Bourbon and Mauritius may be taken together, as they much resemble each other. They each possess species of a peculiar genus of Campephagidæ, or caterpillar shrikes, _Oxynotus_; while the remarkable _Fregilupus_, belonging to the starling family, inhabits Bourbon, if it is not now extinct. They also have {281}peculiar species of _Pratincola_, _Hypsipetes_, _Phedina_, _Tchitrea_, _Zosterops_, _Foudia_, _Collocalia_, and _Coracopsis_; while Mauritius has a very peculiar form of dove of the sub-genus _Trocaza_; an _Alectrænas_, extinct within the last thirty years; and a species of the Oriental genus of parroquets, _Palæornis_. The small and remote island of Rodriguez has another _Palæornis_, as well as a peculiar _Foudia_, and a _Drymoeca_ of apparently Indian affinity. Coming to the Seychelle Islands, far to the north, we find the only mammal an Indian species of bat (_Pteropus edwardsii_). Of the twelve land-birds all but one are peculiar species, but all belong to genera found also in Madagascar, except one--a peculiar species of _Palæornis_. This is an Oriental genus, but found also in several Mascarene Islands and on the African continent. A species of black parrot (_Coracopsis barklayi_) and a weaver bird of peculiar type (_Foudia seychellarum_) show, however, a decided connection with Madagascar. There are also two peculiar pigeons--a short-winged _Turtur_ and an _Alectrænas_. Most of the birds of the Comoro Islands are Madagascar species, only two being African. Five are peculiar, belonging to the genera _Nectarinia_, _Zosterops_, _Dicrurus_, _Foudia_, and _Alectrænas_. Reptiles are scarce. There appear to be no snakes in Mauritius and Bourbon, though some African species are said to be found in the Seychelle Islands. Lizards are fairly represented. Mauritius has _Cryptoblepharus_, an Australian genus of Gymnopthalmidæ; _Hemidactylus_ (a wide-spread genus); _Peropus_ (Oriental and Australian)--both belonging to the Geckotidæ. Bourbon has _Heteropus_, a Moluccan and Australian genus of Scincidæ; _Phelsuma_ (Geckotidæ), and _Chameleo_, both found also in Madagascar; as well as _Pyxis_, one of the tortoises. The Seychelles have _Theconyx_, a peculiar genus of Geckotidæ, and _Chameleo_. Gigantic land-tortoises, which formerly inhabited most of the Mascarene Islands, now only survive in Aldabra, a small island north of the Seychelles. These will be noticed again further on. Amphibia seem only to be recorded from the Seychelles, where two genera of tree-frogs of the family Polypedatidæ are found; one (_Megalixalus_) peculiar, the other (_Rappia_) found also in Madagascar and Africa. {282}The few insect groups peculiar to these islands will be noted when we deal with the entomology of Madagascar.