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Show 672 MR. H. J. ELWES ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL [June 17, DECCAN. The Deccan, or tableland of Hindostan, which, in Mr. Blanford's division, forms a subprovince of the Indian province proper, is the next to which I shall direct attention, though I a m not well acquainted with its northern and eastern boundaries. The list of Deccan birds is founded on Sykes's list in this Society's ' Proceedings ' for 1832, with such additions and corrections as I have been able to gather from other sources. Some of the birds he includes (which are only found in the forests of the Malabar coast and Maha-bleshwar hills) I have omitted. The country usually called the Deccan is a tableland of moderate elevation broken in many places by rocky hills, which rise a few hundred feet above the plain, and are covered with a low thorny scrub or jungle and stunted trees. I a m not aware that forests of any size or importance occur in any part of this region ; and in consequence the avifauna is poor and wanting in variety. The number of common and resident birds is small, not more than about 150 land-birds being included in Sykes's list. The proportion of Indo-Malay genera is far smaller than in Malabar; and a good many birds typical of the dry and barren part of India, S.W. Asia, and N.E. Africa here make their appearance, though, as I have previously said, their number is not sufficient to outweigh the others. A n analysis of the list gives the following result: - Birds common or belonging to genera common to the per cent. Himalayan and Malayan subregions 105 55 Birds belonging to genera found in the Himalayan, but not in the Malayan subregion 27 14 Birds belonging to wide-ranging genera, but only found in India, or belonging to genera peculiar to the Indian subregion 28 15 Birds belonging to genera of African or Palaearctic affinity 30 16 Five or six species which cannot be placed under either of these heads are omitted. As compared with many parts of India, the scarcity of Woodpeckers in the Deccan is most remarkable, only one species (Picus mahrattensis) being at all common-whilst in the Bhotan Terai and hills of Sikim they are so numerous that I obtained no less than 18 species, 7 of which I shot one evening in about an hour's walk round m y tent. Curiously enough no Saxicola is recorded by Col. Sykes, though Jerdon observed 3 species at M h o w. Larks are abundant in this region, some peculiar forms (such as Ammomanes phcenicura) having their headquarters here. Game-birds are also numerous. N o less than 3 species of Perdicula, a genus only found in India, occur; and both species of Galloperdix are included by Col. Sykes, as well as Eupodotis edwardsi and Sypheotides auritus. |