BIRDS OF UPPER PEGU. 17 



I have not said anything- about genera ; I find an insuperable 

 difficulty here in dealing" with these. I constantly see genera 

 unhesitatingly set down as Indian, Indo-Malayan, Indo-Chinese, 

 and the like, which do not appear to me to be rightly described by 

 these titles, or indeed by any titles that I have yet seen applied 

 to them. Nor do I find any general consensus as what should 

 be considered Indian, &c. Nor again do I find, after analyzing- 

 all the genera occurring within our Indian Empire, so far as I 

 know them, any method of so classing them that each class 

 shall represent approximately the same area of distribution 

 without creating an utterly unmanageable number of classes. 

 No doubt it is possible to neglect distribution, and assign the 

 genus to the territorial division where, owing to its being 

 represented by most species and individuals, it may be inferred to 

 have originated ; but this is altogether empirical, and no two 

 ornithologists would probably locate any hundred genera in the 

 same way. To take now the genera included in our present list 

 there are only the following, using the names in their most 

 restricted sense, that I should call Indian, as having presumably 

 their centre of distribution within that region, viz. : — 



Athene, Palaeornis, Hierococcyx, Xantholama, Hydrocisssa, 

 Chrysophlegma, Arachneclithra, Tephrodomis ,Hemipns , Volvocivora, 

 Perierocotus, Chibia, Cyornis, Culicicapa, Oreocincla, Pyctorhis, 

 Alcippe, Chatarrhcea, Molpastes, Suya, Limonidromns, Erpornis, 

 Sturnopastor, Acridotheres, Ploceus, Munia, Mirafra, Alaudula, 

 Crocopus, Osmolreron, Pavo, Gallus, and Francolinus. 



While many of these extend far beyond the limits the title 

 would imply, many will doubtless by others be denied their right 

 to this title. 



But genera like these are easy. What is one to call one like 

 Elanus, or even one like Coccystes ? 



In fact, even setting aside the Waders and Swimmers so 

 generally cosmopolitan, not one half of the genera are so capable 

 of local assignment as to throw any real light on the affinities 

 of the fauna of a limited region like that with which we 

 are dealing; and if those only are selected which can be 

 more or less localized, the result tends rather to mislead than 

 enlighten one. 



Thus, I have above enumerated all the genera, thirty-five in 

 number, amongst those known to be represented in this region, 

 which, according to my views, can properly be designated Indian. 

 But if we take those whose head-quarters may be considered 

 to be in Malayana, South-East Asia, and the Archipelago, we 

 find no less than forty-four, viz. : — 



Microhierax, Lophospiza, Spizaetus, Spilomis, Polioaetus, 

 Poliornis, Haliastur, Phodilus, Ninox, Dendrochelidon, Harpactes, 

 Pelargopsis, Carcineutes, Ceyx, Dickoceros, Loriculus, Yungipicus, 



c 



