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

—chap, xii.] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 327vince. The main features of this division are,—the appearanceof numerous animals allied to forms only found again in theHimalayas or in the Malayan sub-region, the possession ofseveral peculiar generic types, and an unusual number ofpeculiar species.Mammalia.—Among Mammalia the most remarkable formis Loris, a genus of Lemurs altogether peculiar to the subregion;several peculiar monkeys of the genus Presbytes ; theMalayan genus Tupaia ; and Platacanthomys, a peculiar genusof Muridse.Birds.—Among birds it has Ochromela, a peculiar genus offlycatchers ;Phomicopliaes (Cuculidae) and Drymocataphus (Timaliidae),both Malayan forms ; a species of Myiophonus whosenearest ally is in Java; Trochalopteron, Brachypteryx, Bucerosand Loriculus, which are only found elsewhere in the Himalayasand Malayana. It also possesses about 80 peculiar species ofbirds, including a large jungle fowl, one owl and two hornbills.Reptiles.—It is however by its Eeptiles, even more than by itshigher vertebrates, that this sub-region is clearly characterised.Among snakes it possesses an entire family, Uropeltidae, consistingof 5 genera and 18 species altogether confined to it,Rhinophisand Uropeltis in Ceylon, Silybura, Plecturus and Melanophidiumin Southern India. Four other genera of snakes, Haplocercus,Cercaspis, Peltopelor, and Hypnale are also peculiar; Chersydrusis only found elsewhere in Malaya ; while Aspidura, Passerita,and Cyjiophis, only extend to Hindostan ; and species of Eryx,PJchis, and Psammophis show an affinity with Ethiopian andPalasarctic forms. Among lizards several genera of Agamidceare peculiar, such as Otocryptis, Lyricoephalus, Ceratophora, Cophotis,Salea, Sitana and Charasia. In the family Acontiadae,Nessia is peculiar to Ceylon, while a species of the Africangenus Acontias shows an affinity for the Ethiopian region.Amphibia.—The genera of Amphibians that occur here aregenerally of wide range, but Nannophrys, Haphbatrachus,and Cacopus are confined to the sub-region ; while Megalophrysis Malayan, and the species found in Ceylon also inhabitJava.