274 THE ORIENTAL REGION. [CHAP. 



to northern Africa, it is unknown in Ceylon or in the countries on 

 the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, which forms, indeed, the 

 present limits of the range of the genus in this direction. As 

 remains of the existing African spotted hyaena (H. crocutd) have 

 been met with in a cave in Madras, while they are common in the 

 Plistocene of southern and central Europe, it is manifest that both 

 these animals are as essentially western types as is the lion. And 

 it is a curious circumstance that nearly all these western types of 

 mammals ranging into India (of which a list is given in the sequel) 

 belong to genera which date only from the Miocene or Pliocene, 

 whereas very many of the Malayan or eastern types date from the 

 Oligocene. During the Pliocene a single species of hyaena ranged 

 as far eastwards as China, and species were exceedingly abundant 

 in India at the same epoch. 



As regards its Canidcz, the Oriental region is inferior to 

 the Ethiopian in lacking any peculiar generic type, although it 

 possesses a true wolf (Cants pallipes), and three species of wild 

 dog (C. rutilans, etc.), the latter, on account of the absence of the 

 last tooth in the lower jaw and other differences, being frequently 

 referred to a distinct genus, under the title of Cyan. Whereas, 

 however, the Indian wolf, which ranges into southern Arabia, is 

 unknown either in Ceylon or in the countries to the east of the 

 Bay of Bengal, the wild dogs are found throughout the region, and 

 have also a representative beyond it in the mountains of Central 

 Asia, and they are likewise known by fossil species from the 

 European Plistocene. The wolf, which is very closely allied to 

 the European species, may be the descendant of a fossil form 

 found in the Siwaliks, but its absence from Ceylon would seem to 

 indicate that it has only reached southern India at a comparatively 

 modern date. No foxes are known to the east of the Bay of 

 Bengal, and the jackal does not range east of Burma. 



The Oriental region is the home of three well-marked species 

 of bears, and thereby presents a decided contrast to the Ethiopian. 

 Of these the Himalayan black bear (Ursus torquatus) ranges from 

 the forest districts of the Himalaya to Burma, and thence to the 

 Indo-Chinese sub-region. The small Malayan bear (U. malay- 

 anus] is restricted to the Burmese and Malayan sub-regions ; and 

 the great Indian sloth bear (Melursus ursinus], which is the sole 



