March 30, 1871 iP 
NATURE 


region, and in the bird-class its connection with India is 
maintained chiefly by migratory species ; and very many 
of the permanently resident species, which have been 
thought to be specially characteristic of the Himélya, 
are equally found more or less throughout the Indo-Chinese 
sub-region, and not a few of them even in the Malayan 
sub-region, although nowhere met with in India, pro- 
perly so called (the extensive Zzothrix series of birds, 
for instance), while a few of them reappear as the same 
or as closely proximate (little altered) species in the hilly 
parts of Southern India and of Ceylon. On the other 
hand, as may be generally remarked of bordering sub- 
regions of different regions, there are some cases of 
mutual representation in the Himdlyan sub-region of the 
Australasian region, and the Indian sub-region of the 
Ethiopian region. The langur monkey (Presbytes schis- 
taceus) of the Himalya ; is thus a specialised form of the 
hunumdn group of India, exemplified by the Bengal 
hunuman (?. e7/ed/us) and others, this being a characteris- 
tic Indian division of the genus which has no representa- 
tive eastward of the Ganges. 
India, properly so called, is a land where sundry sub- 
regions appertaining to different regions meet, and are 
variously interposed. The Palzeo-septentrional sub-region 
of the Boreal region extends into the Panjab, while the 
Mongolian sub-region borders upon the S.E. Himdlya; 
the southern flank of the Himdlya constitutes the Hima- 
lyan sub-region of the Australasian region, to which, 
perhaps, should be referred (as distinct provinces) the 
mountains of Southern India and of Ceylon; then the 
Lybian sub-region of the Ethiopian region extends as far 
as the desert country N.W of Delhi; and the rest of 
India, with the low northern half of Ceylon, constitutes 
the main part of the Indian sub-region of the Ethiopian 
region. The N.W. Himdlya again passes northward 
into the Palaeo-septentrional and southward (in the al- 
pine Panjab) into the Palzeo-meridional sub-regions. In 
a S.W. direction the Maldive and the Laccadive coral- 
islands belong strictly to the Lemurian region of Dr. 
Sclater, and I am not sure that the latter does not reach 
the mainland of India, to comprehend the Concan or low 
maritime country constituting the Malabar coast, and 
lying along the foot of the ghats. India, therefore, instead 
of being the nucleus of a distinct zoological region, is a 
land of extraordinarily complex zoological affinities. 
As regards North America, it may be observed that the 
migratory insessorial birds are of Columbian types, 
whereas the permanently resident species are of types 
cognate with those of corresponding- latitudes in the 
major continent : as we likewise find, in Europe, that our 
feathered summer visitants are of tropical or juxta- 
tropical forms, as exemplified by the roller, bee-eater, 
cuckoo, oriole, and the mass of small insectivorous genera ; 
and the same has already been remarked with reference 
to the Himalya, viz. that as concerns the bird class, the 
connection of the southern flanks of the Himdlya with 
the plains of India is chiefly maintained by the species 
which migrate to and fro. Among the gallinaceous birds 
of North America, the turkeys (Meleagris) are the only 
fowls which have spurred tarsi, indicating their affinity to 
so many of the major continent genera of poultry-birds, 
while the partridges of the same sub-region (Ortyx and 
Lophortyx) are not more different from major continent 
forms than are many of the latter from each other. The 
turkeys are assuredly not more peculiar in any respect 
than are the peafowl and the tragopans (Cevzornts) of Asia, 
and the same holds true of the North American colins or 
partridges, even admitting the affinity of the latter for the 
Odontophori of South America. The northern continent, 
however, has nothing corresponding to the curassows and 
guans (Cracide), or to the tinamou (7¢namide) of the 
Columbian region, to its great family of toucans (A/am- 
phastide), motmots (Momotide), jacamars (Galbulide), 
puff-birds (Bucconide), cariimas (Carzamide), trumpeter- 


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429 
birds (Psophitde), or its nandous (Khawide); and of the 
enormous family of humming-birds (7yochilide) it has 
only some four or five species as seasonal immigrants ! 
Again, in the class of Mammalia it has no living repre- 
sentative of the Edenfata,so characteristic of the Columbian 
region (though it did formerly possess the Megalonyx), 
nor of the marsupial true opossums (Didelphide), save 
one species only in the southernmost Atlantic States of 
the Union ; but it has a fair proportion of Jusectivora, 
which in South America the Didelphide completely 
replace. The rodent families Chinchillide and Caviide, 
I look upon as Andisian forms, even though the viscacha 
(Lagostomus tetradactylus) represents the former in the 
Pampian sub-region of the Columbian region. The 
mammalia of the Neo-septentrional sub-region of the 
Boreal region are surely not more different from those of 
the Eur-Asian sub-regions of the same region than are 
those of the latter from one another, say the Mongolian 
sub-region from either of the rest. With regard to the 
Andisian sub-region, 1 am mainly induced from a con- 
sideration of its extinct mammalia (so different from those 
of the Pampas) to consider it as a southern extension of 
the American portion of the grand Boreal region, and 
especially from the occurrence not only of such an animal 
as the Mastodon andium, but also of the living llamas 
and alpdcas (Auchenia), which have no other known 
kindred, existent or extinct, than the camels of the major 
continent. Nevertheless, as usual in bordering sub- 
regions of different regions, there is an interposition of 
forms to a certain extent, as illustrated, on the one hand, 
by the existence of the viscdcha on the Pampian sub- 
region of the Columbian region, and by that of the 
edentate Chlamydophorus truncatus in the Andes. 
The Neo-meridional sub-region of the Boreal region 
has much stronger affinities for the Columbian region 
upon which it borders than has the Palzo-meridional 
sub-region of the Boreal region for the Ethiopian region 
and for the Australasian region upon both of which it 
borders, which of course is attributable to its nearer 
proximity to the Equator bringing it within the influence 
of the tropical and periodical rainfall. The several regions 
which are subject to that rainfall in different meridians 
hold relations of analogy with each other, z.¢. the Nigri- 
tian sub-region of the Ethiopian region, the Lemurian 
region, the whole Australasian region, the Celebesian and 
the Papuan sub-regions of the Melanesian region, and 
the Peruvian and Brazilian sub-regions of the Columbian 
region. Then, southward, in corresponding latitudes 
beyond the influence of the tropical rainfall, the same 
analogies hold between the Andisian sub-region of 
the Boreal region, the Pampian sub-region of the 
Columbian region, the Caffrarian sub-region of the 
Ethiopian region, and the Australian sub-region of the 
Melanesian region; while, again, south of the parallel 
of 40° S. lat., the analogies (though still considerable) 
between the Patagonian sub-region and those parts 
of the Australian sub-region and the Moarian sub- 
region which fall within the boundary indicated are, to 
some extent, less prominently marked. P//opachus and 
kindred strong-footed passerine birds in Patagonia, never- 
theless, most readily call to mind Menura and Orthonyx 
in Australia, and Afohoua in Moaria or New Zealand. 
Having submitted these views I reserve for another 
occasion the consideration of other classes of the animal 
kingdom ; premising, however, that I am well aware of 
such facts as the utter absence of the Cyprinid@ (or carp 
family) in all America eastward of Bering’s Straits, a 
group of fishes which is so immensely developed in 
S.E. Asia. So far as the classes of mammalia and birds 
are concerned, I think that I have about hit upon the 
true classification of zoological regions, and I wish, be- 
fore returning to the subject, to avail myself of the critical 
remarks of competent naturalists having reference to 
all classes, E, BLYTH 
