Element in the Fauna of India. 293 



Mr. Wallace. This I grant, with the exception of Eablepharis, 

 which is not found outside the Indian province in the Oriental 

 region, nor represented by any allied form, whilst it appears 

 very probable that it is allied to the West- African Psilodac- 

 tylus^ as Gray suggested. Neither Pentadactylus^ Oeckoj nor 

 Draco is found anywhere in the Indian province at all. By 

 Eumeces I presume the genus as enlarged by Giinther is 

 meant ; if so, it is the only genus of the five which can be 

 quoted as in any way supporting Mr. Wallace's view. It is 

 represented in the Indian province by one species of Mocoa 

 and two of Riopa * ; now in Gray's ' Catalogue of Lizards in 

 the British Museum' I find a Mocoa quoted from West Africa, 

 and a Riopa from Arabia. 



The commonest and most characteristic Indian genera of 

 Lacertilia and Ophidia are the following : — Varanus, Cahritay 

 Ophiops^ EuprepeSy Hemidactyliis^ Sitana, Calotes^ Ckarasia^ 

 ChaniceleOj Typhlops^ Ptyas^ Zamenis, Tropidonotus^ Lycodon^ 

 Eryx, Naja, Bungarus^ Dahoia^ and Echis, Of these the only 

 characteristically Oriental genera are Calotes, Lyeodon, Bun- 

 garus- whilst Gabrita (allied to Eremias), Charasia (very near 

 to Stellio), Chamoileo, Ery^, and Eckis have distinct Ethio- 

 pian affinities, and Sitana is restricted to India, The fol- 

 lowing families are Ethiopian and Indian, but not Malayan — 

 Chamceleontidoi (1 species) and Erycidce, f (2 species). The 

 following are Indian and Malayan but not Ethiopian — Oligo- 

 dontidxE^ represented by one species in the typical Indian sub- 

 provinces, and Crotalidce^ which are not known to occur in 

 them at all. 



It is true that of the Amphibia not a single family exhibits 

 special Ethiopian affinities 5 but the genus Pyxicephalus does 

 so most unmistakably. This genus has not been found east 

 of the Bay of Bengal. 



Before concluding these few remarks, there is a point to 

 which I think it well to call attention, as it is one which has 

 largely influenced me in insisting on the African affinities of 

 the Indian fauna. This is the evidence that in Northern and 

 Central India the fauna in the later Tertiary times was more 

 allied to that of Africa at present than it now is. This is 

 shown by the presence of Hippopotamus ^ Camelopardalis, 

 Loxodon^ and a number of antilopine forms in the Pliocene 



* I have not met with this genus in either the Deccan or the Gangetic 

 subprovince. 



t The statement that Unjx and Gongylophis occur in Sikkim has been 

 shown to be an error. It depends on the localities affixed to the specimens 

 collected by the Messrs. v. Schlagintweit, many of whose localities are 

 untrustworthy. See P. A. S. B. 1870, p. 77 ; J. A. S. B. 1871, p. 421. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. xVin. 20 



