23
ZOOLOGICAL
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) has a wide range coinciding with that of the family, but the second species (II. liberiensis), a much smaller animal, is confined to the district of Liberia in the west of the continent.
Fourteen extinct species of Hippopotamus are known, the remains of which have been found in the Tertiary beds of Europe, Algeria, Madagascar, and South-eastern Asia. The common Hippopotamus was formerly an inhabitant of Britain, as evidenced by fossil remains found as far north as Yorkshire.
ORDER CETACEA (135 Species).
The members of this Order are all aquatic animals, and three out of the four families are purely marine, being found in the seas of practically the whole world. The fourth family, the Platanistidse, is confined to the waters of the Indus, Ganges and Bramaputra in the Old World, and the Amazon, La Plata and some other South American rivers in the Hew. Cetaceans are animals of large size, and many of them are of economic importance. Some species perform periodical migrations, passing the summer in northern and arctic seas and retreating south on the approach of winter. Others seldom leave the neighbourhood of the ice.
DELPHINIDZE (Dolphins, Porpoises, &c.; 83 Species).
Plate 8, Maps i., ii. and iii.
The Delphinidse are found in the seas of practically the whole world, and some of the species ascend the rivers also to a longer or shorter distance. The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an arctic species remarkable for the curious spirally-twisted tusk which sometimes exceeds half the length of the body. This interesting animal is circumpolar, seldom occurring south of 65° N. latitude. It has occurred three times in British seas, while its remains have been found in the Forest bed of S.E. England. The White Whale or Beluga (Delphinwpterus leucas) is also an arctic species. It occurs as far south as Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and has on several occasions been seen or captured off the British coasts. The Common Porpoise (Fb.ocse.na communis) is a widely-distributed and well-known species occurring in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, the European coasts, and the North Sea. It is rare in the Mediterranean, but around the British Isles is exceedingly common. The Killer or Grampus (Orcagladiator) is the most formidable member of the family, preying upon other Cetaceans, Seals and Fishes. It is of cosmopolitan distribution and an occasional visitor to British seas. Besides the above, the Pilot-Whale or Black-Fish (Globicephalus melas), Risso’s Grampus (Grampus griseus), two species of Short-beaked Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus), the Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the Bottle-nosed Dolphin (Tursiops tursio) are also members of the British fauna.
The remains of about 20 extinct species belonging to this family have been described, 16 of which are from the Tertiary deposits of Europe, three from those of North America, and one from the Pleistocene of New Zealand.
PLATANISTIDiE (Freshwater Dolphins; 3 Species).
Plate 8, Map iii.
At the present day this family is only represented by the Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) inhabiting the Indus, Ganges, Bramaputra and other Indian rivers; the Amazonian Dolphin (Inia geoffroyensis), found only in the upper waters of the Amazon and its tributaries, the Orinoco, and certain rivers of Bolivia; and the La Plata Dolphin (Stenodelphis blain-villei) confined to the estuary of the Rio de la Plata and the rivers flowing therein. In past ages, however, the family was much more extensive, for the remains of at least 70 species have been found in the Tertiary deposits of Europe, the United States, the Argentine Republic, and Patagonia.
PHYSETERID7E (Sperm Whales, &c.; 18 Species).
Plate 8, Map v.
The Sperm Whales and their allies are cosmopolitan in their distribution, and hence offer few points of interest to the student of zoological geography. The best-known species, the Sperm Whale (Physeter macro-cephalus), occurs in all the warmer oceans, ranging about 60° N. and S. of the Equator. It is a gregarious animal, found in “schools” of 15 individuals and upwards. From an economic point of view it is of importance as yielding sperm-oil, spermaceti and ambergris. In British and northern seas males occur only as stragglers. The Common Bottle-nosed Whale (Ilyperoodon rostratus) is confined to the North Atlantic, ranging northwards as far as Spitzbergen and Baffin Bay during the summer season, and occurring off the British coasts. A second species, however, allied to this, is found in southern seas. The Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon) are represented by seven species, occurring in most seas, one of which, known as Sowerby’s Whale (M. bidens), was originally described from a specimen captured off the coast of Elgin. It is still a somewhat rare species, although widely distributed in the North Atlantic. The other species of this genus occur in southern seas, ranging as far south as New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.
The remains of 78 extinct species have been referred to this family, the majority of which are from the Miocene and Pliocene of Europe.
BALiENIDTE (Whalebone Whales; 31 Species).
Plate 8, Map iv.
The Whales belonging to this family are easily distinguished from all other Cetaceans by the total absence of teeth, and by the possession of a series of flattened horny plates attached to the palate. These plates are the baleen or “ whalebone ” of commerce, and hence these animals are of great importance from an economic point of view. Like other families of Cetaceans the Whalebone Whales are represented in all seas, and a number of species
The most remarkable of all recently extinct species is that inappropriately named the Irish Elk or Irish Deer (Cervus giganteus). This animal was really a gigantic Fallow Deer, whose remains have been found in the Irish Peat Bogs, and in the cave deposits and river gravels of England, Ireland and the Isle of Man. The antlers in some specimens measure 11 feet from tip to tip. Remains of the Reindeer are commonly found in caverns and other superficial deposits in Great Britain.
CAMELIDAE¡ (Camels and Llamas; 4 Species). Plate 7, Map vi.
At the present day this family is represented by two species of Llama found in South America, and two species of Camel found in the Old World. Although containing so few species, this family is extremely valuable to mankind, the Llamas furnishing a beautiful wool much used in the manufacture of articles of clothing, while the Camels are mainly of service as beasts of burden. The smaller of the two species of Llama, known as the Vicugna (Lama vicugna), is confined to the mountains of Southern Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The other species, known as the Guanaco or Huanaco (L. hnanacus) has a much wider range, extending from the Andes of Ecuador and Peru as far as the open plains of Patagonia, and even to Tierra del Fuego. From the latter species two domesticated races have arisen, known as the true Llama and the Alpaca. Both these forms have long, been bred by man, the former chiefly as a beast of burden and the latter for the sake of its exceedingly long and fine wool.
Of the two known species of Camel, only one is known at the present day in a wild state. This is the Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) found wild only in a restricted desert area in Central Asia, though it is domesticated over a large area extending from the Crimea through Turkestan to Pekin. The other species, known as the Arabian Camel or Dromedary (C. dromedarius) is now only known in a domesticated state, but occurring thus throughout Africa, and in Asia Minor and South-Eastern Asia. It is supposed to have originated from some ancestral form in India, and thence to have wandered through Arabia to Africa.
No less than 76 fossil species referable to this family have been described. Of these over 40 are from the Tertiary beds of North America, and form three sub-families unrepresented by any existing species. To the sub-family containing the Llamas and Camels are referred the remaining species, and these are represented by remains in widely separated localities in both Old and New Worlds.
TRAGULIDAS (Chevrotains; 13 Species). Plate 7, Map v.
The Chevrotains, or Mouse Deer, as they are sometimes called, are represented by two genera, the first of which (Tragulus) contains a dozen species which are found in India, Ceylon, Siam, the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, and the Philippines (Balabac); while the second (Hyomoschus) is formed for the reception of a single species known as the Water Chev-rotain (II. aquaticus), confined to the west coast of Africa, and ranging from Senegambia to the river Congo. The Chevrotains are pretty little creatures without antlers, and intermediate in structure between Deer, Camels and Pigs.
About 30 extinct species of this family are known, of which about half are from the European Tertiary beds.
SUIDiE and DICOTYLIDiE (Pigs and Peccaries; 45 Species).
Plate 7, Map vii.
These two families, which should perhaps be considered as one, have in conjunction a very wide distribution, and possess representatives in all the zoogeographical regions. The typical genus Sus, containing the true Pigs, comprises 29 species, which range over a large area, from Southern and Central Europe to China and Japan, and southwards to Ceylon, Java and New Guinea. Two species occur in Africa, ranging as far south as Senaar and the Sudan. The best known species is the Common Wild Boar (S. scrofa), which occurs from Central and Southern Europe to Northern Africa and Western and Central Asia. The Bush-Pigs or River-Hogs (Potamochcerus) are five in number, four of which are confined to Africa, and the fifth to Madagascar. The latter is remarkable as being the only Ungulate found in the Malagasy sub-region. In Celebes, Buru, and the Sulu Islands occurs a curious member of the Suidse, known as the Babirussa (Babirussa babirussa). This animal is remarkable for its long and peculiarly curved tusks, which bend upwards and backwards, and probably serve as a protection for the eyes when the animal pushes its way through the dense forests which form its home. The genus Phacochserus is represented by two species bearing the popular name of Wart-Hogs, which are confined to Africa, and range from Senegambia and Abyssinia to the Cape.
The Peccaries (Dicotyles or Tayassus), of which five species are known, are the American representatives of the Suidse, although often regarded as constituting a separate family. They range from Arizona, Texas, and the Red River of Arkansas southwards to the Rio Negro in Patagonia, but are absent from Chili and the West Indies.
The remains of 120 species of Pig-like animals have been described from the Tertiary deposits of both Old and New Worlds. These furnish the evidence upon which the union of the Pigs and Peccaries into one family can be justified. The great majority of these interesting extinct forms lived in Europe and the Western States of North America. •
HIPP0P0TAMIDA1 (Hippopotamus; 2 Species).
Plate 7, Map vii.
The bulky animals constituting this family are at the present day found in most of the African lakes and rivers south of the Sahara, but are absent from Madagascar. In the extreme south of their range they have become local, and in most localities are in danger of extinction. The common