THE LACCADIVES AND THE WEST COAST. 459 
687.—Temenuchus pagodarum, G'mel. 
760.—Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop. 
822.—Ortygornis ponticeriana, Gmel. 
845.—Charadrius fulvus, Gel. 
860.—Strepsilas interpres, Lin. 
878.—Numenius pheopus, Lin. 
I need only here add that in the Madras roads, where Dr. 
Armstrong also collected, the only sea birds that he met with at 
the end of March were Larus leucophezus, all more or less in 
immature plumage, and Xema brunneicephala mostly getting into 
and one already in perfect breeding plumage. 
I will now give a separate list of the species of birds actual- 
ly observed at the Laccadives, remarking by way of preface 
that, unsuccessful as on the whole it was, our cruise estab- 
lished. 
1st—That the Laccadives are divided from the main land of 
India by a deep trough, not less than 1,300 fathoms in depth, 
and possibly considerably more. 
2nd—That they have no distinctive fauna or flora. No 
Mammals, except the common Indian Mus rufescens, that even 
in the neighbourhood of Calcutta infests cocoanut trees. 
No land birds, except a very few of the commonest Indian 
species. 
No non-Indian plants, the flora consisting mostly of species 
common on the sea-coasts of India, and more or less diffused 
over China, Java, andthe Straits, extending in many cases to 
the Malayan Archipelago, Australia, and the South-sea Islands 
and in several to the tropics generally. 
I may add that the majority of the species of plants possess, 
according to native ideas, medicinal properties, and are therefore 
just those which are most likely to have been introduced by 
human agencies ; and that, as a matter of fact, it is in the largest 
island, where the population is greatest and the communication 
with the mainland has been on the largest scale, that the num- 
ber of species is greatest. 
There appear to me reasons for suspecting that the northern 
members of the group, at any rate, have undergone a period of 
subsidence since the coral, of which they mainly consist, was 
formed, the subsequent elevation not having been sufficient 
