DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS IN CEYLON. 23 
Of the Storks and Herons, I may remark in passing a curious 
point about one species, Gorsachius melanolophus—the Malay 
Bittern. It is common in Malaya, but it is unknown west of 
the Bay of Bengal, except in Ceylon, where it is a rare migrant 
to the low-country, and in the hill forests of Malabar, where it 
appears to breed. 
Nearly all our Ducks are migrants; the only common 
species resident in the Island are the Whistling Teal— Dendro- 
cygna javanica—and the Quacky Duck--- Nettapus coromandeli- 
anus—-which are found nearly all over India. 
Our list of birds is closed by the Dab-chick—Podiceps 
albipennis—which may also be met with all over India and 
Burma. 
Now, what are the salient facts that appear as the result 
of the foregoing summary ? 
In the first place, it will be noted what a large proportion 
of our resident avifauna shows an affinity with that of Malabar. 
This affinity applies in special to the Kandyan Provinces and 
the wet zone of the low-country. Not only does the main 
element among the bird population of our hills closely corre- 
spond with that of the Indian Ghauts, but the birds of the 
damp low-country zone are as closely connected with those of 
the forests of the Malabar coast. A good many of the species 
and genera common to these two tracts are not met with in 
the Carnatic, and this peculiarity of distribution is most marked 
in the case of our short-flight birds. 
On the other hand, in the extreme north and north-west of 
the Island the species are largely the same as in the Carnatic. 
These two regions possess several genera, and a larger 
number of species which are not found in the wetter parts of 
Ceylon or in the Malabar district. 
Again, by far the larger number of peculiar species and 
genera belong to the Malabar type of fauna, and have their 
headquarters in the wet zone. 
A few of our peculiar birds are of Himalayan or Malayan 
origin, but none of them are of the Carnatic type. 
Lastly, our Himalayan species belong to the ‘‘ Malabar ”’ 
portion of Ceylon. 
