30 [No. 1, 



account op a visit to the eastern and northern frontiers of 

 Independent Sikkim, with Notes on the Zoology op the Alpine 

 and Sub-alpine regions, Part II, Zoology, — by "William T. 

 Blanpord, F. G. S., C. M. Z. S. 



(Received 29th September, 1871.) 

 The present paper will contain notes on the Vertehrata collected, or 

 observed, in the Alpine and Sub-alpine portions of Independent Sikkim, a 

 few remarks being added on some of the animals inhabiting the neighbour- 

 ing regions in Tibet. Only those species will be noticed which are found 

 in the region of pine forests, or in the Rhododendron bushes and open ground 

 above the limit of trees, and consequently no animals will as a rule be 

 mentioned which are not found above 10,000 feet on the eastern Chola 

 ranges, and above 8,000 feet in Northern Sikkim. This elevation, which is 

 about the lower limit of pines, is also a fair approximation to a boundary 

 line between the two faunas which meet in the Eastern Himalayas, the Malay 

 and the Palaearctic. 



The fauna of the plains of India appears to penetrate deeply into the 

 Western Himalayas and to meet the Palsearctic fauna ; but, as a rule, it stops 

 suddenly at the base of the mountains in Sikkim. A few birds found in the 

 outer valleys are species which inhabit the Indian Peninsula, but they form 

 but a very small percentage of the avi-fauna ; the great bulk of the 

 animals of every class are either peculiar to the South-western Himalayas, or 

 common to it and the Malay Peninsula. The most striking characteristic of 

 the fauna of India proper is the presence of numerous forms with western 

 and generally African affinities, such as Sycena, Canis, Mellwora, Lepus, 

 Antilope, Gazella, amongst mammals ; Neophron, Aquila, (restricted.) 

 Thamnobia, Malacocircus, Pastor, Ammomanes, JPyrrhulauda, Galandrella, 

 JPterocles, Cursorius, amongst birds ; Cabrita, Ophiops, Sitcma, JEryx, JHcliis, 

 amongst reptiles ; Cyclotopsis amongst land mollusca, &c. All of these 

 disappear in the Himalayas of Sikkim, and their place is taken by a far 

 richer fauna. Amongst the mammals Arctonyx, Helictis, Arctictis, Urva, 

 HMzomys and Nemorhoedus, almost all Malayan forms, make then' appear- 

 ance ; amongst birds the sub-families JSurylaimincd, Leiotricliince, Macropy- 

 gince, Pliasianince, entirely unrepresented in India, are found, whilst the 

 number of Picidce* Ouculidts, Qapitonidce, Nectarinidce, Crateropidce, 



* In the plains of India exclusive of Malabar there are 12 species of Woodpeckers 

 enumerated as found by Jerdon. All except two or three being very local. In 

 tropical and temperate Sikkim alone 17 are found. Of the Timalince of Jerdon 13 

 are found in various parts of India exclusive of Malabar, nine are peculiar to Malabar, 

 and no less than 48 have been found in the South-eastern Himalayas. 



