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THE BIRDS OF TRAVANCORB, 

 By H. S. Ferguson, F.L.S., 

 WITH NOTES ON THEIR NIDIFICATION, 

 By T. F. Bourdillon, F.L.S. 

 (With a Plate). 

 Part I. 

 Travancore was, no doubt, covered with forest at one time from the 

 coast to the summit of the hills, the watershed of which forms the 

 boundary between it and British India. The luxuriance of the vege- 

 tation is due to the fact that the country gets the full benefit of both 

 monsoons, for the soil is poor. Under the influence of the heavy rain- 

 fall and a strong sun there is an abundant vegetation which teems with 

 insect life, and in consequence there is a rich avifauna consisting of some 

 326 species. So far as I am aware the only contribution towards its 

 description is a " First List of the Birds of the Travancore Hills " by 

 Mr. F. W. Bourdillon which appeared in " Stray Feathers " in 187G. 

 In this ninety species are mentioned, and in a " Second List," which 

 appeared in the same journal in 1878, twenty-eight more species were 

 recorded. 1 shall quote freely from them to supplement my own 

 information. 



As would naturally be conjectured the ornis of Travancore is very 

 closely related to that of Ceylon. That of its hill range corresponds to 

 that of the south-western hill regions of Ceylon, while that of the 

 extreme south of Travancore corresponds to that of the north and 

 north-west of Ceylon. 



According to Colonel Legge the connection between the ornis of 

 the Himalayas and that of Ceylon is but slight and only what one 

 would expect in mountain districts of adjacent ornithological regions, 

 and this is pretty much the opinion of Mr. Blanford who remarks 

 that " though it contains several Himalayan genera and species they 

 are not sufficient to enable South Indian and Ceylonese areas to be 

 classed with the Himalayan forest area in a separate sub-division or 

 sub-region." 



There is a decided affinity with the Burmese fauna evidenced by the 

 existence of such genera as Loris and Tragulus among Mammals, Draco 

 among Reptiles, Ixalus among Amphibians, and Lyncomis, Hemicircus 

 and Gorsachius among Birds. 



So far as bird life is concerned Travancore may be divided into four 

 districts : (1) the forest-clad hill range from the south up to and iuclud- 



