218 F. Stoliczka — Mammals and Birds inhabiting Kachh. [No. 3, 



occur, likewise shew very few representants, such as the Muscicapidce, Am- 

 pellidce, Frmgillidee, Corvidce, &c. 



Among the brushwoods the common birds are Pycnonotus chrysorrhoides 

 Otocampsa leucotis, Lanius vittatus, lor a Zeylanica, Sylvia curruca, Munia 

 3IaJabarica, &c, less numerous are Phyllopneuste rama, Pericrocotus pere- 

 grinus, Orthodomus longicaudus, Drymoipns Jerdoni, Phylloscopus tristis, 

 Tephrodornis Pondiceriana and a few others, while Partes nuchalis or Leu- 

 cocerca aureola are great rarities. Hunting between the bushes on the 

 ground, we meet with Tliamnobia Cambayensis, Citrinella Huttoni and C'ka- 

 torhea caudata, always in company with Franklinia Puchanani, and on still 

 more open ground Saxicola picata and deserti ( = atrogularis) . The above 

 are actually the only very common birds, and five of each may at any time 

 be seen for every one of any other kind. 



In the sandy plains we meet with a great number of G-eall^;, particu- 

 larly Otitidce and Char adrided. Among these Cursorius Jamesoni (?= galHcus) , 

 Chettusia gregaria, Lobivanellus indicus, Sarciophorus bilobus, Grus cinerea, 

 Houbara Macquenii, are characteristic of the country ; several of these depart 

 during the summer, but are replaced during the rains by the Florikan, Sypheo- 

 tides auritus, which is said to arrive in large numbers in the rainy season. 



The starlings, grey partridges, pigeons, and doves keep, naturally enough, 

 near the villages. In the fields few other larger birds except Geronticus 

 papillosus and Buplms coromandus, and occasionally Grus antigone, are to 

 be seen ; of smaller birds Agrodroma campestris and several species of larks 

 are common. Both Grallatores and Natatores are abundant on the small 

 lakes and tanks. Indeed scarcely a pool of water, if only thirty or forty 

 feet in length, will be met with without some species of Actitis or Totanus, 

 but particularly common are Himantopus intermedins, Spatula clypeata 

 and Qaerquedwla crecca. On the somewhat larger tanks one is certain to 

 meet besides these with the gadwall (Chaulelasmus streperus), the pintail 

 (JDaJila acuta), the little grebe (Podiceps minor), and also Limosa cego- 

 cepltala and one or the other of the white Herodias. Naturally in an open 

 country, where sport is comparatively easy, birds of prey would not be want- 

 ing, and amongst these Falcojugger, Hypotriorcliis cliiqiiera, Aqidla fulves- 



A change in the physical conditions of a country will be rapidly followed by a corre- 

 sponding change in the fauna, either decreasing or increasing, and thus the geogra- 

 phical limits of a species become mainly dependent 11/pon physical conditions. To give 

 an example, I mean, that if for instance one of the low hill ranges of Kachh, 

 averaging a height of a few hundred feet, was replaced by one of similar mineralogical 

 character and of an average height of 5000 feet, we would very soon find it wooded, 

 and then inhabited by an abundance of Malabar forms, although these would be absent 

 in the intervening desert country. An actual example of this may be seen on Mount 

 Aboo, as known from Dr. King's list of birds. 



