16 ZOOLOGY OF INDIA. 



New-Guinea and New-Ireland, the Asiatic forms, properly 

 so called, begin to disappear, and are replaced by many 

 singular and interesting species, which exhibit the com- 

 mencement of what may be named the Australasian king- 

 dom. For example, the genus Meliphaga (including those 

 honey-sucking birds which so strongly characterize the 

 latter region) are also found in the above-named islands, as 

 are likewise species belonging to Dacdo, Barita, and other 

 groups, which were long believed to pertain exclusively to 

 Australasia. In all other countries the larger quadrupeds 

 of the Indian islands entirely disappear, and the suctorial 

 family of birds are displayed in all their brilliancy ; while 

 the New-Guinea Promerops unites with the McU-phagidm, 

 and beautifully exhibits the finely graduated transition in the 

 forms of animal life from one region to another.* None 

 of theperching-birds {Inscssores) of these southern countries 

 are generically the same as those of Europe, and an exami- 

 nation of the insects and shells leads us to the same general 

 results. 



For the present, however, we must confine our observations 

 chiefly to the territories which lie to the south and west 

 of the great mountain-chains of Himmaleh and Hindoo 

 Cush,— to Cabul, Cashmere, and Hindostan, properly so 

 called. We shall also refer occasionally to the zoological 

 productions of the great island of Ceylon; so that our 

 sketches will comprehend a space extendmg from the 6th 

 to the 34th degrees of north latitude, and from about the 

 65th to the 90th degrees of east longitude. This division 

 of the Asiatic territory is convenient, not only in a political, 

 but also in a zoological point of view ; for while it embraces 



time ago the only known siiecies), is now known to contain two 

 additional species iM. Horsfddii and Temminckii, figured by Mr. 

 Gould), both of which occur amon;; the Himmaleh mountains. 



* The genua Pmnatorhinus, Horsfield {Linv. Trans., vol, xiii, p. 

 164), in relation to the preceding observations, may be said to exhibit a 

 more complicated distribiition. It was established by its founder for 

 the reception of a species from the wooded mountains of Java ; but the 

 dusky be.'-eater of Latham {Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 146, No. 31) belongs 

 to the same Renus, and a new species has lately bean added to it under 

 the name of P. supercilioeus {Lnm. Trans., vol. xv. p. 330). Both 

 of these are native to New-Holland, where, I helieve, they were first 

 observed by Mr. Robert Brown. Lastly, the P. erythroi^enys. a recently 

 discovered species, has been ascertained to inhabit the Himmaleli range 



