Chap. XII.] LIST OF CEYLON INSECTS. 



443 



northern and western India — just as the insect-fauna of 

 Malaya appears more to resemble the similar productions of 

 Australasia than those of the more northern continent. 



" Mr. Layard's collection was partly formed in the dry 

 northern province of Ceylon ; and among them more Hin- 

 dustan insects are to be observed than among those collected 

 by Dr. Templeton, and found wholly in the district between 

 Colombo and Kandy. According to this view the faunas of 

 the Nilgherry Mountains, of Central Ceylon, of the peninsula 

 of Malacca, and of Australasia would be found to form one 

 group; — while those of Northern Ceylon, of the western 

 Dekkan, and of the level parts of Central Hindustan would 

 form another of more recent origin. The insect-fauna of the 

 Carnatic is also probably similar to that of the lowlands of 

 Ceylon ; but it is still unexplored. The regions of Hindustan 

 in which species have been chiefly collected, such as Bengal, 

 Silhet, and the Punjaub, are at the distance of from 1300 to 

 1600 miles from Ceylon, and therefore the insects of the latter 

 are fully as different from those of the above regions as they 

 are from those of Australasia, to which Ceylon is as near in 

 point of distance, and agrees more with regard to latitude. 



" Dr.Hagen has remarked that he believes the fauna of the 

 mountains of Ceylon to be quite different from that of the 

 plains and of the shores. The south and west districts have a 

 very moist climate, and as their vegetation is like that of 

 Malabar, their insect-fauna will probably also resemble that of 

 the latter region. 



" The insects mentioned in the following list are thus dis- 

 tributed : — 



" Order Coleoptera. 



" The recorded species of Cicindelidce inhabit the plains or 

 the coast country of Ceylon, and several of them are also 

 found in Hindustan. 



" Many of the species of Carabidm and of Staphylinidce, 

 especially those collected by Mr. Thwaites, near Kandy, and 

 by M. Nietner at Colombo, have much resemblance to the 



