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

—;chap, xii.] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 331and two birds, characteristic of the higher woody region of theHimalayas. The lower figure on the left is the Helictis nepalensis,confined to the Eastern Himalayas, and belonging to a genus ofthe weasel family which is exclusively Oriental. It is markedwith white on a grey-brown ground. Above it is the remarkablePanda (sElurus fulgent) , a beautiful animal with a glossy furof a reddish colour, darker feet, and a white somewhat cat-likeface. It is distantly allied to the bears, and more nearly to theAmerican racoons, yet with sufficient differences to constitutea distinct family. The large bird on the tree, is the hornedTragopan (Ceriomis satyra), one of the fine Himalayan pheasants,magnificently spotted with red and white, and ornamented withfleshy erectile wattles and horns, of vivid blue and red colours.The bird in the foreground is the Ibidorhynchus struthersii, arare and curious wader, allied to the curlews and sandpipers buthaving the bill and feet red. It frequents the river-beds in thehigher Himalayas, but has also been found in Thibet.itReptiles.—Very few genera of reptiles are peculiar to thissub-region, all the more important ranging into the Malayislands. Of snakes the following are the more characteristicgenera :Typhline, Cylindrophis, Xenopeltis,Calamaria, Xenelaphis,Hypsirhina, Fordonia, several small genera of Homalopsidse{Herpeton and Hipistes being characteristic of Burmah andSiam) Psammodynastes, Oonyosoma, Chrysopelea, Tragops, Dipsas,Pareas, Python, Bungarus, Naja, Callophis, and Trimeresurus.Naja reaches 8,000 feet elevation in the Himalayas, Tropidonotus9,000 feet, Ablabes 10,000 feet, and Simotes 15,000 feet.Of lizards, Pseudopus has one species in the Khasya hillswhile the other inhabits South-east Europe ; and there are twosmall genera of Agamidaa peculiar to the Himalayas, whileDraco and Calotes have a wide range and Acanthosaurd, Dilophyrus,Physignathiis, and Liolepis are found chiefly in theIndo-Chinese peninsula.There are several genera of Scincidaeand the extensive genus of wall-lizards, Gecko, ranges over thewhole region.Of Amphibia, the peculiar forms are not numerous.Ichthyophis