27 



^ NOTES ON THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF 

 RATBUR! AND PETGHABURI DISTRICTS. 



BY K. G. GAIRDNEK. 



Introductory. 



The subject of this paper is the Fauna and Flora of Katburi 

 and Petchaburi, in which districts I have been worlving for the past 

 few years; but unfortunately, from the zoological standpoint, have 

 only been taking notes of specimens obtained during the past two 

 years ; viz., 1912-1913, 



The area in question lies between N. ""at. 12° 40' and 14° JO' 

 and E. Long. 99°-100°. It is, of course, within the Oriental region 

 bordering on the Indo-Malayan sub-region, and the Fauna is practically 

 the same as that found in the adjoining Province of Tenasserim. 



The country under review may be roughly divided into five 

 fairly distinct classes, namely : — 



1. The coast line in the N. W. corner of the Gulf of Siam, 

 about the mouths of the Ratburi and Petchaburi rivers, with a belt 

 of tidal mangrove swamps varying in width, but at no })oint more 

 than 7 miles wide. 



2. The alluvial paddy plains, with a soil generallj' lighter than 

 that around Bangkok ; and with abrupt limestone crags standing up 

 from the plains. 



3. The slightly undulating country with isolated hills and 

 small ranges ; and covered with various classes of jungle, chiefly 

 deciduous. 



4. The foothills covered with mixed jungle, deciduous and 

 evergreen, and 



5. The continuous mountains running up to tlie watershed 

 dividing Siam and Tenasserim, covered with dense evergreen jungle. 



The varying classes of countiy have each their fairly distinct 

 populations. Along the coast are Siamese and Mons, with a number 

 of Chinese in the larger centres encnaed in fishinu' and euttinu' of lire- 

 wood and attap. 



n"fc' 



