98 iiEPOET — 1875. 



1. British India. 



2. Cetitral and Southern China, 

 8, JBiirmah, Siam, mid Cochin, 



4, MaUiy Peninsula. 



4:0. Andaman and Nicohar Islands, 



5. East-Indian Islands. 



G, Philippine Archipelago, 



1. British India. 



For British India Dr. Jerdon's well-known series of zoological handbooks was in- 

 tended to supi^ly a long-standing want; and it is a great misfortune that his untinndy 

 death has interfered with theii- completion. The three volumes on the Birds were 

 finished in 1864 (1), and the one on the Mammals (2) in 18G7. Of the volume on 

 the Reptiles and Batrachians a portion, I believe, was actually in type at the time of 

 his decease ; but of the Fishes no part, so far as I know, was so much advanced. 

 For the Reptiles, therefore, we must for the present refer to Dr. Giinther's ' Reptiles 

 of British India' (3), published by the Ray Society in 1864; indeed, as regcxrds 

 India, any future account of these animals must, in any cjise, be founded upon the 

 basis of that excellent and conscientious work. Mr. Theobald's Catalogue of the 

 Reptiles in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (4) should be also con- 

 sulted. For the Indian Fishes generally there is at present no one authority, 

 though Dr. Day, author of the ' Fishes of Malabar ' (5) and of numerous other- 

 papers, is understood to have in preparation a general work on this subject, which 

 his office of Inspector-General of Indian Fisheries has given him excellent oppor- 

 tunities of studying. Complete lists of both the freshwater and marine species of 

 India are given in the appendices to Dr. Day's two ' Reports on the Fisheries of 

 India and Burmah ' (6 & 7), published in India in 1873. 



But although our wants as regards the Indian Vertebrates will probably be sup- 

 plied in this way, it would be much more satisfactory if the Indian Government 

 would select a successor to Dr. Jerdon, and place under his control the necessaiy 

 means for the preparation of a series of zoological handbooks for India. There is 

 no reason why Botany should be more favoured than Zoology in this matter ; and I 

 believe it is only the greater energy of the botanists that in this, as in other cases, 

 has given them the start. New editions of Dr. Jerdon's ' Mammals ' and ' Birds ' arc 

 both necessary to bring our knowledge up to date ; and the original editions are long 

 since out of print. There can be no question as to the great impetus to the study 

 of Natural History in India that has already followed on the pubhcation of these 

 handbooks ; and it will be a great misfortime to science if our Indian rulers fail to 

 continue the good work. They have only to select a competent editor for the series, 

 and to place the necessary funds temporarily at his disposal. The sale of the worlcs 

 will in the end more than recoup all the necessary expenses. 



Amongst more recent contributions to our knowledge of Indian Ornitholog}-, which, 

 under the influence above refeiTed to, have been especially numerous, I can now only 

 stop to call attention to a few. Mr. Allan Hume, C.B., has been specially active, and 

 has published numerous papers .in his queerly-titled periodical ' Stray Feathers ' 

 (8), which is exclusively devoted to Indian Ornithology. Amongst them the arti- 

 cles on the bii'ds of Scinde (9) and those of Upper Pegu (lOj areof special interest. 

 Mr. Holdswgrth's most useful " Synopsis of the Birds of Ceylon," lately published 

 in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Societj^' (11), is also of great value, more 

 especially as Cejdon was omitted from the scope of Dr. Jerdon's work. Nor must 

 I onrit to mention Major Godwin- Austen's series of papers (12) on the Ornithology 

 of the newly-explored districts on the north-eastern frontier, which contain so 

 much of novelty and instruction. 



As regards the Testudinata of India, we may shortly expect a complete account 

 of them fi'om Dr. John Anderson, who has devoted much time and toil to their 

 study. His magnificent series of di-awings of these animals, from living specimens, 

 I have had the pleasure of inspecting ; and I trust sincerely that some means may 

 be found of reproducing them for publication. Such a wovk would vastly increase 

 our knowledge of this very difficult group of animals. 



