1870.] Heptilia and Amphibia from Central India. 337 



Peninsula south of the Granges with the exception of the western 

 coast, and probably a few scattered hills in Southern India. It also 

 includes Northern Ceylon. It is thus subdivided roughly. 



a. Gangetic sub-province or Hindustan ;* — extending south as 

 far as the Nerbudda ; in its eastern portion comprising only the 

 •valley of the Son and the Ganges valley as far east as Benares. 



h. Deccan sub-province ; — from the Nerbudda to the Krishna 

 (Kistna), bounded on the west by a line drawn parallel to the west 

 coast a little east of the main range of the "Western Ghats, and on 

 the east by a line drawn nearly north and south a little east of 

 Nagpur. " I comprise in this for the present Katthiawar, Gujerat 

 and Khandeish. 



c. Bengal sub-province ; — bounded by the last on the east and 

 extending to the south at least as far as the Godavery, perhaps to 

 ihe Krishna. I believe that the Gangetic valley east of Benares 

 should be included, but on this point, as on many others, I have no 

 certain information. This sub-province contains a few well marked 

 Malayan forms not met with in the other two. 



d. Madras sub-province ; — all the peninsula south of the Krish- 

 na and east of the Nilgiris and other hill ranges forming the Wes- 

 tern Ghats. The tops of such hill ranges as the Shevroys, Kola- 

 mullays, &c. appear, however, rather to belong :to the Malabar 

 ;province. This Madras sub-province also comprises Northern 

 'Ceylon. 



3. The Eastern Bengal Province. This perhaps should be 

 classed with the Indo-Chinese countries. Malay forms prevail. 



nology. European natm*alists I know object to this definition of the term, and 

 prefer using the name in its old vague sense, and Dr. Giinther appeals to the 

 practice of centuries, (Zool. Rec. for 1868, p. 118). But I am sure that when 

 the fauna of India is better known, all naturalists will see the necessity of using 

 one word for the country, and of avoiding all risk of confounding it with the very 

 different Indo-chinese and Malay province, and Dr. Gunther's argument is 

 open to a very obvious reply, viz. that Zoology is not the only branch of human 

 knowledge which has improved since mediaeval times and in which the necessi- 

 ty for accuracy in definition has become apparent, and that geographers will be 

 scarcely satisfied with the argument that some centuries ago all Eastern Asia 

 was known as India, and therefore the old nomenclature should be retained. 

 Besides if we must go back three or four centuries for our geographical nomen- 

 clature, we shall be obliged to include 'America as part of the " Indies," and 

 Brazil as part of the " East Indies." 



# The word Hindustan is commonly employed by Europeans as signifying 

 the whole of India. By natives of India it is used to designate the upper 

 Gangetic plain only. 



