of Dr. Hartlaub's
reputation, looking at the subject from a purely ornithological point of
view, should yet entirely ignore the evidence of these wonderful and unique
birds against his own theory, when he so confidently characterises Lemuria
as "that sunken land, which, containing parts of Africa, must have extended
far eastward over Southern India and Ceylon, and the highest points of
which we recognise in the volcanic peaks of Bourbon and Mauritius, and in
the central range of Madagascar itself--the last resorts of the mostly
extinct Lemurine race which formerly peopled it."[111] It is here implied
that lemurs formerly inhabited Bourbon and Mauritius, but of this there is
not a particle of evidence, and we feel pretty sure that had they done so
the dodos would never have been developed there. In Madagascar there are no
traces of dodos, while there are remains of extinct gigantic struthious
birds of the genus Aepyornis, which were no doubt as well able to protect
themselves against the smaller carnivora as are the ostriches, emus, and
cassowaries in their respective countries at the present day.

The whole of the evidence at our command, therefore, tends to establish in
a very complete manner the "oceanic" character of the three
islands--Mauritius, Bourbon, and Rodriguez, and that they have never formed
part of "Lemuria" or of any continent.

_Reptiles._--Mauritius, like Bourbon, has lizards, some of which are
peculiar species; but no snakes, and no frogs or toads but such as have
been introduced.[112] Strange to say, however, a small islet called Round
Island, only about a mile across, and situated about fourteen miles
north-east of Mauritius, possesses a snake which is not only unknown in
Mauritius, but also in any other part of the world, being {439} altogether
confined to this minute islet! It belongs to the boa family, and forms a
peculiar and very distinct genus, Casaria, whose nearest allies seem to be
the Ungalia of Cuba and Bolyeria of Australia. It is hardly possible to
believe that this serpent has very long maintained itself on so small an
island; and though we have no record of its existence on Mauritius, it may
very well have inhabited the lowland forests without being met with by the
early settlers; and the introduction of swine, which soon ran wild and
effected the final destruction of the dodo, may also have been fatal to
this snake. It is, however, now almost certainly confined to the one small
islet,