30 
[No. 1, 
Account of a visit to the Eastern and Nobtiiebn Frontiers of 
Independent Sikkim, with Notes on the Zoology of the Alpine 
and Sub-alpine eegions, Paet II, Zoology, — by William T. 
Blanfoed, F. G. S., C. M. Z. S. 
(Received 29th September, 1871.) 
Tlie present paper will contain notes on the Vertebrata collected, or 
observed, in the Alpine and Sub-alpine portions of Independent Sikkim, a 
few remarks being added on some of the animals inhabiting the neighbour- 
ing regions in Tibet. Only those species will be noticed which are found 
in the region of pine forests, or in the Rhododendron bushes and open ground 
above the limit of trees, and consequently no animals will as a rule be 
mentioned which are not found above 10,000 feet on the eastern Chola 
ranges, and above 8,000 feet in Northern Sikkim. This elevation, which is 
about the lower limit of pines, is also a fair approximation to a boundary 
line between the two faunas which meet in the Eastern Himalayas, the Malay 
and the Palrearctic. 
The fauna of the plains of India appears to penetrate deeply into the 
Western Himalayas and to meet the Palaearctic fauna ; hut, as a rule, it stops 
suddenly at the base of the mountains in Sikkim. A few birds found in the 
outer valleys are species which inhabit the Indian Peninsula, but they form 
but a very small percentage of the avi-fauna ; the great bulk of the 
animals of every class are either peculiar to the South-western Himalayas, or 
common to it and the Malay Peninsula. The most striking characteristic of 
the fauna of India proper is the presence of numerous forms with western 
and generally African affinities, such as Hyaena, Canis, Mellivora, Zepus, 
Antilope, Gazella, amongst mammals ; Neophron, A quit a, (restricted,) 
Thamnobia, Malacocircus, Pastor, Ammomanes, Pyrrliulauda, Calandrella, 
P ter odes, Cursor ins, amongst birds ; Cabrita, Ophiops, Sitana, Eryx, Ediis, 
amongst reptiles ; Oyclotopsis amongst land mollusca, &c. All of these 
disappear in the Himalayas of Sikkim, and their place is taken by a far 
richer lamia. Amongst the mammals Arctonyx, Helictis, Arctictis, Una, 
Bhizomys and Nemorhcedus, almost all Malayan forms, make their appear- 
ance ; amongst birds the sub-families Eurylaiminee, Ldotridiinae, Macropy- 
yinte, Phasianina, entirely unrepresented in India, are found, whilst the 
number of Bidden* Cuculides, Capitonhlw, Nectarinidce, Crateropidce, 
* In the plains of India exclusive of Malabar there are 12 species of Woodpeckers 
enumerated as found by Jcrdon. All except two or three being very local. In 
tropical and temperate Sikkim alone 17 are found. Of the Timalinae of Jerdon 13 
are found in various parts of India exclusive of Malabar, nine are peculiar to Malabar, 
and no less than 48 have been found in the South-eastern Himalayas. 
