290 Mr. W. T. Blanford on the African 



may occur in other parts of the Indian peninsula. If these 

 migratory forms are taken into consideration, why are the 

 Saxicolce.^ with their strong African affinities, omitted? I have 

 shot two species of Saxicola at Nagpiir. 



I thus am obliged, to exclude no less than forty-six out of 

 eighty-seven Oriental genera, either because they are not 

 found in the portion of Central India in which the proportion 

 of African forms is most marked, or because they are not 

 characteristically Oriental forms. 



Of the forty-eight genera of wide range I have very little 

 to say, except that Calandrella and Ammomanes are not found 

 to the east of the Bay of Bengal, whilst both are represented 

 in the Ethiopian region, Calandrella being certainly allied to 

 some forms of Megalophonus ; whilst the only species of Goc- 

 cystes [C.jacohinus) is Ethiopian, being found even in Southern 

 Africa. It extends to Upper Burmali, where it consorts with 

 a few other Indian forms with African affinities, e. g. Crate- 

 ropus gularis and Francoliniis Phayrei vel sinensis ; but it 

 is not, so far as I am aware, found in Malayasia. Mr. Hume 

 has not apparently received it from Tenasserira. 



The list of Palsearctic genera occurring in Central India 

 might perhaps be increased ; but, as nearly all are migratory, 

 they are of trifling importance. 



Lastly we come to the Ethiopian genera. By the omission 

 of the Baptores and Grails, seven of the most striking and 

 remai'kable cases of African forms found in India and unrepre- 

 sented east of the Bay of Bengal are omitted ; these are 

 Neophron^ Chicquera, RMnoptilus^ Cursorius, Sypheotides^ 

 Eupodotisj and Phmnicojyterus. Neophron^ Cursorius^ and 

 Phoenicopterus extend, it is true, into the southern portion of 

 the Palsearctic region ; but the Palajarctic species of Cursorius 

 is confined to the Panjd,b province in India, and the Indian 

 province is inhabited by a peculiar species. SypTieotides 

 appears to me congeneric with the African Lissotis. In both 

 genera the males undergo the same peculiar change of plumage, 

 becoming black in the breeding-season. The case of Rhino- 

 ptilus is very remarkable. The Indian species is very rare, 

 and only known to occur in part of the Madras subprovince. 

 If we had only this one species, it would be impossible to deny 

 the existence of a distinct African element in the Indian 

 fauna. Another African form unrepresented to the eastward 

 is Cercomela. 



I regret that I cannot now go more thoroughly into this 

 matter and classify the birds as I have attempted to do the 

 mammals. Before doing so it would be necessary to compare 

 a large number of African genera with Indian. I notice in 



