Notes on the Fauna of a Desert Tract in Southern India. Part I. — Batrachians 



and Beptiles, with remarks on the Reptiles of the Desert Begion 



of the Nortli-West Frontier. 



(With two plates.) 



By N. Annandale, D.Sc, C.M.Z.S., Deputy Superintendent of the Indian Museum. 



[Read December 6th, 1905.] 



Contents. 



Page. 



Introduction 183 



Batrachians from Ramanad 184 



Reptiles from Ramanad 185 



A list of the Reptiles collected by the Seistan Arbitration Commission 



1905) 196 



A list of the Reptiles recorded from Ramanad 198 



Notes on distribution 199 



Notes on colour . . . • 201 



Introduction. 



Although what may be called the characteristic fauna of Southern India (i.e., that of the 

 " Malabar tract ") l has been investigated, as regards the vertebrates, in some detail, there 

 are still considerable tracts of country even in this part of the peninsula which remain al- 

 most unknown to the zoologist. With the rich jungles of the hills, and the fertile uplands, 

 in their vicinity, it is hardly surprising that Indian naturalists should have neglected the 

 barren coastal plains, which are so unattractive in appearance and offer, comparatively 

 speaking, so poor a harvest to the collector. Indeed, the fact has been almost ignored that 

 these barren tracts are not entirely confined to the coast, but expand inland into what may 

 be called, without exaggeration, miniature deserts. It is with one of these miniature 

 deserts, in which I spent the month of August, 1905, that this communication deals. 



The subdivision of Ramanad is at present part of the district of Madura. It has an 

 area of over 2,000 square miles, and extends along the Indian shore of the southern extrem- 

 ity of Palk's Straits and the extreme northern corner of the Gulf of Manaar, including the 

 island of Rameswarem and extending inland for some little distance on the mainland. 

 Obviously the formation of the country is very recent. The soil throughout the greater 

 part of it is mere sea-sand, which is often impregnated with common salt, and sea shells 

 are abundant at ten miles from the sea. The salt in the soil is said to be extending its 

 range, soaking gradually in a widening circle through the sand, and is thus rendering 

 the absolutely infertile area, which gradually disappears inland towards Madura proper, 

 more extensive. The whole subdivision is absolutely flat. In some places open woods 



1 See Blanfordin Phil. Trans. Roy.Soc. B. CXCIV, 1901, p. 346. 



