CHAP. XII. ] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 331 
and two birds, characteristic of the higher woody region of the 
Himalayas. The lower figure on the left is the Helictis nepalensis, 
confined to the Eastern Himalayas, and belonging to a genus of 
the weasel family which is exclusively Oriental. It is marked 
with white on a grey-brown ground. Above it is the remark- 
able Panda (4lurus fulgens), a beautiful animal with a glossy fur 
of a reddish colour, darker feet, and a white somewhat cat-like 
face. It is distantly allied to the bears, and more nearly to the 
American racoons, yet with sufficient differences to constitute it 
a, distinct family. The large bird on the tree, is the horned 
Tragopan (Ceriornis satyra), one of the fine Himalayan pheasants, 
magnificently spotted with red and white, and ornamented with 
fleshy erectile wattles and horns, of vivid blue and red colours. 
The bird in the foreground is the Jbidorhynchus struthersii, a 
rare and curious wader, allied to the curlews and sandpipers but 
having the bill and feet red. It frequents the river-beds in the 
higher Himalayas, but has also been found in Thibet. 
Reptiles—Very few genera of reptiles are peculiar to this 
sub-region, all the more important ranging into the Malay 
islands. Of snakes the following are the more characteristic 
genera :—T'yphline, Cylindrophis, Xenopeltis, Calamaria, Xenela- 
phis, Hypsirhina, Fordonia, several small genera of Homalop- 
side (Herpeton and Hipistes being characteristic of Burmah and 
Siam) Psammodynastes, Gonyosoma, Chrysopelea, Tragops, Dipsas, 
Pareas, Python, Bungarus, Naja, Callophis, and Trimeresurus. 
Naja reaches 8,000 feet elevation in the Himalayas, Tropidonotus 
9,000 feet, Ablabes 10,000 feet, and Simotes 15,000 feet. 
Of lizards, Pseudopus has one species in the Khasya hills 
while the other inhabits South-east Europe; and there are two 
small genera of Agamide peculiar to the Himalayas, while 
Draco and Calotes have a wide range and Acanthosaura, Dilo- 
phyrus, Physignathus, and Liolepis are found chiefly in the 
Indo-Chinese peninsula. There are several genera of Scincide ; 
and the extensive genus of wall-lizards, Gecko, ranges over the 
whole region. 
Of Amphibia, the peculiar forms are not numerous. Jchthyophis 
