532 Dr. C. B. Ticehurst on [Ibis, 



a distinct offshoot from this main movement is one which 

 has a more westerly trend, taking some species which winter 

 in India to Persia, and by it travel Emheriza melanocepliala 

 and Jinttoni, (T^nantlie x. cJu-i/sopi/ga, Pastor roseus, Fterodes 

 orientalis and alchata, and possible others. 



Besides these well-marked migrations there are local 

 movements depending on the degree of cold in Upper Sind, 

 and perhaps the Punjab, which moves down such species 

 as Coranas henglialensis, Cinnyris asiatica, Merops orientalis, 

 Ilirundo filifera, while other local movements depend on 

 presence or absence of water. 



Avifauna. — Sind ornithologically is the western limit of 

 the Indo-Malayan or Oriental region, and most of its 

 breeding birds belong to this area ; it, however, contains 

 a sprinkling of true Palsearctic species, such as Sturnus 

 vulgaris, Alcemon alaudipes^ Ammomanes deserti, Ilippolais 

 rama, Acrocephalus stentoreiis, CEnantJie alhoniger, Scotocerca 

 inquieta, Glareola pratincola, Charadrius alexandrinus, Ciir- 

 sorius gallicus, IxobrycJius minutus, Pterodes coronatus and 

 senegallns, Ammoperdi.v griseogtdaris, and Cotnrnix cotnrnix ; 

 while in some others which are common to both regions it 

 is not the Indian but a Palsearctic race which is found in 

 Sind, e. g. Halcyon s. smyrnensis, Cobnnha livia negJeda, 

 Neophron p. percnoptencs, Cinnyris a. hrevirostris. So, too, 

 the proximity to the Palpearctic area is Ijorne upon one in 

 vievving those passage migrants which I have described 

 as taking the Arabian route, and which pass through this 

 province almost alone of all India, while a fair number of 

 Palfearctic winter visitors are only, or almost only, found in 

 Sind. 



Where then is the Palsearctic boundary ? In reality there 

 is none in the sense that there is a barrier beyond which no 

 Palfearctic species go east and no Indian ones go west ; the 

 two areas tail off into each other over a considerable area 

 from south-east Persia to Sind. Yet the Khirthar and part 

 of the Mekran coast ranges do, together with lack of suitable 

 " forest-jheel country " west of the Indus valley, undoubtedly 

 limit the progress west of a number of Indian species. The 



