_Extinct fauna of the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar._--Before quitting the vertebrate groups, we must notice the remarkable birds which have become extinct in these islands little more than a century ago. The most celebrated is the dodo of the Mauritius (_Didus ineptus_), but an allied genus, _Pezophaps_, inhabited Rodriguez, and of both of these almost perfect skeletons have been recovered. Other species probably existed in Bourbon. Remains of two genera of flightless rails have also been found, _Aphanapteryx_ and _Erythromachus_; and even a heron (_Ardea megacephala_) which was short-winged and seldom flew; while in Madagascar there lived a gigantic Struthious bird, the _Æpyornis_. Some further details as to these extinct forms will be found under the respective families, Dididæ, Rallidæ, and Æpyornithidæ, in the fourth part of this work; and their bearing on the past history of the region will be adverted to in the latter part of this chapter. Dr. Günther has recently distinguished five species of fossil tortoises from Mauritius and Rodriguez,--all of them quite different from the living species of Aldabra. _Insects._--The butterflies of Madagascar are not so remarkable as some other orders of insects. There seems to be only one peculiar genus, _Heteropsis_ (Satyridæ). The other genera are African, _Leptoneura_ being confined to Madagascar and South Africa. There are some fine _Papilios_ of uncommon forms. The most interesting lepidopterous insect, however, is the fine diurnal moth (_Urania_), as all the other species of the genus inhabit tropical America and the West Indian Islands. The Coleoptera have been better collected, and exhibit some very remarkable affinities. There is but one peculiar genus of Cicindelidæ, _Pogonostoma_, which is allied to the South American genus, _Ctenostoma_. Another genus, _Peridexia_, is common to Madagascar and South America. None of the important African genera are represented, except _Eurymorpha_; while _Meglaomma_ is common to Madagascar and the Oriental region. In the Carabidæ we have somewhat similar phenomena on a {283}wider scale. Such large and important African genera as _Polyhirma_ and _Anthia_, are absent; but there are four genera in common with South Africa, and two with West Africa; while three others are as much Oriental as African. One genus, _Distrigus_, is wholly Oriental; and another, _Homalosoma_, Australian. _Colpodes_, well developed in Bourbon and Mauritius, is Oriental and South American. Of the peculiar genera, _Sphærostylis_ has South American affinities; _Microchila_, Oriental; the others being related to widely distributed genera.