1870.] A Contribution to Malayan Ornithology. 279 



Malacca, and, I can add, extending as far north as the Wellesley 

 Province and including the island of Penang. More than one- 

 half of the species are absolutely the same, and many others have 

 very marked affinities. Several of the species which characterize 

 this part of the fauna, like many peculiar Capitonid^j, Picid^e, 

 and Columbid^e (treronin^e) etc., do not extend further north, 

 but others do so, and again some of the species and genera are 

 replaced by closely allied types. Several of the birds noted from 

 the Wellesley province represent intermediate types between the 

 northern Indo-Burmese and the southern Malayan forms, and are 

 on that account particularly interesting, as will be seen from a com- 

 parison of the details given further on. 



Indeed these intermediate local forms are the most important in 

 the study of a fauna, for they are the only reliable records upon 

 which the explanation of the origin of local faunas must be based, 

 and their connection with the faunas of the neighbouring countries. 

 And still more : they are to a great extent the basis of a good clas- 

 sification, for upon the correct determination of these local varia- 

 tions and their constancy actually rests the limitation of the term 

 species. Bearing this in view, I have added exact measurements of 

 all the birds I noted, and more detailed descriptions of some others 

 which appear either to represent peculiar varieties, or seem other- 

 wise to be interesting in a comparison with Indian birds. 



It is an established fact that British India* is peopled by two 

 markedly distinct faunas. The fauna of nearly the' .hole of the pro- 

 vinces to the east of the Ganges and Hugli, stretching N. W. some- 

 what along the base of the Himalayas, is Malayan, the Malayan 

 character gradually dimininishing, or altering, the more the fauna 

 proceeds towards west or north-west. I may say that about one- 

 fourth of the birds in this great Malayan province are identical as to 

 species. Some which appear to be rather inclined to an insular habitat 

 seem to decrease in size when they proceed northwards; but as a rule, 

 the same species, when it enters India, seems again to develop to a 

 large form. This fact should not be unduly appreciated, for taking 

 the fauna of each small province independently of that of the other, 



* Excluding the Western Punjab country which has strong European 

 affinities. 



