The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

chap, xii.] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 317markable forms; among the bee-eaters we have the exquisiteNyctiornis with its pendent neck-plumes of blue or scarlet;brilliant kingfishers and strangely formed hornbills aboundeverywhere ; while brown-backed trogons with red and orangebreasts, though far less frequent, are equally a feature of theOrnithology. Next we have the frog-mouthed goatsuckers {Battrachostomus),and the whiskered swifts {Devdrochelidon), bothwide-spread, remarkable, and characteristic groups of the Orientalregion. Coming to the parrot tribe, we have only the long-tailedPalceornis and the exquisite little Zoriculus, as characteristicgenera. We now come to the pigeons, among which the fruiteatinggenera Treron and Carpophaga are the most conspicuous.The gallinaceous birds offer us some grand forms, such asthe peacocks (Pavo) ; the argus pheasants (Argusianus) ; the firebackedpheasants {Euplocanuis) ;and the jungle-fowl (Gallus), allstrikingly characteristic ;and with these we may close our sketch,since the birds of prey and the two Orders comprising thewaders and swimmers offer nothing sufficiently remarkable tobe worthy of enumeration here.Reptiles.—Only the more abundant and characteristic groupswill here be noticed. In the serpent tribe, the Oligodontidse,a small family of ground-snakes; the Homalopsidae, or freshwatersnakes ; the Dendrophidse, or tree-snakes ; the Dryiophidse,or whip-snakes ; the Dipsadidse, or nocturnal tree-snakes ; theLycodontidse or fanged ground-snakes ; the Pythonidre, or rocksnakes;the Elapidye, or venomous colubrine snakes (includingthe " cobras ") ; and the Crotalidse, or pit-vipers, are all abundantand characteristic, ranging over nearly the whole region, and presentinga great variety of genera and species.Among lizards, theVaranidaj or water-lizards ; the Scincidse or " scinks ; " the Geckotidre,or geckoes ; and the Agamidae, or eastern iguanas ; are themost universal and characteristic groups.Among crocodiles thegenus Crocodilus is widely spread, Oavialis being characteristicof the Ganges. Among Chelonia, or shielded reptiles, forms offresh-water Testudinidse and Trionychidse (soft tortoises) aretolerably abundant.Amphibia.—The only abundant and characteristic groups of