178 AMPHIBIA AND FISHES. [CH. Ill 



of India should be widely different as to species and 

 genera, showing a great divergence which would have 

 naturally occurred in the time during which India and 

 Madagascar have been, on any hypothesis, divided. 



If however we turn to other groups of the animal 

 kingdom, the rejection of the hypothesis of a former 

 connection between India and Madagascar does not appear 

 to be so reasonable. For example, the Amphibia are not 

 to be passed over; there are according to Mr Blanford, 16 

 species of the genus of frogs Rhacophorus, all the other 

 species being Oriental. The genus Calophrynus has three 

 species, of which two are Oriental and one Mascarene. 

 The family Discophidse comprises seven genera and thir- 

 teen species in Madagascar ; the only other member of 

 the family is Burmese. Among fresh-water fishes Mr 

 Blanford calls attention to a remarkable instance of an 

 intermediate form being a native of Madagascar. It is a 

 peculiar genus, named Paretroplopus, belonging to the 

 family ChromididaB and intermediate between the African 

 genus Hemichromis and the Oriental genus Etroplus. 

 This family of fishes is especially characteristic of Africa, 

 and is also found in South America. It is rarer in the 

 Oriental region. The facts that Mr Blanford has laid 

 stress upon seem to indicate, as he remarks, that there 

 have been in this family of fishes two lines of migration 

 from Africa to India. One by way of the Nile into 

 Palestine, where the family occurs ; the other through 

 Madagascar, leaving behind evidence of its passage in the 

 shape of the genus referred to which has so to speak not 

 quite attained to the Asiatic character. The importance 



