108 REPORT — 1869. 



But in most cases these are more or less represented in Africa, wliilst a larger 

 number of the Afi-ican tj'pes have no closely allied forms in the Malay regions. 



In Bengal, however, Orissa, Malabar, and Ceylon, Malay forms are much more 

 largely represented, while the African types disappear. Throughout the southern 

 portion of the peninsula of India, south of the Kistna river, several pecuhar forms 

 occur, like Presbi/tis Prinmus, Macacus radiafiis, Tapaia Elliotici, Lepus nigricoUis, 

 some of which have Malayan affinities, though by no meaus all. 



The distribution of the Carnivora and Ruminants was discussed, and that of the 

 Birds also treated at some length. Amongst the operculated laud-shells it was 

 shown that the Cyclophoruhfi, which are chiefly developed in Malayasia, extend- 

 ing to South America, though largely represented in India, are almost confined to 

 the Bengal, Malabar, and Ceylouese subprovinces, whilst Cydotopsis, a genus of 

 Cyclostomidce, a family widely developed in Southern Europe and parts of Africa, 

 is widely distributed over India. 



It was further shown that, although many of the Afi-ican animals belonged to 

 desert types, others, such as Pferocles hifasciatus, Otis aurita, Tocktis yinyalensis, 

 belono- to African bush or forest forms, and the absence of species of such marked 

 forest birds as the Treroniclfp and BiK-erotidee, except those most nearly allied to 

 African tj'pes in the forests of Central and Western India, was commented upon. 



The e.xtraordinary divergence in the migratory birds of Bengal and Western 

 India received notice. Besides the better known cases, it was shown that Circus 

 melanoleucos, Erythrosterna leucura, and Gallinayo sphenura were confined, so far 

 as is knowTi, to the eastern portion of India, whilst Erythosterna parva, at least 

 five species of Saxicola, Emheriza Huttoni, two species of Euspiza, Circus cyaneus, 

 Cotyle rupestris, and others, are only found in the West and Centre. 



In Upper Burma there are a few forms with Indian affinities, which are not 

 represented in the !Malay countries proper. Such are Lepus peyuensis, the Jackal 

 (perhap" introduced), Francolinus peyuensis, Pericrocotus albifrons, a, Chattarhcea, 

 &c., and two African or desert forms of land shells, Pupa insularis and P. cceno- 

 picta. 



Altogether it was considered that India proper was not an integral portion of 

 the Malay zoological province, but a border land containing a mixture of the 

 Malay ani ^Ethiopian faunas, and it was suggested that the name Indian region 

 might be advantageously changed to Mala}', as the emploj-nient of the former 

 involves error. 



On the genus Boswellia, with Descriptions and Drawings of Three new Species. 



By Dr. Bibdwood. 



HemarTcs on a recently discovered Species of Myxogaster. By C. E. Become. 



TrichiaJlayeUifer was discovered on shoots of Spruce Fir in the winter of 1865, 

 by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, since which time it has occurred more abundantly on 

 rotten stems of Puhus fruiicosus. The specific name was given to it on account of 

 the threads or elaters being repeatedly divided at their ends, thus resembling small 

 scourges. A more careful examination of its structure was made in the winter of 

 1868, and the result showed that it forms a connecting link between the genera 

 Trichia and Physorum, po.«sessing the spiral threads of the former combined with 

 the adnate capillitium of the latter. Fries describes the capillitium of Trichia as 

 "densely interwoven, and its threads adnate at the base," by which he means, as 

 the context shows, that the threads are attached to each other, but not to the 

 peridia. Corda, in his ' Icones,' followed by Wigand, 'Annales des Sciences' for 

 1862, describes the capillitium of Trichia as developed freely in the centre of 

 the peridium. Wigand says that " sections of the peridium of TAi'c7»'a show the 

 capillitium occupying generally the cential cavity of the peridium, the mass of 

 spores filling the .'•pace intermediate between the capillitium and the walls of the 

 peridium, and that the individual elaters are generally simple, or only slightly 

 branched, and detached from each other, and characterized by spiral projections." 

 In the nearly related genus Arcyria the threads of the capillitium ofttn form reti- 



