Mr. Hodgson on the Mammalia and Birds of the Himalaya. 167 



subdivisions. The following appear to be those demarcations by 

 height which most fitly indicate the three regions : — 



Name. Elevational limits. 



Lower region Level of the plains to 4000 feet above the sea. 



Central region 4000 to 10,000 feet above the sea. 



Upper region 10,000 to 16,000* feet above the sea: highest 



peak measured is 28,176. 



" To begin with Man, the upper region is the exclusive habit of 

 the Bhdtias, who extend along the whole line of the ghats, and 

 who, with the name, have retained the lingual and physical charac- 

 teristics of their tramontane brethren. To the central region are 

 confined — but each in their own province from east to west — the 

 Mishmis, the Bors and Abors, the Akas, the Daphlas, the Lhdpas, 

 the Lepchas, the Limbils, the Kirantis, the Murmis, the Newars, 

 the Siinwars, the Chepangs, the Guriings, the Magars, the Khas or 

 Khasias, the Kdhlis, the Garhwalis, the Kakkas, the Bambas, tlie 

 Gakars, the Khatirs, the Awans, and the Janjiihs. To the lower 

 region are as exclusively limited the Kdcch, the Bddd, the Dhimal, 

 the Kichak, the Tharu, the Denwar, the Sallah, and the Bdksar. 

 Of these races, those of the central region are all of transnivean 

 origin, like the first named ; but they are much altered in speech 

 and aspect by twelve to fifteen centuries of residence in a cisnivean 

 climate, and by mixture in some few cases (as Khas or Khasia) with 

 southern blood ; whilst the races of the lower region are of the 

 aboriginal Indian or Tamulian stock, and nearly unmixed, though 

 some of them have adopted the speech and customs of the Hindus f. 

 The hill Brahmans, Rajputs and Moslems, so common to the west- 

 ward, so rare to the eastward, are more modern immigrants from the 

 plains. It is very deserving of special notice, that the people of the 

 upper region cannot endure the climate of the central one, nor those 

 of the central region the climate of the lower one ; so that the distri- 

 bution even of the human race in the Himalaya aifords a remarkable 

 verification of our triple transverse division from a quarter the least 

 likely to afford any such argument. But to proceed to our zoological 

 enumerations. To the upper region exclusively belong, among the 

 Ruminants, the Bisons {Poephagus) and Musks, the Wild Goats 

 {Ibex, Hemitragus) and Wild Sheep {Pseudois, Ovis) ; among the 

 Rodents, the Marmots and Pikas (Lagomgs) ; among Plantigrades, 

 the Bears proper (Ursus). In the middle region, true Bovines (Bos) 

 take the place of the Bisons of the upper region ; Caprine Antelopes 

 {NemorhcBduSy Kemas) replace its Musks and Wild Goats and Sheep ; 

 common Rats, and Mice, and Hares, and Porcupines, and Hedge- 

 hogs, its Marmots and Pikas ; and Sun Bears (Helarctos) its true 

 Bears ; whilst the Deer family, unknown to the upper region, is herq 



* This is about the average height of the ghats and of the perpetual snow. It 

 is also nearly the limit of possible investigation, and of the existence of organic 

 phenomena. 



t For these tribes see Journ. As. Soc. Beng. for December 1847, and April and 

 June 1848, and May 1819.. 



