294 On the African Element in the Fauna of India. 



fossil fauna of tlie Sevaliks, and of a Rhinoceros belonging to 

 the African type {R. deccanensis ^ Foote) in the Deccan. In 

 the Pleistocene fauna of the Nerbudda buffaloes are found with 

 a species of round-horned i^os [B. namadicus), now replaced in 

 the same region by the flat- horned Malayan Bos {Bibos) 

 gaurus. Of course the round-horned bovine is not African ; 

 but neither is it Malay. My belief is that the vertebrate 

 fauna of India contains three elements, derived at three dif- 

 ferent periods from countries which were or had been in con- 

 nexion with Africa. The first of these consists of the forms 

 common to the Ethiopian and Oriental region. These are in 

 India the bullc of the fauna. It is scarcely necessary to quote 

 examples ; but the Viverridce, Tragididoi, Manididce^ Mega- 

 IcemidcBj Bucerotida'^ and Pycnonotidce will serve as charac- 

 teristic illustrations. The second consists of forms common 

 to tire Ethiopian region and India, but wliich do not extend 

 to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal ; nor are they represented 

 in the portion of South-western Asia now lying on the direct 

 line between India and Africa : such are Mellivora^ Antilope^ 

 Portaxj Tetraceros amongst mammals, Sypheotides^ Rhino- 

 ptilus, Chicquera, Thamnohia amongst birds. The third is 

 composed of species with Ethiopian affinities, which may have 

 wandered into India from Arabia and Baluchistan : such are 

 Gazella Bennetti and Neophron percnojyterus. In the case of 

 many Ethiopian forms inhabiting India, e. g. Pyrrhulauda 

 grisea^ Eiqjodotis Edwardsij &c., it is not easy to say to which 

 of the two latter classes they belong, as they are represented 

 by closely allied forms in South-western Asia. But there can 

 be very little doubt of the animals of the second group having 

 entered India by a line of communication which no longer 

 exists (some of them, e.g. Tetraceros and Rhino^tilus) being 

 forest forms not found in open country. 



I regret that want of time prevents my entering more 

 thoroughly into this subject. I have tried to weigh the 

 evidence fairly ; and I think I have shown that my belief in 

 the presence of a marked African element in the Indian fauna 

 is not due to a confusion between " station " and " habitat." 

 From what is known of the distribution of the Mollusca, 

 Insecta, and Arachnida, I believe that the evidence afforded 

 by the Invertebrata coincides with that of the Vertebrate 

 fauna. 



Calcutta, August 0, 1876. 



