chap, xii.] THE ORIENTAL REGION. 327 



vince. The main features of this division are, — the appearance 

 of numerous animals allied to forms only found again in the 

 Himalayas or in the Malayan sub-region, the possession of 

 several peculiar generic types, and an unusual number of 

 peculiar species. 



Mammalia. — Among Mammalia the most remarkable form 

 is Loris, a genus of Lemurs altogether peculiar to the sub- 

 region; several peculiar monkeys of the genus Presbytes ; the 

 Malayan genus Tupaia ; and Platacanthomys, a peculiar genus 

 of Muridse. 



Birds. — Among birds it has Ochromela, a peculiar genus of 

 flycatchers ; Phomicopliaes (Cuculidae) and Drymocataphus (Tima- 

 liidae), both Malayan forms ; a species of Myiophonus whose 

 nearest ally is in Java; Trochalopteron, Brachypteryx, Buceros 

 and Loriculus, which are only found elsewhere in the Himalayas 

 and Malayana. It also possesses about 80 peculiar species of 

 birds, including a large jungle fowl, one owl and two hornbills. 



Reptiles. — It is however by its Eeptiles, even more than by its 

 higher vertebrates, that this sub-region is clearly characterised. 

 Among snakes it possesses an entire family, Uropeltidae, consisting 

 of 5 genera and 18 species altogether confined to it, — Rhinophis 

 and Uropeltis in Ceylon, Silybura, Plecturus and Melanophidium 

 in Southern India. Four other genera of snakes, Haplocercus, 

 Cercaspis, Peltopelor, and Hypnale are also peculiar; Chersydrus 

 is only found elsewhere in Malaya ; while Aspidura, Passerita, 

 and Cyjiophis, only extend to Hindostan ; and species of Eryx, 

 PJchis, and Psammophis show an affinity with Ethiopian and 

 Palasarctic forms. Among lizards several genera of Agamidce 

 are peculiar, such as Otocryptis, Lyricoephalus, Ceratophora, Co- 

 photis, Salea, Sitana and Charasia. In the family Acontiadae, 

 Nessia is peculiar to Ceylon, while a species of the African 

 genus Acontias shows an affinity for the Ethiopian region. 



Amphibia. — The genera of Amphibians that occur here are 

 generally of wide range, but Nannophrys, Haphbatrachus, 

 and Cacopus are confined to the sub-region ; while Megalo- 

 phrys is Malayan, and the species found in Ceylon also inhabit 

 Java. 



