02 Catalogue of the Birds [J ulY 



The Wynaad district, and generally the wooded parts bordering the 

 summit of tke ghauts, may be also included in this, which they resem- 

 ble in climate and productions, though more correctly they belong to 

 the next division. 



4th. The Great Central Table Land.— 'This includes Mysore, the 

 Baramahl, the Ceded Districts (Bellary and Cuddapah), the kingdoms 

 of Berar and Hyderabad, the Southern Mahratta country, and the Deccan 

 (the four so called Bombay Collectorates, Colonel Sykes's district). 

 The whole of these countries,with the exception of the parts immediately 

 bordering on the ghauts, consists of a vast undulating plain of various 

 height, almost entirely devoid of trees, except close to villages and 

 towns, and with but little low jungle even. Here and there low 

 ranges of hills appear, and isolated rocks, or droogs, mostly bare, 

 others covered with low brushwood. Towards the north and west 

 large steps occur, and the country is more broken by hills and 

 ravines than in the southern part. Here too we have greater 

 abundance of low jungle, and even stunted trees, and in many of the 

 ravines wood abounds. Considerable tracts of long grass, or* rumnahs* 

 occur here and there, especially towards the more northern portion. 

 The whole of this district was formerly named the, Deccan, and accord- 

 ingly in the following catalogue I shall indiscriminately mention it as 

 the Deccan or table-land, except when a bird is peculiar to, or more 

 abundant in, one portion of it than another. The Neilgherries are justly 

 entitled perhaps to a separate mention, as well from their climate as 

 their productions, and probably approaching them in these respects are 

 the Pulny and Animally hills, both to the southward. 



The classification I have adopted is that of Swainson (as recently given 

 in his most admirable treatise on birds*, which I have ever foundmost na- 

 tural as regards the habits of the Indian birds he has classed together, 

 especially the Brachypodince and CrateropodincE. Among other instan- 

 ces, where, by his acumen and discrimination, he has rightly located, 

 from their external character alone, birds before his time most im- 

 properly and unnaturally placed, I may instance Thamnobia (an 

 Ixos of former authors!) and Gryllivora among the Stone-chats; 

 Hypsepetes among the Bui b tils ; Pomaiorhinus among the Babblers ; 

 Coracias in the Fissirostres, and Phoenicopterus among the Ana- 

 Una! ; and 1 am happy to be able by personal observation of their 



* The Natural History and Classification of Birds.— By WiLLiAM Sw'AINsON, vols, 

 1st and 2d—Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopedia. 



