The Strange Babirusa Of Celebes Is Also Found In Bouru; But In No
Other Moluccan Island, And It Is Somewhat Difficult To Imagine
How It Got There.
It is true that there is some approximation
between the birds of the Sula Islands (where the babirusa is also
found) and those of Bouru, which seems to indicate that these
islands have recently been closer together, or that some
intervening land has disappeared.
At this time the babirusa may
have entered Bouru, since it probably swims as well as its allies
the pigs. These are spread all over the Archipelago, even to
several of the smaller islands, and in many cases the species are
peculiar. It is evident, therefore, that they have some natural
means of dispersal. There is a popular idea that pigs cannot
swim, but Sir Charles Lyell has shown that this is a mistake. In
his "Principles of Geology" (10th Edit. vol. ii p. 355) he adduces
evidence to show that pigs have swum many miles at sea, and are
able to swim with great ease and swiftness. I have myself seen a
wild pig swimming across the arm of the sea that separates
Singapore from the Peninsula of Malacca, and we thus have
explained the curious fact, that of all the large mammals of the
Indian region, pigs alone extend beyond the Moluccas and as far
as New Guinea, although it is somewhat curious that they have not
found their way to Australia.
The little shrew, Sorex myosurus, which is common in Sumatra,
Borneo, and Java, is also found in the larger islands of the
Moluccas, to which it may have been accidentally conveyed in
native praus.
This completes the list of the placental mammals which are so
characteristic of the Indian region; and we see that, with the
single exception of the pig, all may very probably have been
introduced by man, since all except the pig are of species
identical with those now abounding in the great Malay islands, or
in Celebes.
The four remaining mammals are Marsupials, an order of the class
Mammalia, which is very characteristic of the Australian fauna;
and these are probably true natives of the Moluccas, since they
are either of peculiar species, or if found elsewhere are natives
only of New Guinea or North Australia. The first is the small
flying opossum, Belideus ariel, a beautiful little animal,
exactly line a small flying squirrel in appearance, but belonging
to the marsupial order. The other three are species of the
curious genus Cuscus, which is peculiar to the Austro-Malayan
region. These are opossum-like animals, with a long prehensile
tail, of which the terminal half is generally bare. They have
small heads, large eyes, and a dense covering of woolly fur,
which is often pure white with irregular black spots or blotches,
or sometimes ashy brown with or without white spots. They live in
trees, feeding upon the leaves, of which they devour large
quantities, they move about slowly, and are difficult to kill,
owing to the thickness of their fur, and their tenacity of life.
A heavy charge of shot will often lodge in the slain and do them
no harm, and even breaking the spine or piercing the brain will
not kill them for some hours.
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