Identifier: zologytextbook00cock (find matches)
Title: Zöology; a textbook for colleges and universities
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Cockerell, Theodore D. A. (Theodore Dru Alison), 1866-1948
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: Yonkers-on-Hudson, N. Y., World book company
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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an Region of Sclater). (/) Australian. Australia, New Guinea, and ad-jacent islands. Oceanic The Oceanic islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, islands cannot properly be attached to any of the great regions.The Antarctic continent also is to be considered sepa-rately, but it has very little terrestrial life at thepresent time, though it is known to have been warmand fertile in remote geological periods. It is es-pecially distinguished today by the penguins, a veryancient type of birds existing in great numbers alongthe coast (see page 380). It is possible to criticize the names given to some ofthe regions, but they are so well established that theycannot now be altered. From a scientific point ofview, of course, the two sides of the world are notnew and old ; and, on the other hand, the popularuse of the word arctic is for far northern, not tem-perate, regions. The original meaning of arctic wassimply northern,- -the region where the arctos, or THE BIOLOGICAL REGIONS OF THE WORLD 449
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oS& 9 oC/5 o *-»60 8 o1) a o 60 O 1) c-1 450 ZOOLOGY Holarcticregion The circum-polar biota Distinctionsbetween Nearctic and Palaearctic regions NeotropicalRegion constellation of the Great Bear, which we call theDipper, may be seen in the sky. Sclaters use of it is,therefore, philologically correct. 4. The proposal has been made to combine theNearctic and Palcsarctic regions, making a single im-mense Holarctic Region. It is true that the northernregions of the two hemispheres have in many respectssimilar products, and when we go far north, or examinethe summits of the higher mountains, we find a circum-polar biota, with identical species on the two sides of theworld. Nevertheless, there are very marked differ-ences, which justify the separation of the Nearctic fromthe Palaearctic. Thus, for example, the numerousNorth American mice and related animals mostlyrepresent genera distinct from those of the Old World.In America we find skunks, raccoons, the pronghornantelope, the mounta

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