560 



ME. y. DAT ON THE GEOGBAPHTC.lL 



If we tabulate the 369 Indian freshwater species in the same 

 manner, tKey will be found thus distributed : — 



No. of specips in India. 



Also in the Malay 

 archipelago and 

 Africa. 



In Malay archi- 

 pelago. 



In Africa . 





2 



9- 













^^ 







1 ScombresocidiB 





















1 



I' 





01 



73 



15 



2 Notopteridse 







2 













2 







369 



2 



27 



2 



Leaving out the question of the original home of the first parents 

 of these fishes, we may inquire, what element is now most apparent 

 amongst the Indian freshwater fishes, the African or Malayan ? A 

 single glance at the Tables will show that the Malayan element is 

 most developed. In short, we are unable to ascertain one single 

 genus which is solely African and Indian, as all the African forms 

 which extend to India are either likewise present in the Palae- 

 arctic region, or else in the Malay archipelago, or in both. 



If we turn to the distribution of the species, we obtain the same 

 results. Out of 369 Indian or Burmese forms, 2 are likewise 

 African (not Malayan), but they are also Palaearctic ; 27 are com- 

 mon to India (including Burma) and the Malay archipelago ; 2 

 to both Africa, India, and the Malay archipelago. 



How has the African element entered India proper^ ? I exclude 



1 Biscognathus is also Palocarctic. 



2 Prisfolepis fasciatus is Burmese, and not found in the Hindustan sub- 

 region. 



3 Out of these 7 species, 5 are found in Burma, but not in the Hindustan 

 subregion. 



4 and 5 Both Palaearctic forms. 



6 Mr. Blanford considers there is evidence that in Northern and Central 

 India the fauna in the later Tertiary times was more allied to that now exist- 

 ing in Africa than it is now— that this is shown by the presence of Hijopopota- 

 mus, Camelopardalis, Loxodon, and a number of antilopine forms in the Plio- 

 cene fossil fauna of the Sevaliks &c., — and states his belief that the Vertebrata 

 had been in connexion with Africa: — first, forms common to the Oriental and 

 Ethiopian regions, the bulk of the present Indian fauna ; secondly, forms 

 common to the Ethiopian region and India, but not extending to the eastward 

 of the Bay of Bengal, nor represented in S.W. Asia now lying in the direct line 

 between India and Africa ; thirdly, species with Ethiopian affinities, which 

 may have wandered into India IVom Arabia and Baluchistan. 



