the malay archipelago-1- 第59部分

　　　　　　　　　　　Species　of　　Species　peculiar　to　　　　　　Percentage　　　　　　　　　　　Nymphalidae。　　　　each　island。　　　　　of　peculiar　Species。

Java　。　。　。　。　。　70　。　。　。　。　。　。　23　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　33　Borneo　。　。　。　。　52　。　。　。　。　。　。　15　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　29　Celebes　　。　。　。　48　。　。　。　。　。　。　35　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　73

The　Coleoptera　are　so　extensive　that　few　of　the　groups　have　yet　been　carefully　worked　out。　I　will　therefore　refer　to　one　only；　which　I　have　myself　recently　studiedthe　Cetoniadae　or　Rose…　chafersa　group　of　beetles　which；　owing　to　their　extreme　beauty；　have　been　much　sought　after。　From　Java　37　species　of　these　insects　are　known；　and　from　Celebes　only　30；　yet　only　13；　or　35　percent；　are　peculiar　to　the　former　island；　and　19；　or　63　percent；　to　the　latter。

The　result　of　these　comparisons　is；　that　although　Celebes　is　a　single；　large　island　with　only　a　few　smaller　ones　closely　grouped　around　it；　we　must　really　consider　it　as　forming　one　of　the　great　divisions　of　the　Archipelago；　equal　in　rank　and　importance　to　the　whole　of　the　Moluccan　or　Philippine　groups；　to　the　Papuan　islands；　or　to　the　Indo…Malay　islands　（Java；　Sumatra；　Borneo；　and　the　Malay　peninsula）。　Taking　those　families　of　insects　and　birds　which　are　best　known；　the　following　table　shows　the　comparison　of　Celebes　with　the　other　groups　of　islands：　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　PAPILIONIDAE　AND　　　　HAWKS；　PARROTS；　AND　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　PERIDAE　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　PIGEONS。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Percent　of　peculiar　　　Percent　of　peculiar　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Species。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Species。　Indo…Malay　region　。　。　。　。　56　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　54　Philippine　group　　。　。　。　。　66　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　73　Celebes　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　69　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　60　Moluccan　group　　。　。　。　。　。　52　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　62　Timor　group　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　42　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　47　Papuan　group　　。　。　。　。　。　。　64　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　74

These　large　and　well…known　families　well　represent　the　general　character　of　the　zoology　of　Celebes；　and　they　show　that　this　island　is　really　one　of　the　most　isolated　portions　of　the　Archipelago；　although　situated　in　its　very　centre。

But　the　insects　of　Celebes　present　us　with　other　phenomena　more　curious　and　more　difficult　to　explain　than　their　striking　individuality。　The　butterflies　of　that　island　are　in　many　cases　characterised　by　a　peculiarity　of　outline；　which　distinguishes　them　at　a　glance　from　those　of　any　other　part　of　the　world。　It　is　most　strongly　manifested　in　the　Papilios　and　the　Pieridae；　and　consists　in　the　forewings　being　either　strongly　curved　or　abruptly　bent　near　the　base；　or　in　the　extremity　being　elongated　and　often　somewhat　hooked。　Out　of　the　14　species　of　Papilio　in　Celebes；　13　exhibit　this　peculiarity　in　a　greater　or　less　degree；　when　compared　with　the　most　nearly　allied　species　of　the　surrounding　islands。　Ten　species　of　Pieridae　have　the　same　character；　and　in　four　or　five　of　the　Nymphalidae　it　is　also　very　distinctly　marked。　In　almost　every　case；　the　species　found　in　Celebes　are　much　larger　than　thane　of　the　islands　westward；　and　at　least　equal　to　those　of　the　Moluccas；　or　even　larger。　The　difference　of　form　is；　however；　the　most　remarkable　feature；　as　it　is　altogether　a　new　thing　for　a　whole　set　of　species　in　one　country　to　differ　in　exactly　the　same　way　from　the　corresponding　sets　in　all　the　surrounding　countries；　and　it　is　so　well　marked；　that　without　looking　at　the　details　of　colouring；　most　Celebes　Papilios　and　many　Pieridae；　can　be　at　once　distinguished　from　those　of　other　islands　by　their　form　alone。

The　outside　figure　of　each　pair　here　given；　shows　the　exact　size　and　form　of　the　fore…wing　in　a　butterfly　of　Celebes；　while　the　inner　one　represents　the　most　closely　allied　species　from　one　of　the　adjacent　islands。　Figure　1　shows　the　strongly　curved　margin　of　the　Celebes　species；　Papilio　gigon；　compared　with　the　much　straighter　margin　of　Papilio　demolion　from　Singapore　and　Java。　Figure　2　shows　the　abrupt　bend　over　the　base　of　the　wing　in　Papilio　miletus　of　Celebes；　compared　with　the　slight　curvature　in　the　common　Papilio　sarpedon；　which　has　almost　exactly　the　same　form　from　India　to　New　Guinea　and　Australia。　Figure　3　shows　the　elongated　wing　of　Tachyris　zarinda；　a　native　of　Celebes；　compared　with　the　much　shorter　wing　of　Tachyris　nero；　a　very　closely　allied　species　found　in　all　the　western　islands。　The　difference　of　form　is　in　each　case　sufficiently　obvious；　but　when　the　insects　themselves　are　compared；　it　is　much　more　striking　than　in　these　partial　outlines。

From　the　analogy　of　birds；　we　should　suppose　that　the　pointed　wing　gave　increased　rapidity　of　flight；　since　it　is　a　character　of　terns；　swallows；　falcons；　and　of　the　swift…flying　pigeons。　A　short　and　rounded　wing；　on　the　other　hand；　always　accompanies　a　more　feeble　or　more　laborious　flight；　and　one　much　less　under　command。　We　might　suppose；　therefore；　that　the　butterflies　which　possess　this　peculiar　form　were　better　able　to　escape　pursuit。　But　there　seems　no　unusual　abundance　of　insectivorous　birds　to　render　this　necessary；　and　as　we　cannot　believe　that　such　a　curious　peculiarity　is　without　meaning；　it　seems　probable　that　it　is　the　result　of　a　former　condition　of　things；　when　the　island　possessed　a　much　richer　fauna；　the　relics　of　which　we　see　in　the　isolated　birds　and　Mammalia　now　inhabiting　it；　and　when　the　abundance　of　insectivorous　creatures　rendered　some　unusual　means　of　escape　a　necessity　for　the　large…winged　and　showy　butterflies。　It　is　some　confirmation　of　this　view；　that　neither　the　very　small　nor　the　very　obscurely　coloured　groups　of　butterflies　have　elongated　wings；　nor　is　any　modification　perceptible　in　those　strong…winged　groups　which　already　possess　great　strength　and　rapidity　of　flight。　These　were　already　sufficiently　protected　from　their　enemies；　and　did　not　require　increased　power　of　escaping　from　them。　It　is　not　at　all　clear　what　effect　the　peculiar　curvature　of　the　wings　has　in　modifying　flight。

Another　curious　feature　in　the　zoology　of　Celebes　is　also　worthy　of　attention。　I　allude　to　the　absence　of　several　groups　which　are　found　on　both　sides　of　it；　in　the　Indo…Malay　islands　as　well　as　in　the　Moluccas；　and　which　thus　seem　to　be　unable；　from　some　unknown　cause；　to　obtain　a　footing　in　the　intervening　island。　In　Birds　we　have　the　two　families　of　Podargidae　and　Laniadae；　which　range　over　the　whole　Archipelago　and　into　Australia；　and　which　yet　have　no　representative　in　Celebes。　The　genera　Ceyx　among　Kingfishers；　Criniger　among　Thrushes；　Rhipidura　among　Flycatchers；　Calornis　among　Starlings；　and　Erythrura　among　Finches；　are　all　found　in　the　Moluccas　as　well　as　in　Borneo　and　Javabut　not　a　single　species　belonging　to　any　one　of　them　is　found　in　Celebes。　Among　insects；　the　large　genus　of　Rose…chafers；　Lomaptera；　is　found　in　every　country　and　island　between　India　and　New　Guinea；　except　Celebes。　This　unexpected　absence　of　many　groups；　from　one　limited　district　in　the　very　centre　of　their　area　of　distribution；　is　a　phenomenon　not　altogether　unique；　but；　I　believe；　nowhere　so　well　marked　as　in　this　case；　and　it　certainly　adds　considerably　to　the　strange　character　of　this　remarkable　island。

The　anomalies　and　eccentricities　in　the　natural　history　of　Celebes　which　I　have　endeavoured　to　sketch　in　this　chapter；　all　point　to　an　origin　in　a　remote　antiquity。　The　history　of　extinct　animals　teaches　us　that　their　distribution　in　time　and　in　space　are　strikingly　similar。　The　rule　is；　that　just　as　the　productions　of　adjacent　areas　usually　resemble　each　other　closely；　so　do　the　productions　of　successive　periods　in　the　same　area；　and　as　the　productions　of　remote　areas　generally　differ　widely；　so　do　the　productions　of　the　same　area　at　remote　epochs。　We　are　therefore　led　irresistibly　to　the　conclusion；　that　change　of　species；　still　more　of　generic　and　of　family　form；　is　a　matter　of　time。　But　time　may　have　led　to　a　change　of　species　in　one　country；　while　in　another　the　forms　have　been　more　permanent；　or　the　change　may　have　gone　on　at　an　equal　rate　but　in　a　different　manner　in　both。　In　either　case；　the　amount　of　individuality　in　the　productions　of　a　district　will　be　to　some　extent　a　measure　of　the　time　that　a　district　has　been　isolated　from　those　that　surround　it。　Judged　by　this　standard；　Celebes　must　be　one　of　the　oldest　parts　of　the　Archipelago。　It　probably　dates　from　a　period　not　only　anterior　to　that　when　Borneo；　Java；　and　Sumatra　were　separated　from　the　continent；　but　from　that　still　more　remote　epoch　when　the　land　that　now　constitutes　these　islands　had　not　risen　above　the　ocean。

Such　an　antiquity　is　necessary；　to　account　for　the　number　of　animal　forms　it　possesses；　which　show　no　relation　to　those　of　India　or　Australia；　but　rather　with　those　of　Africa；　and　we　are　led　to　speculate　on　the　possibility　of　there　having　once　existed　a　continent　in　the　Indian　Ocean　which　might　serve　as　a　bridge　to　connect　these　distant　countries。　Now　it　is　a　curious　fact；　that　the　existence　of　such　a　land　has　been　already　thought　necessary；　to　account　for　the　distribution　of　the　curious　Quadrumana　forming　the　family　of　the　Lemurs。　These　have　their　metropolis　in　Madagascar；　but　are　found　also　in　Africa；　in　Ceylon；　in　the　peninsula　of　India；　and　in　the　Malay　Archipelago　as　far　as　Celebes；　which　is　its　furthest　eastern　limit。　Dr。　Sclater　has　proposed　for　the　hypothetical　continent　connecting　these　distant　points；　and　whose　former　existence　is　indicated　by　the　Mascarene　islands　and　the　Maldive　coral　group；　the　name　of　Lemuria。　Whether　or　not　we　believe　in　its　existence　in　the　exact　form　here　indicated；　the　student　of　geographical　distribution　must　see　in　the　extraordinary　and　isolated　productions　of　Celebes；　proof　of　the　former　existence　of　some　continent　from　whence　the　ancestors　of　these　creatures；　and　of　many　other　intermediate　forms；　could　have　been　derived。

In　this　short　sketch　of　the　most　striking　peculiarities　of　the　Natural　History　of　Celebes；　I　have　been　obliged　to　enter　much　into　details　that　I　fear　will　have　been　uninteresting　to　the　general　reader；　but　unless　I　had　done　so；　my　exposition　would　have　lost　much　of　its　force　and　value。　It　is　by　these　details　alone　that　I　have　been　able　to　prove　the　unusual　features　that　Celebes　presents　to　us。　Situated　in　the　very　midst　of　an　Archipelago；　and　closely　hemmed　in　on　every　side　by　islands　t