INTRODUCTION. IX 



It is to be regretted that the fauna of Afghanistan, and the interior 

 of Beloochistan, have not been as fully worked out as that of Persia ; 

 all the available information have, however, been utilized. 



The following shows the distribution of the 73 mammals of Sind. 

 The information has been collected with the greatest ascertainable 

 accuracy, from materials at hand : — 



Sind 73 



Beloochistan 29 



Persia 25 



Afghanistan 17* 



Punjab 51 



N. W. Provinces 47 



Oudh 41* 



Bengal 40 



Rajputana 35 



Central India 33 



Kutch 44 



Guzerat 33* 



Concan 35* 



Deccan 38* 



South India 36* 



Although the mammalian fauna is small, owing to the paucity of natural 

 forests and covert yielding vegetation, yet the marshes, the plains, 

 deserts, valleys, the rivers, forests and hills have each their peculiar 

 inhabitants. The Hog-deer and Wild Boar affect the acacia-liued banks 

 of the Indus and the thick tamarisk- fringed delta, the Gangetic 

 Porpoise and the Otter sport in the Indus, the Civet Cat roams along 

 the edges of the marshes, the Gazelle on the plains adjacent to or below 

 the hills, while some of the most inaccessible parts of the mountainous 

 regions claim the Ibex {Capra cegagriis), the Gud {Ovis cydoceros) 

 and the Bear {Ursus Thihetanus), and the domed tombs, (a peculiar 

 feature in Sind) untenanted buildings, vaulted caverns and similar 

 retreats afford shelter to the Ghieroptera, which, in number of species 

 equals that of the carnivorous order. 



AvES. — Not unlike the indigenous flora the character of the avi-fauna 

 of Sind shows a marked analogy to that of Persia, Arabia and N. E, 

 Africa. European forms also occur, and these are generally all the 

 Waders, as Storks, Herons, Snipe and Curlews, as well as Geese and 

 Ducks, of which there are numerous species and vast number of indivi- 

 dual members of each, chiefly migrants which arrive and stay during 



* Imperfectly known. 



B 



