them　no　harm；　and　even　breaking　the　spine　or　piercing　the　brain　will　not　kill　them　for　some　hours。　The　natives　everywhere　eat　their　flesh；　and　as　their　motions　are　so　slow；　easily　catch　them　by　climbing；　so　that　it　is　wonderful　they　have　not　been　exterminated。　It　may　be；　however；　that　their　dense　woolly　fur　protects　them　from　birds　of　prey；　and　the　islands　they　live　in　are　too　thinly　inhabited　for　man　to　be　able　to　exterminate　them。　The　figure　represents　Cuscus　ornatus；　a　new　species　discovered　by　me　in　Batchian；　and　which　also　inhabits　Ternate。　It　is　peculiar　to　the　Moluccas；　while　the　two　other　species　which　inhabit　Ceram　are　found　also　in　New　Guinea　and　Waigiou。

In　place　of　the　excessive　poverty　of　mammals　which　characterises　the　Moluccas；　we　have　a　very　rich　display　of　the　feathered　tribes。　The　number　of　species　of　birds　at　present　known　from　the　various　islands　of　the　Molluccan　group　is　265；　but　of　these　only　70　belong　to　the　usually　abundant　tribes　of　the　waders　and　swimmers；　indicating　that　these　are　very　imperfectly　known。　As　they　are　also　pre…eminently　wanderers；　and　are　thus　little　fitted　for　illustrating　the　geographical　distribution　of　life　in　a　limited　area；　we　will　here　leave　them　out　of　consideration　and　confine　our　attention　only　to　the　195　land　birds。

When　we　consider　that　all　Europe；　with　its　varied　climate　and　vegetation；　with　every　mile　of　its　surface　explored；　and　with　the　immense　extent　of　temperate　Asia　and　Africa；　which　serve　as　storehouses；　from　which　it　is　continually　recruited；　only　supports　25l　species　of　land　birds　as　residents　or　regular　immigrants；　we　must　look　upon　the　numbers　already　procured　in　the　small　and　comparatively　unknown　islands　of　the　Moluccas　as　indicating　a　fauna　of　fully　average　richness　in　this　department。　But　when　we　come　to　examine　the　family　groups　which　go　to　make　up　this　number；　we　find　the　most　curious　deficiencies　in　some；　balanced　by　equally　striking　redundancy　in　other。　Thus　if　we　compare　the　birds　of　the　Moluccas　with　those　of　India；　as　given　in　Mr。　Jerdon's　work；　we　find　that　the　three　groups　of　the　parrots；　kingfishers；　and　pigeons；　form　nearly　_one…third_　of　the　whole　land…birds　in　the　former；　while　they　amount　to　only　_one…　twentieth_　in　the　latter　country。　On　the　other　hand；　such　wide…　spread　groups　as　the　thrushes；　warblers；　and　finches；　which　in　India　form　nearly　_one…third_　of　all　the　land…birds；　dwindle　down　in　the　Moluccas　to　_one…fourteenth。_

The　reason　of　these　peculiarities　appears　to　be；　that　the　Moluccan　fauna　has　been　almost　entirely　derived　from　that　of　New　Guinea；　in　which　country　the　same　deficiency　and　the　same　luxuriance　is　to　be　observed。　Out　of　the　seventy…eight　g