the malay archipelago-1-第74章

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　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　teeming　with　varied　forms　of　life；　its　productions　have　yet　a　surprising　amount　of　individuality。　While　it　is　poor　in　the　actual　number　of　its　species；　it　is　yet　wonderfully　rich　in　peculiar　forms；　many　of　which　are　singular　or　beautiful；　and　are　in　some　cases　absolutely　unique　upon　the　globe。　We　behold　here　the　curious　phenomenon　of　groups　of　insects　changing　their　outline　in　a　similar　manner　when　compared　with　those　of　surrounding　islands；　suggesting　some　common　cause　which　never　seems　to　have　acted　elsewhere　in　exactly　the　same　way。　Celebes；　therefore；　presents　us　with　a　most　striking　example　of　the　interest　that　attaches　to　the　study　of　the　geographical　distribution　of　animals。　We　can　see　that　their　present　distribution　upon　the　globe　is　the　result　of　all　the　more　recent　changes　the　earth's　surface　has　undergone；　and；　by　a　careful　study　of　the　phenomena；　we　are　sometimes　able　to　deduce　approximately　what　those　past　changes　must　have　been　in　order　to　produce　the　distribution　we　find　to　exist。　In　the　comparatively　simple　case　of　the　Timor　group；　we　were　able　to　deduce　these　changes　with　some　approach　to　certainty。　In　the　much　more　complicated　case　of　Celebes；　we　can　only　indicate　their　general　nature；　since　we　now　see　the　result；　not　of　any　single　or　recent　change　only；　but　of　a　whole　series　of　the　later　revolutions　which　have　resulted　in　the　present　distribution　of　land　in　the　Eastern　Hemisphere。

CHAPTER　XIX。

BANDA。

（DECEMBER　1857；　MAY　1859；　APRIL　1861。）

THE　Dutch　mail　steamer　in　which　I　travelled　from　Macassar　to　Banda　and　Amboyna　was　a　roomy　and　comfortable　vessel；　although　it　would　only　go　six　miles　an　hour　in　the　finest　weather。　As　there　were　but　three　passengers　besides　myself；　we　had　abundance　of　room；　and　I　was　able　to　enjoy　a　voyage　more　than　I　had　ever　done　before。　The　arrangements　are　somewhat　different　from　those　on　board　English　or　Indian　steamers。　There　are　no　cabin　servants；　as　every　cabin　passenger　invariably　brings　his　own；　and　the　ship's　stewards　attend　only　to　the　saloon　and　the　eating　department