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Show 656 MR. H. J. ELWES ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL [June 17, tion, we come to Nepal, which must certainly be considered one of the most interesting countries to a naturalist in the world. It includes parts of three different zoological provinces, and, having a wonderful variety of climate and vegetation, offers a congenial home to the inhabitants of them all. To Mr. B. H. Hodgson, for twenty years our resident at the court of Nepal, a naturalist whose name will ever hold a prominent place among men of science, we are indebted for all we know of the zoology of this magnificent country. So well did he use his time and opportunities, that no less than 657 species of birds, a large proportion of which were described by him, are known to occur in the country; and though his hunters travelled far and wide from the plains to the snows, I cannot doubt that there are yet more remaining to reward those who may at some future time be lucky enough to explore this forbidden land, which, though within sight of many of our stations, is as much closed to Englishmen as the most remote parts of Central Asia. Of its most remarkable features I shall speak more particularly when examining the birds of Sikim ; but to give a general idea of the character of the Nepalese avifauna, I will say that there are (without counting the wading and water birds), according to Gray's ' List of Mr. Hodgson's collections,' 2nd edit., 1863, 294 genera, containing 553 species:- per cent. Very wide distribution 62 16 Characteristic of the Palaearctic region 30 8 Characteristic of the Indo-Malay region .... 202 56 Peculiar to or characteristic of the Himalaya 80 20 Of the species, however, no less than 60 per cent, are found only in the Himalayan subregion, except as migrants or stragglers-a proportion which, for the size of the country, is unusually large. To the east of Nepal lies Sikim, a small state of about 50 miles wide, extending from the plains of Bengal to the passes into Thibet, and forming a sort of buffer between the two turbulent and warlike races of Ghorkas and Bhotias. SIKIM. Having personally studied the birds of Sikim, and, in company with Mr. Blanford, travelled over a great part of it, which had not been visited since Dr. Hooker's well-known explorations in 1848-49, I shall give a more detailed account of the peculiar features in geographical distribution which it presents. Though such good naturalists as Jerdon, Hodgson, Tickell, and Beavan have resided at Darjeeling and collected largely, the list of birds from this small district is constantly being increased ; and from the difficulty of travelling in the interior, and the density of the forests which cover the greater part of it up to 12000 or 13000 feet above the sea, I have no doubt that many years will elapse before the novelties of this country are exhausted. |