322 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY. [PART III. 
plains or arid deserts. It happens that the three great Old 
World regions are separated from each other by a debatable land 
which is chiefly of a desert character ; hence we must expect to 
find a resemblance between the inhabitants of such districts in 
each region. We also find a great resemblance between the aquatic 
birds of the three regions ; and as we generally give little weight 
to these in our estimate of the degree of affinity of the faunas of 
different countries, so we should not count the desert fauna as of 
equal weight with the more restricted and peculiar types which 
are found in the fertile tracts——in the mountains and valleys, and 
especially in the primeval forests. The supposed preponderance 
of exclusively Ethiopian groups of Mammalia and Birds in this 
sub-region, deserves however a close examination, in order to 
ascertain how far the facts really warrant such an opinion. 
Mammalia—the following list of the more important genera 
of Mammalia which range over the larger part of this sub-region 
will enable naturalists to form an independent judgment as to 
the preponderance of Ethiopian, or of Oriental and Paleearctic 
types, in this, the most important of all the classes of animals 
for geographical distribution. 
RANGE OF THE GENERA OF MAMMALIA WHICH INHABIT THE SUB-REGION 
oF HINDOSTAN. 
. Presbytes ... Oriental only. 
Macacus --- Oriental only. 
. Erinaceus --- Palearctic genus. 
Sorex ... ... Widely distributed. 
Felis... ... Almost Cosmopolitan. 
. Cynelurus  ... Ethiopian and 8. Palearctic. 
. Viverra ..._ Ethiopian and Oriental to China and Malaya. 
. Viverricula  ... Oriental only. 
. Paradoxurus ... Oriental only. 
. Herpestes ... Ethiopian, S. Palearctic, and Oriental to Malaya. 
. Calogale ... Ethiopian, Oriental to Cambodja. 
. Teniogale  ... Oriental. 
. Hyzna .-. Palsarctic and Ethiopian (a Palearctic species.) 
, Canis are. .... Palearctic and Oriental to Malaya. 
. Cuon ... ... Oriental to Malaya. 
. Vulpes ... Very wide range. 
», UGTA ses ... Oriental and Palearctic. 
. Mellivora ... Ethiopian. 
. Melursus ... Oriental only; family not Ethiopian. 
BB Ss Pa ac ... Palearctic and Oriental, not Ethiopian. 
. Tragulus ... Oriental. 
ge y 
SSD BROWNE SOMONAMAWOE 
