72 IStoliczha, on KachJi Beptiles. [May, 



type, like that of Sind, Southern Panjab and Kathiwar. Consequently 

 I shall have to notice several forms of purely African character, which are 

 quite foreign to our eastern provinces, like Bengal. 



Of some of the physical peculiarities of the country, I shall speak on another 

 occasion, in connexion with the avifauna of the province. I have at present only 

 to notice that nearly all the species, placed on record, had been collected in the 

 northern, moderately hilly part of Kachh, and along the Run, where locally a 

 somewhat richer vegetation exists. But few species were met with along the sea 

 coast near Mandavi, and these agree with Bengal forms, such as Tiliqua carinata 

 and macularia, &c. The collection was made between November and Feb- 

 ruary, in the cold and dry, and consequently very unfavourable, season for the 

 existence of many reptilian or amphibian forms. This will explain the com- 

 paratively small number of species noticed ; for I have little doubt that the 

 number might easily be doubled, if a careful collection were made during the 

 rainy season. At that time, I heard, snakes for instance, are very abundant and 

 in great variety, while during the winter I have met with hardly more than 

 half a dozen. Of Batracliia actually only Mana cyanophlyctis was common. 

 Of Testudinata a species of Emyda is common in tanks, &c., and a small 

 Testudo, very like T. Grayi, Giinther, is very rare. Among the Sauria I 

 obtained, however, several interesting and very rare forms, such as the new 

 genus Blepharosteres, BracJiysaura ornata, a new Gymnodactylus^ &c. A 

 species of Crocodile occurs in the brackish streams, but I have not suc- 

 ceeded in getting a specimen. 



The characteristic species of the Reptilian fauna of Kachh are : 

 Ophiops Jerdoni, Gymnops microlepis, Sitana JPonticeriana, Calotes ver- 

 sicolor, TJromastix SardwicJcii, Semidactylus maculatus, Gymnodactylus 

 Kachhensis, Zamenis diadema, and Echis carinata. These are the only 

 common species during the cold season, and I would draw special attention 

 to two or three of them. 



Gymnops microlepis, Blf., was up to the present time known from 

 the solitary type found at Korba in the Central Provinces, and a few 

 other specimens were found by me at Kuhurbali in West Bengal. 

 In Kachh, it is hardly possible to move a step without meeting this 

 lizard. We are, therefore, justified to regard this part of the country 

 as its head-quarters, and further to suspect that its geographical distri- 

 bution is gradually extending into India. — Again, BracJiysaura ornata was 

 named from a single specimen, found nearly twenty years ago by Jerdon at 

 Saugor, Central India, and all efforts on the part of Dr. Jerdon, and others, 

 to re-discover this remarkable form failed, until I met with several specimens 

 in Kachh ; thus its head-quarters appear to be westward. — Hemidactylus 

 Kachhensis has its nearest allies in H. scaler and Kotchyi, which are 

 African and Persian forms. Excepting G. triedrus of Ceylon there is not 



