:-NRLF B 3 33fl 31B LIBRARY G V THE MAMMALS OF INDIA; OF ALL THE ANIMALS KNOWN TO INHABIT CONTINENTAL INDIA, BY T. O. SURGEON MAJOR, MADRAS ARMY, AUTHOR OF "THE BIRDS OF INDIA," ETC. LONDON: JOHN WHELDON, GEEAT QUEEN STEEET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. 1874. PUBLISHERS NOTE. THE present reprint of Jerdon's "Mammals of India" is not to be regarded as a new edition; but a great many clerical and literal errors, which had crept into the Calcutta edition, have been corrected. LONDON, June, 1874. AUTHOK'S PKEFACE, THE present work is the second of the series of Manuals of the Vertebrata of India. The greater portion of it has been printed for above a twelvemonth, but the publication was delayed in the hopes of getting some additional information to be inserted in the Appendix. The author trusts that the present Manual will be found equally useful as that on the Birds of India, and he knows that many sportsmen and observers have been anxiously awaiting its appearance. He has been able to give considerable information on the habitat and geographical distribution of many of the animals, which was previously but little known. The portion of the work on the Micro-Mammalia of India is still confessedly very imperfect, and contributions of good specimens (in spirits) of Bats, Shrews, Rats, and Mice, from all parts of the country, but especially from the hills, sent either to the Museum at Calcutta, or to the British Museum, will be highly acceptable. vi AUTHOR'S PREFACE. The author trusts that the imperfections of the present publication will be overlooked in consideration of the undoubted value of the work to future observers, who, it is hoped, will be numerous, and by whose means a more complete natural history of the Mammals of India may hereafter be compiled. The volume on Reptiles will, the author trusts, appear very shortly. LIST OF CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTION xi PRIMATES 1 SlMIAD^E 1 Presbytis 3 Papioninse 9 Inuns ib. Macacus 12 LEMURHXE 13 Nycticebus 14 Loris 15 CHEIROPTERA 16 PTEROPODHXE 17 Pteropus 18 Cynopterus 20 VAMPYRID^E 21 Megaderma ib. Rhinolophinse 23 Rhinolophus ib. Hipposideros 27 Ccelops 29 Rhinopoma ib. NOCTILIONID^E 30 Taphozous ib. Nyctinomns 32 VESPERTILIONID.E 33 Scotophilus 34 Noctulinia 36 Nycticejus 37 Lasiurus .. 40 PAGE Murina 41 Kerivoula 42 Vespertilio 44 Myotis 46 Plecotus 47 Barbastellus ib. Nyctopliilus 48 INSECTIVORA 49 TALPID^ 50 Talpa ib. SORECID.E 52 Sorex 53 Soriculus 59 Crossopus 60 Corsira 61 ERINACEID.E ib. Erinaceus 62 TUPAIADJE 64 Tupaia ib. CARNIYORA 67 PLANTIGRADA 68 URSID^ ib. Ursus 69 Ailurus 74 MELIDID;E 76 Arctonyx 77 Mellivora 78 Helictis 80 MUSTELINE . . . 81 Vlll LIST OF CONTENTS. PAGE Martes 81 Mustek 83 Lutrinse 86 Lutra ib. FELID^E 90 Felis 91 VlVERRIDJE 117 Hyseninse ib. Hysena 118 Viverrinse 120 Viverra ib. Prionodon 123 Paradoxurus 125 Arctictis 130 Herpestes 131 Urva 137 CANHXE 138 Canis '139 Cuon 144 Vulpes 149 CETACEA 155 DELPHINID^E 156 Delphinus ib. Platanista 157 Globicephalus 159 BAL.ENID.E 161 Balsenoptera . . ib. RODENTIA 163 SCIURJDJS 165 Sciurus ib. Pteromys 174 Sciuropterus 177 Arctomys 181 MURID.E 183 Gerbillus 184 Nesokia 187 Mus... . 192 PAGE Leggada 206 Platacanthomys 210 Gohmda 211 Rkizomys 214 Arvicola 216 Neodon ib. HYSTRICID^: 218 Hystrix ib. LEPORID^E 223 Lepus ib. Lagomys 226 UNGULATA 228 PROBOSCIDEA ib. Elephas 229 Rhinoceros 232 EQUID^E 235 Equus 236 SUID.E 240 Sus ' 241 Porculia 243 RUMINANTIA 245 CERVID^ 248 Cervus 249 Rucervus 254 Rusa 256 Axis 260 Cervulus 264 Mosclius 266 Memimna 269 BOVID.E 270 Antilopinse 271 Tetraceros 273 Antilope 275 Gazella 279 Caprinte 282 Nemorhredus . .283 LIST OF CONTENTS. IX PAGE Hemitragus 286 Capra 290 Ovis 294 Bovinse 300 Gavseus 301 Bubalus 307 APPENDIX 321 ENGLISH INDEX 325 INDEX . . 327 PAGE SlRENIA 310 Halicore ib. EDENTATA 313 MANIDID^ 314 Manis .. ib. INTRODUCTION. THE Animal Kingdom was divided by Cuvier into four great divisions or sub- kingdoms Vertebrata, Mollusca, Articulata, and Radiata. The last of these has been greatly divided of late, and the limits of two of the others have been slightly altered. The Vertebrata are essentially distinguished from the others by the possession of an internal osseous frame or skeleton, enclosing a distinct brain and spinal cord. They never have more than four limbs ; the mouth consists of two jaws placed vertically, the blood is red, and they have distinct organs of vision, hearing, taste, and smell. Vertebrate animals comprise four distinct classes, some of which are cold-blooded, i.e., with blood nearly the temperature of the surrounding medium, Fishes and Reptiles ; whilst the others are warm-blooded, Birds and Mammals. The former have been already treated of in this series. Mammals are warm-blooded, viviparous animals, and are distin- guished from Birds, as well as from the other vertebrated animals, by the possession of mammary glands, secreting a nutritious fluid called milk, for the nourishment of their young, and terminating outwardly in all (except one or two) by teats. They are also distin- guished by a covering of hair, entire or partial. Whales appear to be exceptional ; but even in these the foetus has some tufts of hair. The lungs are free, and are separated from the abdominal viscera by a muscular partition called the Diaphragm, which is also one of the chief agents for inspiration. Most animals have four limbs ; hence the old term Quadruped, which, on account of its non-applicability to the Cetacea, has properly been allowed to become obsolete. Mammals, says Cuvier, require to be placed first, because they Xll THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. enjoy the most numerous faculties, the most delicate sensations, the most varied powers of motion. Their organization is more differ- entiated than in any other Vertebrates, and they have a more per- fect combination of powers. They are inferior to Birds in muscular movement, their respiration being less in amount, and the circula- tion less rapid, on which account their demand for food is not so constant. The generality of them are terrestrial ; some inhabit trees, others burrow in the ground, whilst a few can fly, and some are perfectly aquatic. With such differences in habit we of course find corre- sponding differences in external structure. The anterior extremities in Bats are lengthened to support the flying membrane, whilst in Whales they are shortened and fin-like, and the terminal points of the phalanges vary from sharp raptorial claws, to the solid hoof of the Horse, or the flat pad of the Camel and Elephant. On these characters, combined with th'ose of the teeth, are founded the different orders of Mammals. The form of the body varies, but we can generally distinguish the head, neck, and trunk, and most have caudal appendages. The head varies greatly in its form and proportions, as does the ear, and from these also, characters of more or less importance are drawn ; but the teeth, in form, number, differences, and relative position, afford the most varied, prominent, and decisive characters, as well for the Orders of Mammals as for genera, and even sometimes species, and require more lengthened notice than any other point in the external anatomy of Mammals. Teeth being used by Mammals both to seize and collect food, and to reduce it to a fit state for swallowing, their form furnishes a clue to the instincts and habits of the animal. They are placed in a single series along the edge of the upper and lower jawbones, so as to oppose each other, and are always fixed in cavities called sockets or alveoli, an arrangement which elsewhere is only found in the Crocodiles among Reptiles. Ivory, or Dentine, forms the sole material of some simple teeth, as in some Cetacea, and in the tusk of the Elephant ; but in most teeth another substance, crystalline in texture and extremely hard, INTRODUCTION. Xlll called enamel) coats the tooth, and penetrates into it in some; whilst in a few a third substance is added, called crusta petrosa, or cement. A tooth consists of two parts, a crown, or external portion, and a root, which is fixed in the socket. The root is either real or ficti- tious, in the latter case being merely a continuation of the crown, and continuing to grow for an indefinite period, as in the tusk of the Elephant, and the quasi-incisors of Rodents. Certain teeth are deciduous, and fall or are pushed out (after a longer or shorter period) by their successors. Others are permanent, and from their first appearance are never succeeded by others. The first are often called milk-teeth, but in some animals they are shed before birth, and in others not till a late period of life. They are never (or very rarely) renewed more than once, in this differing essentially from the teeth of Reptiles and Fishes, which are being continually shed and re- newed. Teeth vary much in number among Mammals, and are entirely wanting in a very few. In the more perfect animals they are of four kinds ; viz., Incisors, Canines, Praemolars or false molars, and Molars. Incisors are situated in the front of each jaw, in the intermaxillary bones, and corresponding portion of the lower jaw. They never exceed six above and six below, except in Marsupial animals. They are sometimes wanting in the upper jaw, as in Ruminating animals, and entirely in Ant-eaters and Armadillos. They vary much in form and size, and in many Bats are unequal in number in the upper and lower jaws. The Canine teeth are one on each side of the incisors, both above and below, and are fixed in the maxillary bone. They usually, except in Man and one or two others, succeed the incisors after more or less interval. They are absent in several animals, especially among the Ruminants, but are present in some of that order. In some they occur only in the males, in others they are larger in that sex, and in a few are very largely developed. The prsemolars are those next the canines, and, like them and the incisors, are deciduous, and succeeded by others. They vary greatly in form and size, being unicuspid in some, bicuspid in others. They are not found amongst Rodents, but in these animals they are present XIV THE MAMMALS OF INDIA in the foetal state, and are either shed before birth, or very shortly after. The last of the praemolars is called the flesh-tooth, or carnas- sier, or scissor-tooth, as the upper one acts on the lower one like a pair of scissors. It is greatly developed in the Cat tribe. The true molars never exceed three in number on each side, above and below, and always end in two, three, or even four roots or fangs, sometimes considerably divergent from each other. They vary much in form and size, and are present in all Mammals except a few Ant-eaters, Whales, and the curious Duck-billed Platypus. They have four tubercles in most Monkeys, two sharp-pointed tubercles in Shrews and other Insectivorous animals ; are three- pointed in some, and conical or flat in others. They are more or less numerous, according to the herbivorous or carnivorous nature of the animal, there being only one on each side in the Feline tribe. In the Elephant there is only one molar on each side, above and below, and this forms a seeming exception to the non-renewal of these teeth, for as it gets worn away another is developed pos- teriorly, and gradually pushes the other out, so that there are sometimes two on one side at a time, but never more. The typical number of teeth is considered to be 44, and this number is never exceeded except in the fish-like Cetacea, and a few others of rep- g g tilian affinities. These teeth are arranged thus: Incisors t '- = 12; Canines = 4 ; Prsemolars = 16 ; Molars = 12- 1 1 4 4 3 o The mouth of Mammals is surrounded by fleshy lips, more or less protusile, and the cheeks in some form pouches for the reception of food taken hurriedly. The extremities vary more than in Birds, in length, form, and structure, as noticed previously. The nails or claws are useful guides to assist in classifying Mammals. In some they are blunt and terminal, as in Monkeys ; in others sharp, as in Shrews ; much curved, powerful, sharp, and retractile in Cats ; long and strong, and well adapted for digging (fossorial), as in the Scaly Ant-eaters and Bears. In the herbivorous animals they are solid, as in the Horse ; INTRODUCTION. XV hoofed or ending in two blunt horny toes, as in Ruminants and some Pachyderms; or blunt and almost entirely enclosed, as in the Elephant and Camel. The temperature of Mammals being lower than that of Birds, less effectual means are required of preserving the internal heat, and accordingly, we find them provided with a covering more or less dense of hair, or fur. In Monkeys and Bats there is only one kind of hair, in most other animals there are both hair and wool, and these vary in amount in different animals. Wool differs from hair in having a serrated edge, as seen under the microscope, and on this depends the quality of felting. It is generally more abundant in animals living in cold countries, and is highly developed in all the Himalayan Mammals. Hairs are of two kinds as regards their growth. One kind grows continually and is never shed, as the mane of the Horse. The second kind, of which is the fur of most animals, grows to its full extent, and is shed and renewed periodically. This causes a very considerable change in the general hue of many animals, as well as in the amount of fur, so that the winter and summer vestures are exceedingly dissimilar. A few animals have some of the hairs thick and strong (bristles), and others have them flat and somewhat rigid, as in certain Rats. Spines are found on Hedgehogs and Porcupines ; and a very few Mammals are clad with scales or horny plates, as the Scaly Ant- eaters and Armadillos. These spines and scales are all made up of agglutinated hairs. Many Ruminants are adorned with horny appendages on their heads, some of which are of the nature of a horny sheath covering an internal bony cone ; others have no internal nucleus and are renewed yearly. The former kind of horn is, like the spines mentioned above, formed of agglutinated hairs ; the latter partakes more of the nature of bone. In many animals the hairs are not uniformly coloured, but are coloured differently at the base and the tip, and in some tribes are ringed with different colours. The wearing down of these hairs causes a difference in the external hue of such animals. In the Cetacea, which have no hair, the warmth of the body is retained by a thick coating of fat or blubber. XVI THE MAMMALS OP INDIA. The bones of Mammals are distinguished from those of Birds by the absence of air-cells, except in some of the cranial bones, and these do not communicate with the lungs. Most of them are solid, or, if hollow, are filled with a fatty or oily matter, termed marrow. The cervical vertebra? are always seven in number, without excep- tion ; for in the Sloths, generally considered to have nine, it has been lately demonstrated by Bell that the two posterior vertebrre (called cervical) have rudiments of ribs attached to them, and are therefore in reality modified dorsal vertebrae. The occipital bone articulates with the atlas, or first vertebra, by two lateral condyles. The head is made up of numerous bones, which are divided into the cranial, or those inclosing the brain, and the facial. The normal number of facial bones is seventeen, viz., 2 nasal bones, 2 upper maxillary, 2 intermaxillary, 2 lachrymal bones, 2 inferior turbinated bones, 2 palatal bones, 2 jugal or malar bones, 2 lower-jaw bones, and 1 vomer. Of these the nasal, upper and intermaxillary, and the palatal bones bound the nasal cavity, and constitute the bony palate. The cranial bones are eleven in number, viz., 2 frontal, 2 parietal, 2 squamous, and 2 tympano-petrous bones (which together make up the two temporal bones), 1 occipital, 1 sphenoid, and 1 ethmoid. The orbit is bounded anteriorly by the molar and lachrymal bones, and its posterior boundary is generally absent. The orbital cavity is formed by processes from the frontal bones ; the lachrymal, the molar, and sphenoid bones ; the ethmoid and palatine bones occasionally assisting. The ethmoid, the turbinated bones, and the vomer are internal, connecting the nasal bones with the base of the skull. The lower maxillary bones, united at the chin, are movably articulated with the temporal bone by a convex condyle, in this differing from Birds and Reptiles, in which the articulation takes place through a separate piece, the tympanic bone. In Man and many Mammals several of these bones are united ; viz., the frontals, the parietals in some Mammals, and the temporal bones. The number of dorsal vertebras depends on that of the ribs, and varies from eleven to twenty ; and the lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal vertebrae also vary from four to forty-five. INTRODUCTION. XV11 The thorax is inclosed by ribs, some of which, called the true ribs, are attached to the sternum by a cartilage, the representative of the sternal ribs of other Vertebrata. The posterior ribs are called the false or floating ribs. The sternum is composed of several pieces, and gives attachment to the clavicles when present. The ribs are capable of considerable motion of elevation and depression, aiding the diaphragm in respiration. The anterior extremity is fixed to a broad scapula, generally only connected by muscles to the trunk. A clavicle is present in those Mammals that use the arm as an instrument of prehension or flight, and the coracoid bone, so conspicuous in other Vertebrata, is reduced to an appendage. The rest of the limb is composed of the humerus, two bones of the forearm, the radius and ulna, the carpus, metacarpus and phalanges. These last vary much in number. The posterior extremity consists of the pelvis, comprising the iliac, ischial and pubic bones, the femur or thigh bone articulated with the pelvis, the tibia and fibula, tarsus, metatarsus, and phalanges. Modifications of some of these bones, and reductions of many of them, occur among various Mammals, and will be pointed out in the proper place. Considered generally, the muscular system of Mammals varies little from that of Man. The cutaneous muscles are much developed in some, especially in the Porcupine and Hedgehog, by means of which the spines can be suddenly raised. The same is noticeable to a less degree in Dogs and Cats, when they, as it is popularly called, (r get their backs up." Among Mammals the demand for food is less constant, and the digestive process less rapidly accomplished than in Birds. There is a considerable amount of uniformity in the structure of their digestive organs. The tongue varies much, and is free in most, being only fixed in the Whales. In some it is capable of great extension, as in the Ant-eaters, and is used to procure food, as it is also, to a certain extent, by some Ruminants. The surface of the tongue is usually covered with papillae, which in some of the Carnivora, the Cat tribe notably, are developed into sharp, b XV111 THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. recurved horny spines, used to scrape the last fragments of flesh off bones. The tongue is supported by a bone called the Hyoid bone, the anterior horns of which, small in Man, are greatly developed in most Mammals. The velum palati, which protects the communication between the mouth and posterior nasal cavity is only found in this class ; and the trachea, which lies in front of the oesophagus, is protected by the epiglottis. The oesophagus leads straight to the stomach from the end of the pharynx, and is of moderate width, but dilatable. The stomach presents great varieties of form. In most, it is a simple bag of varied shape and size ; in some, divided into compartments by constrictions, but without any apparent difference of structure. In one tribe, however, the Euminants, it is a truly compound structure, consisting of several distinct cavities differing both in size, structure and functions. The small intestines vary little, but the large intestines are very variable in size, and the division between them is in many marked by an appendage called the ccecum, sometimes double, and in certain animals of great size. In some, especially the Plantigrade Carnivora and Cetacea, it is entirely absent. The liver is generally of large size, and is usually divided into several lobes. In most it is furnished with a gall-bladder. The pancreas and spleen are always present. The inferior muscular energy of Mammals compared with that of Birds is accompanied by an inferior amount of respiration, and on this account the heat of animals is much less, rarely exceeding 100 of Fahrenheit. The organs of respiration and circulation differ little throughout the class from those of Man. The heart consists of four cavities ; and the lungs, which are always in pairs, are completely inclosed, and have no communication with air-cells as in Birds. These viscera are separated from those of the abdomen by the diaphragm, a muscular partition, which is one of the chief agents in respiration. The lungs are more porous and spongy in texture than in Birds. Variations in the structure of the heart and circulating system are only met with in Cetaceous animals, which have some interesting peculiarities dependent on their remaining INTRODUCTION. xix long immersed in water ; some arteries appear to be intended as reservoirs of arterial blood, and the dilatations of some of the veins serve to prevent too great distension while the respiration is stopped. The brain is larger than in any other class of animals, owing chiefly to the increased size of the cerebral hemispheres, which are united in most by a fibrous band called the corpus callosum. The cerebellum too has lateral lobes, which are united by the pom varolii, and the hemispheres are usually convoluted externally. The Marsupial animals, however, do not possess the great commissures, and the cerebrum is smooth externally, thus more resembling Birds. The olfactory tubercles, and the optic lobes, are greatly reduced in size. The organs of the senses are highly specialized, and in a great state of perfection in Mammals. The sense of touch is very delicate, and is usually concentrated in various parts, e.g., in the whiskers of the Seals, of some Insectivora and Carnivora, in the lips of the Horse, the trunk of the Elephant ; and this sense is greatly developed and extended among Bats in every part of the body, but especially in the naked wings, the ears, and facial appendages. The sense of smell is very acute in most animals, and many have a mobility of the outer nostrils to aid it, never found in the other Vertebrata. The olfactory tubercles are so diminished in size as barely to be recognized. We are all familiar with the power of the scent in the Dog, as well as in most of the Carnivora, which enables them to discover and hunt down their prey. Antelope, Deer, and other timid animals have likewise very acute sense of smell, to enable them to avoid approaching danger. The nasal plates of the ethmoid bone, and the convolutions of the turbinated bones, are coated with a delicate membrane, which forms a large surface, amply sup- plied with minute branches of the olfactory nerves, and the air inhaled passing to the lungs over this membrane, imparts the im- pression. The structure of the eye is in all Mammals almost identical with that in Man. In some the pupil is round, in others oblong or linear. In Bats, and some nocturnal Insectivora, the external eye is very minute, but the sense of sight appears to be compensated for by an increase of that of touch. Many of the Ruminants have the eye X THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. Large and full, and several of the Carnivora have a very keen sight, though not so acute perhaps as that of many raptorial birds. The eyelids in most are double as in Man, but in some of the lower forms a remnant of the nyctitating membrane is also met with. A lachrymal apparatus exists in most animals except the Cetacea. The sense of hearing attains its greatest perfection in Mammals, and an external ear is present in most ; it is generally mobile, to assist in conveying and concentrating the sound from every direction. The internal ear is imbedded in the petrous portion of the temporal bone, and is remarkable for the development and complexity of the cochlea. The tympanic cavity is large, and communicates with the pharynx by the eustachian tube. The communication between the membrane of the tympanum and the inner ear, which in the other vertebrates takes place by one ossicle, here consists of four. Owing to the fleshy nature and mobility of the tongue, the sense of taste is much greater than in any other animals. The leading peculiarity of the class of Mammals, viz., the nourish- ing of the new-born young with milk, has been already alluded to. The milk is secreted by the mammary glands, and these vary in number and position, being most numerous in the more prolific races. In most animals they are ventral, inguinal in many, and pectoral in a few. They vary in number from two to twelve. The yelk of the ovum which suffices for the nourishment of the young of Eeptiles and Fishes, only affords a very small amount of nutriment to the Mammalian ovum, when expelled from the ovary, and the foetus is supported in the uterus by the blood of the mother, conveyed by means of a vascular connection, called the placenta, the shape and situation of which, within the uterus, varies considerably. In one tribe of animals, however, the Marsupials, the young arc expelled from the uterus at a very early period of development, and receive no nourishment beyond that derived from the yelk, no placenta being formed. The young of several animals are born blind, others with their eyes open. Most are helpless at first, whilst a few are able to run about very shortly after birth ; some attain their full size in a few months, others take several years. INTRODUCTION. XXI In the majority of Mammals there is little to mark the signs of sex, except superior size and strength, and a different colour in a few; but in certain tribes there are other external marks. The Lion, and a few others, have a shaggy mane, and the males of many Ruminants are adorned with fine horns, either altogether absent in the females, or much smaller. In a few, the canine teeth are greatly superior in size in the males, or only found in them. The male generative organs differ much in size and shape, and some are provided with the succenturiate glands of large size, whilst others are wholly without them. The males of some animals have a seasonal development, and at such times only have the power to procreate, whilst others are able at all seasons. Most Mammals, perhaps, are monogamous, a few are polygamous. The females of most Mammals have certain periods of heat, or ccstruniy coincident with a catamenial discharge, and will in general only receive the males at these times. The uterus is usually single, but double in a few, as in the Rabbit, with two openings into the vagina. In many of the lower animals, and especially in such as are remarkable for their fecundity, the horns of the uterus are more developed in pregnancy than the body, and the fostus lies there ; as we ascend in the scale the body of the uterus becomes larger. The urine is contained in the bladder, which is large, and it is evacuated by a distinct opening in the generative organs, except in the Monotremata, the lowest organized Mammals, where there is only one passage for fceces and urine. The excretory canal in the female is quite separate from the vagina. Mammals are silent compared with Birds, and their voice is not generally musical or capable of harmony. It is chiefly employed to call one another, or to express anger, fear, or hunger. The skin contains numerous glands and follicles, secreting a lubricating fluid, to maintain it in a moist and supple state. In many animals there are special glands in various parts of the body. Some of the Carnivora have special anal glands, which usu- ally secrete a fetid fluid. The Elephant has a temporal gland ; and many Ruminants have both large hollow glands below the eyes, XX11 THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. secreting a waxy fluid, and inguinal and foot-glands as well. A few, as the Musk-deer, have a preputial gland, secreting a most powerfully scented substance, musk ; the kindred substance, castor, is secreted by a Rodent animal. Many of these secretions appear to be connected with sexual purposes. In cold climates several animals pass the winter in a state of torpidity, and even in India certain Bats and Hedgehogs, and perhaps some Rats, are more or less torpid during the cold season. In Southern India I do not think that Bats usually become torpid, but they certainly do in the Northern Provinces. The two species of Bears found in the Himalayas both retire to their caves during winter, and are rarely or never seen from December till the end of March. Most animals are habitually solitary or live in pairs ; but many are gregarious. Some live chiefly on animal food: e.g., Bats, Shrews, Moles, Sec., on insects and worms ; the Carnivora on birds, reptiles, and mammals ; and the Otter and Seal on fish. Some of the Carnivora, however, have a mixed diet, as Bears, which eat insects, honey, and fruit, as do several of the smaller Plantigrades ; whilst a few partake of carrion. Many live solely on vegetable food. Some graze, others browse, and a few dig up roots or plunder grain. Wanting the great powers of locomotion of Birds, no extensive migrations can take place among Mammals ; but partial migrations have been observed among certain Rodents, as the Lemming ; and the Coffee-rat of Ceylon is stated to migrate at times from place to place in countless thousands. There are not many constructive habits in this class compared with that of Birds. The Beaver is one of the most noted exceptions ; and Squirrels and certain Rats and Mice build nests. Most animals content themselves with holes excavated in the ground, or bring forth their young under rocks, in caves, or in thickets, or, like many Ruminants, on the bare ground. Man has brought under his dominion various animals, either for food, carriage, or the chase ; many of these have been domesticated for ages, and numerous varieties occur among them, the result of long domestication in varied climes, and perhaps partly of different origin. INTRODUCTION. XX111 The previous remarks (page xx) will have prepared the reader for" the first step in the arrangement of Mammals, viz., their division into those in which the young are nourished in the maternal uterus by means of a placenta, PLACENTAE MAMMALS, and those in which the young foetus is expelled at a very early period, and maintained in a pouch firmly attached to a nipple, IMPLACENTAL, or Marsupial animals. None of these last occur in the Asiatic province, being chiefly developed in the Australian region, and a few in America. They have, moreover, very anomalous forms of dentition. Having separated the Marsupial animals, the great mass of the Mammals still remains. Taking the teeth as our guide, we find a large number of animals possessed of all four kinds of teeth (vide page xiv) though in varying number and proportion. These are called by Blyth, TYPODONTIA, i.e., animals with the typical forms of teeth developed, and include Man,* Monkeys, Bats, Carnivorous animals and Shrews, See., in fact all the most perfect forms of Mammals. We next find a large and still more varied association of animals, of inferior and more specialized organization, in which the teeth vary much from the typical formation, and have rarely more than two kinds of teeth developed. This group is called by Blyth, DIPLODON- TIA, and includes Rats and Squirrels, Deer, Sheep and Cattle, the Elephant, Pig and Horse, and the almost toothless Ant-eaters. They chiefly live on vegetable matter, as the majority of the Typo- dontia do on animal food. A third small division, comprising the Whales and Porpoises &c., were called ISODONTIA by Blyth, because the teeth when present are all of one kind. Having thus divided Placental Mammals into three great groups, which can in most cases be recognized by a glance at the teeth, the next step is to divide them into orders ; and first the typically- toothed Mammals. On examining the hairy covering of a Monkey and a Bat, it will be seen that there is only one kind of hair, no underhair or wool being present. In both these animals too, the penis is pendent, and not sheathed as in all other animals. As Man belongs to this division, it was called PRIMATES by Linnaeus. * Man is excluded from the scope of the present work. XXIV THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. It is composed of two very distinct orders, that of QUADRUMANA, i.e , the four-handed, comprising Monkeys and Lemurs, in most of which there is a thumb or opposable finger on the foot ; and CHEIR- OPTERA, i.e., hand-winged, the Bats, which have the forearm and hand extended into an organ of flight. The remaining groups of perfect-toothed animals have two kinds of hair, in variable amount, and were named SECUNDATES by Blainville. They are likewise divi- sible into two orders. The first is the CARNIVORA, or beast of prey, the most typical of the two, and distinguished by powerful canines and trenchant molars, which are never studded with sharp points, and the clavicle is generally imperfect. The other order is that of INSECTIVORA, a group of small Mammals, having their molar teeth studded with sharp points to bruise their insect prey, and they usually have a greater number of teeth than the Carnivora. They all possess clavicles. The Diplodontia present much greater differences of aspect and structure than the more perfect group, and it is only cis a matter of convenience that they are grouped together. One order, which, like the preceding orders, has claws, or is unguiculate, possesses two chisel- shaped teeth in front of each jaw, no apparent canines, and a small number of flattened molars. This is the RODENTIA, or Gnawers, comprising Eats and Squirrels, &c. Another order, likewise with claws, which are large and fossorial, or capable of digging, but partially enclosing the toes and somewhat hoof-like, is distinguished by the total absence of the incisors and canine teeth, and in some of all the teeth. It is called EDENTATA, or Toothless. Such are the Ant-eaters and Armadillos. All the remaining animals of this group have the toes more or less joined together, and ending in a hoof, which is single and solid in the Horse, double or sulcate in the Deer and Pig, in three divisions in the Rhinoceros, in four unsymmetrical parts in the Hippopotamus, and with five hoof-like nails terminating the pad of the Elephant. These form the UNGULATA of some writers, and are usually divided into the RUMINANTIA, or Ruminants, and the PACHYDERMATA, or thick-skinned Mammals. The former is a very natural group, and comprises all that chew the cud Deer, Cattle, INTRODUCTION. XXV Sheep, &c. They have two hoofs, and two upper supplemental ones, no upper incisors (except in the Camel), and flattened molars. A canine is present in a few. The PACHYDERMATA is a more varied and artificial group than the Ruminants, comprising the Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Pig, Horse, and Tapir. They differ much in their dentition, and only agree in the negative character of not ruminating ; and perhaps it would be more scientific to divide them into separate orders as some have done, viz., CHCERODIA for the Hippopotamus and Pig ; PROBOSCIDEA for the Elephant ; and BELLURA for the others. The herbivorous Cetaceans, sometimes classed with Pachydermata, are generally separated as a distinct order, called SIRENIA, and are distinguished from the other Diplodonts by the absence of limbs. The ISODONTIA, comprising the Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, are generally called Cetacea, and have no posterior extremities, whilst their anterior limbs are changed into fins. Such is the Classification adopted in the present work, of which the accompanying synopsis may be found useful. A. PLACENTAL MAMMALS. (Foetus nourished in the uterus through a placenta.) I. TYPODONTIA. Teeth of all four kinds. 1st Group, PRIMATES. Hair of one kind only. Ord. Quadrwnana. With thumb on the feet. ,, Cheiroptera. Winged. 2nd Group, SECUNDATES. Hair of two kinds. Ord. Carnivora. Molars trenchant mixed with tubercular ones. ,, Insectivora.M.ola,Ts studded with cusps. II. DIPLODONTIA. Teeth generally of two kinds only, abnormal. Ord. Rodentia. Front teeth long and chisel-like. 5 , Pachydermata. Teeth varied skin thick do not ruminate Ruminantia. Upper incisors generally absent chew the cud . ,, Sirenia. Want posterior extremities. Edentata. Incisors absent. THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. III. ISODONTIA. Teeth when present of one kind and often very numerous. Ord. Cetacea. Post-extremities wanting. B. IMPLACENTAL OR MARSUPIAL MAMMALS. In the body of the work the orders do not follow exactly as in this synopsis. I have made the Insectivora follow the Bats, and the Cetacea the Carnivora. This classification is nearly that of Cuvier, but he classed Bats, Insectivora and Carniwra, in one group, CARNABIA, and placed the Sirenia with the true Cetacea. The following is the classification adopted by Linnsous. I. UNGUICULATA. With nails. Ord. Primates. Monkeys and Bats. Ferce. Insectivora and Carnivora. ,, Glires. Are Rodentia. ,, Bruta. The Ant-eaters, Elephant; and Rhinoceros. II. UNGULATA. Hoofed. Ord. Pecora. Ruminantia. Bellua. Pachydermata, except the order Bruta above. III. MUTICA. Wanting the posterior extremities, Cetacea. This, it will be seen, is, with the exception of his separating the Elephant and Rhinoceros from the other Pachydermata, essentially the same as Cuvier's, and the system adopted here. Professor Owen classifies Mammals according to the structure of the brain alone, and, excluding Man, whom he places by himself, as the type of his Arcliencephala, he divides the Mammal class into three great groups Lyencephala, Lissencephala, and Gyrencephala. The first comprises the Implacental or Marsupial animals, and is quite natural. In this group the olfactory lobes, part of the optic lobes, as well as the cerebellum, are all exposed, and the lobes of the cerebrum are not connected by a corpus callosum. The Lissencephala, or smooth-brained Mammals, have the corpus callosum, but the cerebrum is smooth in most and of small bulk. This group is composed of the Cheiroptera,) Insectivora, Rodentia, and INTRODUCTION. XXV11 Edentata ; and the separation of the perfect-teethed Bats and Shrews from the Monkeys and Carnivora, does not appear to be felicitous, or so natural as the system of Linnaeus. The Gyrencephala have more or less convolutions on the surface of the brain, and are divided into three groups MUTILATA, the Cetacea and Sirenia ; UNGU- LATA, the Pachydermata and Ruminantia ; and UNGUICULATA, the Carnivora and Quadrumana. But few naturalists in India have recorded their observations on the class of Mammals. Colonel Sykes was the first who published a list of the animals observed by him in the Deccan, in which he described several of the common animals of the country. Sir Walter Elliot followed, in 1839, with a Catalogue of the Mammalia of the Southern Mahratta country, and this excellent observer was the first to distinguish many of the smaller Mammals, of which he has given an admirable account. He has not published since, but has continued his researches, and discovered several novelties, amongst others the Tupaia of Southern India. That indefatigable observer and collector, Mr. Hodgson, has published several lists of the Mammals of Nepal, and has described many species, giving detailed accounts of the habits and structure of a few. Colonel Tickell has published a detailed history of a few animals in such a full and interesting manner, as to lead one to wish he had written much more. Major Hutton has also recorded some interesting facts on the Mammals of Afghanistan, and has largely collected, especially the Bats and smaller animals of the Himalayas. I understand that he is at present engaged on a popular natural history of the Himalayan animals, and I can only express my regret that it had not been published previously to the appearance of this work. Other scattered notices will be referred to in their proper place. It only remains to make a few observations on the geographical distribution of the Mammals of India. The Lungoors (Gen. Presbytis) form a well-marked group of Monkeys in India, and are still further developed in the Indo-Chinese provinces and Malayana. Out of five species found on the continent, there is only one spread through all the plains of Central and Northern India, and one through the Himalayas, whilst there arc XXV111 THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. three well-marked species in the extreme south of the peninsula. Whilst Macacus radiatus of Southern India replaces Inuus rhesus of all Northern and Central India, a well-marked form of this group, Inuus silenus, is peculiar to the south-west corner of the peninsula. The Lemurs are only outliers of the Madagascar Fauna, and whilst one species is very abundant in the extreme south, another Malayan species extends sparingly through Burmah into the north- eastern corner of Bengal. Of the Frugivorous Bats, two species are spread throughout the whole of India, and one additional species occurs in the south only. Among Insectivorous Bats, the Rhinolophus group is much more developed on the Himalayas than in all the rest of India ; seven species being recorded as Himalayan, whilst only two occur in Southern India ; but the Hipposideros section, which is more Malayan, is about equally represented in the north and south of India. A peculiar form, Ccelops of Blyth, has hitherto only been found in the Bengal Sunderbuns. The yellow-bellied Nycticeji occur pretty generally throughout India, but the largest species is from the south ; whilst a peculiar type, N. ornatus, is only found in the Himalayas. Most of the other Bats are generally distributed through the continent, except a few European forms, which only occur on the Himalayas. Moles are only found in India in the south-east portion of the Himalayas, being apparently an offshoot from the Indo-Chinese region ; and the Shrews are more numerously developed in the same portion of the Himalayas than in other parts of India. One species of the peculiar Insectivorous genus, Tupaia, a Malayan form, occurs in Southern India, and another spreads from Burmah into the south- eastern Himalayas. India abounds in Carnivora. Two species of Bears are Hima- layan, and one of a somewhat different type extends throughout the whole plains of India. A very remarkable form of Ursidas, Ailurus fulgens, is peculiar to the Eastern Himalayas. One Marten is found both on the Himalayas and Neelgherries, but Weasels, in India, only occur on the former range. There is only one species of Otter found in the South of India, but two are found in Bengal, and more INTRODUCTION. XXIX on the Himalayas. Out of the fifteen Feline animals found in India, five are common to India and Africa ; seven are found in India and the Indo-Chinese region, but of these there are three that only occur, in India, in the south-east Himalayas ; one (the Ounce) is Himalayan, extending there from Central Asia ; and three (and these are the smallest of the family) are peculiar to the plains of India, two of them occurring in the extreme south of the peninsula, and the other in the north-west. The genus Paradoxurus is strictly Asiatic, and more Malayan than Indian. One species only is common in most parts of India, and there are two in the Himalayas and adjoining Terai. Out of seven species of Herpestes, a genus common to India and Africa, five are only found in the southern portion of the peninsula, and four of these in the extreme south. Of the Civet Cats, one small species is found throughout India, common also to Malayana ; and there is a large species in Northern India, replaced in the extreme south by a different race. Several peculiar forms of Carnivora, viz., Arctonyx, Arctictis, Helictis, Urva, and Prionodon, are found in the South-east Himalayas, but they all extend there from the Indo-Chinese region. Of the Canidse, the Wolf, Jackal, and Wild Dog are found throughout India, and two small desert Foxes are found throughout the plains, whilst a Fox of the European type occurs in the Himalayas. Of the large Squirrels, three species of races occur in Southern India, and one in the Eastern Himalayas, extending from the Indo- Chinese district ; and in the same region two closely allied races of Squirrel are found of a type immensely developed in Assam, Burmah, and Malayana. Three species of ground Squirrel are found in Southern India, one of which extends to the foot of the Himalayas, and another to Central India ; one small species is found in the eastern Himalayas spreading to Assam. Only two species of Flying Squirrel are met with in Southern India, one of them limited to the extreme south of the peninsula, the other extending through Central India, although several species are found in the Himalayas. Marmots only occur on the same range, being outliers from Central Asia. XXX THE MAMMALS OF INDIA. There is not much remarkable in the distribution of the numerous MuridcB of India. A few are peculiar to the South of India, and these are somewhat more distinct in type, viz., Golunda, three species of Leggada, and the curious Platacanthomys. Armcola only occurs in the Himalayas ; and Rhizomys, an Indo-Chinese type, in the most eastern Himalayas. One species of Hare is found in the south of the peninsula, and another in Northern and Central India ; whilst a very curious form, the Hispid Hare, inhabits the north-eastern portion of Bengal. Lagomys, a northern type, is only found on the Himalayas. One Elephant is found throughout India, and two species of Rhinoceros occur in the north-eastern parts of Bengal, one of them extending to the extreme south of the Malayan peninsula. One Wild Pig, with some slight differences of race, occurs throughout all India, and a peculiar dwarf species is found sparingly in the Terai adjoining the south-eastern Himalayas. A Wild Ass is found in the north-western deserts, an extension from Persia and Western Asia. True Deer, of the type of the Red Deer, only occur, in India, within the Himalayas beyond the outer snowy range, in Kashmir, and Sikim, and these two species extend over great part of Asia ; four Rusine Deer, all peculiar to the Indian region, are found throughout India ; one, which approaches nearest the Elaphine group {Rucervus), occurring in Northern and Central India only, but also extending into Assam. The little Mouse-deer, Memimna, a Malayan form, occurs throughout India ; although the northern Musk-deer is only found in the Himalayas. Four species of Antelope are found throughout India, two of them, the Nylgai and the four-horned Antelope, being distinct in type from any African form ; whilst the Gazelles occur both in Africa and Asia. Two goat-like Antelopes (Nemorhccdus) are found on the Himalayas, the form being peculiar to Eastern Asia from Japan to Burmah. Of the true Goats, one type, Hemitragus, has a representative on the Himalayas, and another on the Neelgherries. The Siberian Ibex extends to the Himalayas, and a splendid wild goat, the Markhor, quite of the type of the domestic goat, is found INTRODUCTION. XXXI on the north-west Himalayas and adjoining hilly districts. Two species of Wild Sheep occur, one in the Punjab Salt Range, the other in the Himalayas. The occurrence of the former at such a low altitude, and in such a hot summer climate, is very remarkable. The magnificent Gaur, the Bison of sportsmen, abounds in the forests of Southern India, and extends more sparingly into Central India, as well as to Burmah and the Malay peninsula ; but the wild Buffalo is found in the eastern portions of both Northern and Central India. Two species of Scaly Ant-eater, Manis, occur in India, one common throughout all India ; the other a Chinese species, just reaching our north-east limit at Darjeeling. Little is known of the distribution of the marine Cetacea and Sirenia. The Dugong occurs sparingly in the southern coasts of India, and various species of Delphinus, one Globicephalus, and one Jtalcenoptera, are occasionally captured off the coasts or stranded. The Ganges and the Indus abound with a fresh-water Porpoise of a peculiar type, Platanista. To conclude, Southern India, more particularly the richly-wooded Malabar coast, possesses more species peculiar to it than all Central and Northern India, except the Himalayan range. Of the animals only found in this latter region, several equally belong to the Indo-Chinese Fauna, of which they appear to be the western extension, or to Central Asia ; still a moderate number of species appear to be peculiar to this mountainous region. THE MAMMALS OF INDIA, OED. PRIMATES. Fam. SIMIADJE, Monkeys. Syn. Quadrumana in part, Auct. Heopitheci, VAN-HOEVEN. Catar- rhince, GEOFFROY. Incisors, ; canines, ; molars, ; total, 32 teeth ; as in 4 1 1 5 5 man. Nails flat or somewhat rounded, blunt ; fore-feet usually with 5 toes ; hind-feet always pentadactylous, thumb remote ; nostrils separated by a small and narrow septum. Tail never prehensile, sometimes wanting ; the region of the tuberosity of the ischium usually destitute of hair and callous. Peculiar to the old world. In their anatomical characters monkeys generally closely resemble man, differing chiefly in the relative proportions of parts. The incisors are approximate in both jaws ; the canines are conic, larger than the incisors, and the upper ones remote from them ; the molars are nearly cubical in form with short tubercles, and equally enamelled. The face and hands are devoid of hair, and the fore-feet are often larger than the hind- feet. Some have cheek-pouches, others have none. Some have laryngeal pouches, or membranous expansions, sending prolongations into the muscles ; these are receptacles of air, and communicate with the cavity of the larynx by an aperture at the base of the epiglottis. Their probable use is to diminish the specific gravity of their body in the action of climbing. The cheek-pouches enable them to eat with rapidity ; their callosities enable them to assume the sitting posture readily ; and the long tails of some enable them to balance themselves in their surprising Their dentition resembles that of man very closely, differing in the B 2 SLVIIAD^E. incisors, and especially in the canines being larger ; this necessitates a larger space between the incisors, and the false molars. The other points in which even the nearest allied species differ from man are the con- spicuously longer fore-arms, the long flexible toes, and the thumb on the hind-feet. The pelvis is narrow, and does not assist the equilibrium in the erect position, and when they stand erect they cannot do so on the soles of their feet, but rest on the outer edge of the foot. In the young of some, the form of the skull approaches that of man, but with age it differs much, the jaws lengthening. The skeleton generally may be said to deviate from man towards some of the larger carnivora. The mass of the brain is smaller comparatively than in man, usually broader than long, and the central convolutions are less numerous and deep, the corpus callosutn of less extent, and the nerves thicker in proportion to the size of the brain.* The intestines of monkeys generally are similar to those of man. The penis is free and pendent, and they possess vesicular prostrate glands. The mammae are pectoral. The uterus ia simple, and they menstruate. The placenta is usually discoid, sometimes double. As a general rule monkeys are herbivorous, but some live on a mixed diet. Most live in societies, and they are chiefly arboreal in habit. They seldom give birth to more than two young at a time, frequently only one ; and they carry their young about with them. The liberty of their arms and the make of their hands permit many actions and gestures similar to those of man. Many are capable of domestication, and their intelligence and docility are familiar to all. The monkeys of the old world may be divided into 1st, Apes without a tail, to which division belong the Orangs and Gibbons ; 2nd, Monkeys properly so called ; and 3rd, Baboons. The Apes, sub-fam. SIMIANS comprise the Chimpanzee, Troglodytes niger; the Gorilla, T. Gorilla; and perhaps a third species, all from Africa ; and the Orangs, Simla Satyrus and S. Morio, from Borneo and Sumatra. The Gibbons are separated by some as a sub-family, HYLOBATIN.E. They are peculiar to the Indo-Chinese countries and Malayana. One of * Owen's separation of man from the monkeys, under the title of Archencephala, founded on the supposed greater extent of the hemispheres posteriorly, and some other points, is opposed by Huxley and others. PRESBYTIS. 3 the best known is Hylobates hoolook, found in the forests and hill ranges of Assam, Sylhet, Cachar, &c., whose extraordinary howlings I have heard in the Khasia hills and in Cachar ; Hylobates lar occurs in Tenasserim, and H. agilis in the Malayan peninsula, and there are several other species from the Malayan islands. They are of small size, gentle in disposition, and progress on the ground on their hind legs in a series of hops or jumps sideways, with their arms raised erect. MONKEYS. The Entellus group of monkeys are placed by Mr. Blyth in a sub- family, COLOBIN^E, along with an African genus, Colobus. They are distinguished from the other monkeys and baboons, by wanting the cheek-pouches, and having a peculiar sacculated stomach. Gen. PKESBYTIS, Illiger. Syn. Semnopithecus, F. Cuvier. Langur, H. ffunumdn, of Hindus. Char. Cheek-pouches rudimentary or wanting ; head round, the face but little produced, having a high facial angle. The last molar tooth of the lower jaw, with a fifth or accessory tubercle behind ; canines much longer than the incisors ; extremities and feet long ; fore-feet with the thumb short, and the third and fourth fingers long and sub-equal. Tail very long, slender, and straight. Callosities present. Peculiar to the Indian region. The body of these monkeys is comparatively slender, and the Germans call them slim-apes. Their long and slender limbs, long tail, and the black face with an eyebrow of long stiff black hairs, pointing forwards, distinguish the Langur s from all other monkeys. The absence of the cheek-pouch appears to be in some measure compensated by a peculiar sacculated stomach, described fully by Owen, in the 1st Vol. "Trans- actions of the Zoological Society " ; several distinct sacs or pouches being added to and communicating with the stomach. In a specimen of P. entellus, 20 inches long to the root of the tail, the small intestines were 13^ feet long, the large ones 2 feet 10 inches, and the coacum 4 inches. The distended stomach measured 31 inches along the greater curve, and was 1 foot in circumference. It consisted, firstly, of a simple cardiac pouch ; secondly, of a wide and sacculated middle portion ; and thirdly, of a narrow lengthened canal, sacculated at first, and simple afterwards, vascular, and the true digestive stomach. Owen in this paper, asks if B 2 4 S1MIAD.E. they feed on young shoots or leaves, from the quasi-ruminant character of the stomach ; and it has since been ascertained beyond a doubt that they constantly do partake of leaves. Bezoars have been found in the stomach of a Malayan Presbytis, thus affording a curious analogy to the ruminants, in whom alone they otherwise occur. The species of this genus abound in most of the forests of India, and their loud calls resound to vast distances through the jungles. They leap with surprising agility and precision from branch to branch, and when pressed take most astonishing jumps. I have seen them cross from tree to tree, a space of 20 to 30 feet wide, with perhaps 40 or 50 feet in descent, and alight in safety on the branch they sought. They can run on all-fours with considerable rapidity, taking long strides or rather bounds. The tail of these monkeys of course is not prehensile ; yet I have heard several men whom I considered persons of observation, and whose testimony I would willingly take on other subjects, assert most positively that they had seen Langurs holding on by their tails and thus swinging themselves from tree to tree. Such is the force of a pre -conceived idea, that it prevails over actual observation of the Several species of Presbytis have been described of late years, which were formerly confounded under the old name of Entellus, and there are five undoubted species of the genus inhabiting India proper. 1. Presbytis entellus. Simia apud DUFRESNOY fig. F. CUVIER, Mamm., I. 3, and III. 6. Hunumdn of Hindus. Langur H. Wanur, and Makur, Mahr. Musya, Can. BLYTH, Cat. 27. ELLIOT, Cat. 2. HORSFIELD, Cat. 4. P. anchises, ELLIOT ? THE BENGAL LANGUR. Descr. The general hue of this species is a pale dirty or ashy stra- mineous, darker (in some) on the shoulders, rump, and sides of the limbs, and paler on the head and lower parts; entire hands and feet con- spicuously black ; no trace of a crest of hairs on the vertex. Length of a male, 30 inches to root of tail, which was 43 inches ; but it attains a still larger size. This is the common Langur or Hunumdn of Bengal and Central India. Buchanan Hamilton says that it is not found north of the PRESBYT1S ENTELLUS. 5 Ganges, and that even south of that river it is rare in certain parts that would appear suitable for it, as at Rajmahal. Mr. Blyth states that he has never seen it wild east of the Hoogly, but that it extends up the right bank of that river and the Ganges, and thence to Cuttack and Central India. It is uncertain how far it extends southwards and westwards, and one variety or race from the south was named as distinct by Elliot. My impression of the Langur found in the Deccan is, that it had less black on the hands and feet, and was of a decidedly more ashy hue than the Bengal monkey, thus corresponding with part of Horsfield's description of entellus ; and it is still a desideratum to define the geographic boundaries of Presbytis entellus and P. priamus. This monkey, like all others of the genus, abounds most in forests and highly-wooded districts, but it not unfrequently takes up its abode in large groves near towns and villages, and occasionally enters towns and plunders the shops of the grain-dealers with impunity ; for Hindoos, in the North of India especially, deem it sacrilege to kill one. In some parts of the country, indeed, it would hardly be safe to do so, though Mr. Blyth records that some villagers along the Hoogly are not at all sorry to see one shot by a European. The Entellus feeds on grain, fruit, pods of various trees, especially of leguminosae, and also of leaves and young shoots. It is said* that, the males live apart from the females, who have only one or two old males with each colony. These are said to drive away or kill, if they can, the younger males, whom, however, the females protect,'all assisting. At a particular season all the males sally forth to the nearest colony of females and a regular fight ensues, at the end of which the vanquished males receive charge of the young ones of that sex from the females, and retire to some neighbouring jungle. This account was partly confirmed by Blyth, who found in one locality males alone, of all ages ; and in another, chiefly females. The female has usually only one young one, occasionally, it is said, twins. Hunuman, the meaning of which is long-jaw, was one of the monkeys of the monkey kingdom of Southern India, who aided Kama in his con- quest of Ceylon, by forming a bridge of rocks opposite Manar, and greatly distinguished himself. His figure is often found in Hindoo temples in the guise of a man, with a black monkey face, and a long tail : * Bengal Sporting Magazine, August, 1836. G SIMIAD.E. he is not worshipped, only greatly reverenced. In some temples in the West of India, this monkey is regularly fed by the priests. In confinement the Entellus monkey is quiet, sedate, and indolent. Messrs. Elliot and Blyth at one time separated from P. entellus a race or variety, under the name of P. ancMses, Elliot. It nearly corresponds in colour with P. entellus, but has the hands and feet much less black than that species, and the hair of greater length, that of the toes par- ticularly being remarkably long ; and the hairs moreover are straight, not wavy, as in Entellus. This race was founded, I believe, on a single skin from the table-land of Southern India, and further specimens are required to establish it satisfactorily as a distinct species. Mr. Blyth, indeed, in his Catalogue, now puts it as a variety of Entellus. As before stated, however, I think it by no means impossible that another race does take the place of Entellus in the Southern portion of Central India. 2. Presbytis schistaceus. HODGSON, J. A. S., IX., 1212. BLYTH, Cat. 28. HORSFIELD, Cat. 5. Langur, H. Kambasuhu, Lepch. Kubup, Bhot. THE HIMALAYAN LANGUR. Descr. Dark slaty above j head and lower parts, pale yellowish ; hands concolorous with body, or only a little darker ; tail slightly tufted ; hair on the crown of the head, short and radiated, on the cheeks long, directed backwards and covering the ears. In old individuals the general colour is gray, inclining to hoary, and the head yellowish-white. Grows to a larger size than Entellus. A moderately-sized one measured, head and body 30 inches, tail 36. This fine species has only of late been fully recognised in Europe as distinct from Entellus, much to the surprise of observers in India. It is found along the whole range of the Himalayas, from Nepal to far beyond Simla, but has not to my knowledge been actually procured in the Sikim Himalayas. Mr. Hodgson says, that it inhabits the Terraie and lower hills of Nepal, being rare in the Cachar, or upper range. Further west, however, it ascends to nearly 12,000 feet, at which elevation I saw it in Kumaon, in summer ; whilst Captain Hutton states, that he has seen them leaping and playing about at an elevation of 11, 000 feet, while the fir-trees among which they sported were loaded with snow-wreaths. It PRESBYTIS PR1AMUS. 7 is common about the stations of Nynee Tal, Mtissoorie, and Simla, and extends much further West. Its reputed absence in Sikim is only founded on negative evidence, and I heard of some Langurs having been seen near Punkabari, about 1,600 feet of elevation, and that some of this herd actually used to seize fruit and vegetables from some of the women and children who passed that way. On one occasion, two or three huge fellows attempted to take a bottle from the servant of a friend of mine who was following his master, and it was not till the gentleman rode close up to them that these bold Turpins gave up their felonious attempts. I cannot say whether these individuals were of this species or Entellus, but most probably the former. Hodgson in a copy of a new edition of his Catalogue of Nepal Mam- malia, gives a Presbytis thermophilus. This is probably Entellus. 3. Presbytis priamus. ELLIOT, apud BLYTH, J. A. S., XII. BLYTH, Cat. 30. HORSFIELD, Cat. Q.Gandangi, Tel. THE MADRAS LANGUR. Descr. Ashy. gray colour with a pale reddish or "chocolate au lait" tint overlying the whole back and head ; sides of the head, chin, throat, and beneath, pale yellowish j hands and feet, whitish j face, palms and fingers, and soles of the feet and toes, black ; a high compressed vertical crest of hairs on the top of the head ; hairs long and straight, not wavy j tail of the colour of the darker portion of the back, ending in a whitish tuft. Much of the same size as Entellus. This species inhabits the Eastern Ghats and Southern portion of the table-land of Southern India, not extending, however, to the Malabar Coast. It also occurs in the Northern part of Ceylon. We have no authentic information recorded of its extension to the Deccan and Southern Mahratta country, and we cannot be certain whether the species recorded by Mr. W. Elliot* and Colonel Sykes, are Entellus or Priamus or Anchises ? I have seen this monkey on the Eastern Ghats near Nellore, at Bangalore, where it is exceedingly numerous; near Trichinopoly, and elsewhere. It is found both in forests and large groves of trees, and has the usual habits and call of its tribe. It is often domesticated at Madras and other places. * Catalogue of the Mammalia of the Southern Mahratta country. 8 SIMIAD.E. 4. Presbytis Johnii. Simia apud FISHER. Semnopithecus Dussumierii, SCHINZ. S. Johnii, var., MARTIN. ti. cucullatus, Is. GEOFF. S. hypokucos, BLYTH. BLYTH, Cat. 29. HORSFIELD, Cat. 9. THE MALABAR LANGUR. Descr. Above, dusky brown, slightly paling on the sides; crown, occiput, sides of head and beard, fulvous, darkest on the crown ; limbs and tail, dark brown, almost black ; beneath, yellowish white. Not quite so large as Erdellus. This monkey is found on the Malabar Coast, from about N. L. 14 or 15 to Cape Cormorin ; that is to say, in the provinces of South Canara, Malabar, Cochin, and Travancore. Horsfield, in his Catalogue, states it to have been found " near Madras, and also in the interior of the peninsula." This is certainly erroneous, and I do not believe that it extends beyond the limit of the forests of Malabar. It does not ascend the mountains to any great height above the sea, and I never saw it above 1,200 or 1,300 feet on the various passes that I have traversed. It certainly does not occur on the wooded table-land of the Wynaad. It is not confined to the forests, but frequents gardens and the belt of cultivated wooded land that extends all along the sea coast of Malabar. Like others of this genus, it generally, by a noisy and alarmed chatter, gives notice of the presence of tigers, leopards, and other animals of prey. A pair that frequented my garden at Tellicherry pointed out the situation of a tiger that had come during the night. Its food is similar to that of its congeners fruit, seeds, and leaves, and it has the usual loud cry as it leaps from branch to branch. Though frequenting high trees in garden land, it is not at all familiar, like Entellus in similar spots, and rather shuns observation. It is frequently taken when young and tamed, as is mentioned by Belanger. Blyth, in his Catalogue, considers that cucullatus of Is. Geoffroy in Belanger's voyage, belongs to the next species, which he formerly looked upon as Johnii ; but I am convinced that Geoffrey described our monkey, which indeed he procured at Mahi, only 5 miles from Tellichevry, where, as I know, it abounds. It varies a good deal in the intensity of its colour, and especially in the blackness of its limbs and tail, and the young are throughout of a sooty brown. PRESBYTIS JUBATUS. 5. Presbytis jubatus. Semnopithecus apud WAGNER. S. Johnii apud MARTIN, and BLYTH (olim). BLYTH, Cat. 35 (syn. exc.). THE NEELGHERRY LANGUR. Descr. Of a dark glossy black throughout, except the head and nape, which are reddish-brown, the hair very long ; in old individuals, a grayish patch on the rump. Length of one, head and body, 26 inches ; tail, 30 ; but larger individuals are seen, though it does not attain the size of Entellus. This handsome monkey is found on the Neelgherry hills, the Animal- lies, Pulneys, the Wynaad, and all the higher parts of the range of Ghats as low as Travancore. It does not, as far as I have observed it, descend lower than from 2,500 to 3,000 feet. It is shy and wary, and does not affect the neighbourhood of man. It is, or used to be, very abundant in the dense woods of the Neelgherries, and when they were beaten for game, these black monkeys would make their way rapidly and with loud cries to the lowest part of the shola, and thence to some neighbouring wood at a lower level. The fur is fine and glossy, and is much prized. Presbytis pileatus, Blyth, inhabits the hilly regions of Sylhet, Cachar, and Chittagong ; P. fiarbei, Blyth, the interior of the Tippera hills ; P. obscurus, Reid, Mergui ; P. Phayrei, Blyth, Arrakan ; and P. albo- cinereus, the Malayan peninsula. Several others inhabit various of the Malayan isles ; and Ceylon possesses P. cephalopterus, and P. ursinus, Blyth, peculiar to that island. The genus Colobus contains several species from Africa, most of them black, and some with fine white manes. These monkeys differ from Presbytis in wanting the thumb of the fore-hands. PAPIONIN^E, Baboons. This sub-family comprises the true baboons of Africa, and the monkey- like baboons of India. They have the stomach simple, and cheek-pouches are always present. Gen. INUUS, Geoffroy. Macacus in part, Auct. Char. Face, somewhat produced, but rounded; callosities, present ; 10 SIMIAD.E. the last molar tooth of the lower jaw has five tubercles, the other two true molars with four tubercles ; tail, short. The monkeys of this genus have a somewhat prominent muzzle, and protruded superciliary ridge ; the nostrils open obliquely at some distance above the end of the muzzle ; their canines are very strong, and the first molars are inclined backwards to make room for the large upper canine. The limbs are strong and compact, and they are as much terrestrial as arboreal. They eat frogs, crabs, lizards, and insects, as readily as vegetable food. Their callosities are large, as are their cheek-pouches, and they have also laryngeal expansions. Their tails are short. They are quiet and intelligent in- youth, but become ferocious and untameable in old age. 6. Imms silenus, Simla apud LINNAEUS. S. leonina, SHAW. Silenus veter, GRAY. BLYTH, Cat. 12. HORSFIELD, Cat. 23. Nil bandar, Beng. Shia bandar, H. Nella manthi, Mai. THE LION MONKEY. Descr. Black, with a reddish white hood or beard surrounding the face and neck ; tail, with a tuft of hair at the tip. Length of one, about two feet ; tail, 10 inches. This well-known monkey has been bandied about in several genera, some making him a Papio, others a Cynocephalus, and many a Macacus ; whilst Lesson, followed by Gray, places him as a distinct genus. It cer- tainly has the baboon-like characters, viz., the stronger teeth, more lengthened face, and the tufted tail more strongly marked than others. Till lately it has been looked upon in Europe as a native of Ceylon as well as of the Southern parts of India, and the name Wanderoo, applied to it by Buffon, is properly the Ceylonese name of the Langurs ; but Templeton and Layard pointed out that it was never found on that island. It is a native of the more elevated forests of the Western Ghats of India from N. L. 14 to the extreme South, but most abundant in Cochin and Travancore. It is said to occur still further North up to Goa, N. L. 15^, but I have no authentic information of its occurrence so high. It frequents the most dense and unfrequented parts of the forest, always, as far as I have observed it, at a considerable elevation, and I had often traversed the Malabar forests before I first fell in with it. This was at the top of the Cotiaddy pass, leading from Malabar into INUUS PELOPS. 11 the Wynaad. I have since met with it in several other localities, but always near the crest of the Ghats. It occurs in troops of from twelve to twenty or more, and those I observed were exceedingly shy and wary. It is not, to my knowledge, often caught in the Wynaad, and most of the individuals seen in captivity appear to be taken in Travancore. In its nature it is more sulky and savage than the next species, and is with difficulty taught to perform any feats of agility or mimicry. 7. Inims rhesus. Macacus apud DESMARERT. In. erythrceus, SCHREBER. Pithex oinops, HODGSON. HORSFIELD, Cat. 20. BLYTH, Cat. 15. Bandar, H. Mor- kot, Beng. ; also Banur or Marcut banur. Suhu, Lepch. Piyu, Bhot. Figd. F. CUVIER, Mamm., II. 9 and 10, and III. 14. THE BENGAL MONKEY. Descr. Above brownish- ochrey or rufous ; in old individuals more rufous, or rusty on the lower back and rump ; limbs and beneath, ashy- brown ; callosities and regions in their vicinity, red ; face of adult males, red ; tail, about half the length of the body ; hairs on the crown not radiating. Length of one, about 22 inches (head and body); tail, 11 inches. This is the common monkey of all Northern India, extending South to about N. L. 18 or 19. I have observed it in Goomsoor and near Nag- pore, but not further South. It extends into the Himalayas up to at least 4,000 or 5,000 feet of elevation. It frequents alike forest and groves in the open country, and may be seen in abundance in many large towns and villages in Northern India. It is very commonly tamed, and made to exhibit various feats of agility. When old, the males especially become somewhat savage, and less tractable than younger individuals. 8. Inuus pelops. Macacus apud HODGSON. M. assamensis, MCLELLAND 1 HORSFIELD, Cat. 21. BLYTH, Cat. 16. THE HILL MONKEY. Descr. Brownish-gray, somewhat mixed with slaty, and rusty-brown- ish on the shoulders in some ; beneath, light ashy-brown ; fur, fuller and more wavy than in the last ; canine teeth, long ; of stout habit. Length of one specimen, 20 inches j tail, 9-J ; face and callosities less red than in 12 There is still some doubt about the distinctness of this monkey from rhesus ; as well as its identity with the A ssam one, and the materials in the museum of the Asiatic Society are insufficient to form a decided opinion. Major Hutton, however, considers that he has obtained this monkey in the interior of the Mussoorie hills, where it replaces rhesus at a high elevation ; and he had one or two young individuals alive which showed the wavy fur noted by Hodgson. Hodgson in the last edition of his Catalogue has, in addition to rhesus and pelops, another species which he names in MSS. Mavacus sikimensis. If this be distinct from the other two, it may be assamensis ; and it is perhaps the monkey, not rare near Darjeeling at from 4,000 to 5,000 feet high, which I considered to be rhesus, and which is very destructive to the fields of Indian corn. Other species of Inuus are /. nemestrinus, from the Tenasserim pro- vinces and Malayana, and /. leoninus, Blyth, from Arrakan, perhaps the same as /. arctoides of Is. Geoffroy. Gen. MACACUS. Tail longer than in Inuus, and face not so lengthened ; otherwise as in that genus. 9. Macacus radiatus. Cercopethecus apud KUHL. Simla sinica, LIN. (in part). ELLIOT, Cat. 1. BLYTH, Cat. 18. HORSFIELD, Cat. 22. Bandar H. Makadu, Mahr. or Wanur (SYKES). Kerda, Mahr. of the Gh&ts.-Munga, Can. Koti, Tel. Vella Munthi, Mai. Figd. F. CUVIER, Mamm., I. 13. THE MADRAS MONKEY. Descr. Of a dusky olive-brown colour, paler and albescent on the belly, and somewhat ashy on the outer sides of the limbs ; hairs on the crown of the head, radiated ; tail, dusky-brown above, whitish beneath. Length of one, head and body, 20 inches ; tail, 15. This monkey is found over all the Southern parts of India, extending North to N. L. 18, or thereabouts, where it is replaced by Inuus rhesus. "It abounds," says Mr. Elliot, "over all this portion of country, sometimes inhabiting the wildest jungles, and at others living in populous towns, and carrying off fruit and grain from the shops of the dealers with the greatest coolness and address." LEMURID.E. 13 It is the monkey most commonly found in menageries, and led about to show various tricks and feats of agility. It is certainly the most- inquisitive and mischievous of its tribe, and its powers of mimicry are surpassed by none. With age it becomes more sullen and less amenable to discipline. A variety, with an apparently longer tail, was brought to me at Nel- lore from the Eastern Ghats, and the shikarees called it the Konda koti, or hill monkey, to distinguish it from the common one ; but I had not an opportunity at the time of comparing it with a specimen of the common one, and must therefore, in the absence of specimens, consider it only as an individual variety. Ceylon possesses a representative of M. radiatus in M. pileatus, Shaw (sinica of Linnaeus) ; and M. cynomolgos, L., and M. carbonarius, F. Cuvier, are both found in Burmah. The African monkeys of this sub-family belong to Cynocephalus and Papio, true short-tailed baboons, of savage disposition and carnivorous habits ; whilst the species of Cercopithecus, with their long tails and sombre colours, externally more resemble Presbytis. The family CEBIDJE or PLATYRHIN^E, with the nostrils far apart, are all American. They are divided into, 1 st, HAPALIN^E, or Marmosets, of very small size, the ears tufted, the tail bushy but not prehensile, the teeth as in the last family, but the tubercles of the molars sharp ; they feed both on insects and fruit. 2nd, CEBIN^E, with 36 teeth, viz., incisors, A 11 / n - ; canines, molars, ; a prehensile tail ; small or of moderate 4 1 1 6 6 size ; the face often naked. They are mild and tractable in their dispo- sition, and feed both on insects and fruit. . Fam. LEMURID^E. Upper incisors, 4, usually in pairs ; lower ones, 4 or 2 ; molars, ' 5 5 Nostrils terminal; first finger of the hind-feet with recurved claw; other nails flat ; thumbs of both extremities opposable ; molars with pointed and alternating tubercles. This highly interesting family, classed by some under the name of Strepsirhini, has been lately separated into the sub-families, Indrisince, Lemurinw, Nycticebince, and Galagince. The great majority are natives of Madagascar ; one genus from Africa ; and two or three species from India, including Malayana. They are dis- 1 4 LEMURID^E. tinguished from monkeys by the two-horned uterus, by the lower jaw remaining permanently divided in the middle, and by the bony orbits being open behind, but with a bony ring separating them from the temporal fossae. The Indian members of this family belong to the sub- family named Nycticebinw. Gen. NYCTICEBUS, Geoffroy. Char. Head, round ; muzzle, short and triangular ; ears, short, hairy ; extremities, strong and robust ; thumb, widely separated from the fingers in both limbs; tail, short ; teeth, incisors, or canines, HL- ; molars, 4 j 1 1 66 6 6 = 34 or 36. Eyes, large, approximate ; index finger of hand, short ; nostrils, projecting beyond the mouth ; body, slender. The first molar of the lower jaw is acuminated and incurved, resem- bling a canine tooth. The tongue is long, narrow, and rough, and is supported by a cartilaginous plate. The stomach is almost globular, with the cardiac and pyloric orifices very close. The coecum and colon are both large. The uterus is long, and there is a large perforated clitoris through which the urethra passes. The base g of the arteries of the limbs are divided into small branches, as in the Sloths. 10. Nycticebus tardigradus. Lemur apud GEOFFROY. Stenops javanicus, Auct. N. bengalensis, GEOFFROY. HORSFIELD, Cat. 25. BLYTH, Cat. 47. Lajja banar, or Lajjawoti-banar, Beng., i. e., the bashful monkey. Sharmindi billi, H., i. e., the bashful cat. THE SLOW-PACED LEMUR. Descr. Dark ashy-gray, with a darker band down the middle of the back ; beneath, lighter gray ; forehead in some dark, with a narrow white stripe between the eyes, disappearing above them ; ears and round the eye, dark; tail, very short. Length of one, 14 J inches; tail, | of an inch ; another was 1 6 inches long. This species is joined to N. javanicus by Blyth as a local variety. It has only two upper incisors. The Javanese race has also only in general two upper incisors, but it has five well-marked dark stripes on the fore- head and head. The race from the Malay peninsula has usually four upper^incisors, and the fur much darker in hue. The slow-faced Lemur is only found, within our limits, in the most LORIS GRACILIS. 15 eastern portion of Bengal, Rungpore, Dacca, &c. It keeps to the forests, and is quite nocturnal in its habits, sleeping in the day-time in holes of trees, and coming forth at night to feed on leaves and shoots of trees, fruit, and also, it is said, insects and small birds. Sir W. Jones, in 4th Vol. Asiatic Researches, gives an interesting account of one kept in captivity by him. It is stated to sleep with its head downwards, suspended by the hooked claw of the thumb of the hind- feet. It closes its eyelids diagonally, the lower one having most motion. The intestines of one examined were 64 inches long j and the ccacum 3 J inches. Gen. LORIS, Schreber. Body and limbs slender ; no tail ; eyes, very large, almost contiguous ; nose, acute, slightly ascending ; otherwise as in Nycticebus. 11. Loris gracilis. Lemur apud SHAW. L. ceylonicus, FISCHER. BLYTH, Cat. 48. Tevangar, Tarn. Dewantsi-pilli, Tel. Sloth of Europeans in Madras, &c. THE SLENDER LEMUR. Descr. Above of a grayish rufescent colour ; beneath, the same but paler ; a white triangular spot on the forehead extending down the nose ; fur, short, dense and soft ; ears, thin, rounded. Length of one, about 8 inches j arm 5 ; leg, 5 J. I believe that this curious little animal is found in most of the forests of Southern India, but it is difficult to find owing to its small size and nocturnal habits, and it generally escapes the observation of travellers. It does not appear to be common, or at all events well known in the Malabar Coast, yet I have heard of it near there. It is, however, very abundant in the forests of the Eastern Ghats, and large numbers are brought alive at times to the Madras market, their eyes being a highly- esteemed remedy for certain diseases of the eyes among the Tamul doctors. This lemur is of course quite nocturnal, and it is said to eat fruit, young leaves, insects, eggs, and young birds. In confinement it will eat boiled rice, plantains, honey, or syrup ; and also, it is stated, raw meat. Though slow in its motions in general, it can make its way along a branch with considerable activity, and its grasp is very tenacious. Several made their escape one night from my house in Fort St. George in 1845, and found 16 CHEIROPTERA. their way along windows, balconies, and roofs, to some of the public offices in the neighbourhood, considerably alarming some of the native writers by clambering in at the open windows. The slender Lemur occurs also in Ceylon. Kelaart mentions that the intestines of one examined by him were 35 inches long, and the ccecum 2 inches. A black variety is mentioned by Tennent as found in Ceylon.* Tarsium, with one species, from Java, is the only other Asiatic member of this family. Lemur, Indrus, and Liclianotus are Madagascar forme, and Galago is African. Cheiromys, a very singular form from Madagascar, having teeth allied to those of the Rodents, is generally placed in this family. The genus Galeopithecus is usually made the type of a distinct family, GALEOPITHECID^E. They are the flying lemurs of English authors, having a membrane connecting their limbs. They have not the power of sustain- ing flight, are nocturnal and insectivorous, with pectoral mammae, and sleep with their heads downwards. They are natives of Malayana, and may be said to form a link to the frugivorous bats. Sub-order. CHEIROPTERA, Bats. Incisors, various in number ; canines, distinct ; molars uniformly ena- melled, with many points, or with a flat depressed crown. Feet, pendacty- lous ; bones of the anterior extremities and especially of the fingers (except the pollux which is always unguiculate) elongated, sustaining a large naked membrane serving for flight ; posterior toes all unguiculate. Two pectoral mammse. Bats, as is well known, are nocturnal animals of usually small size, with very small eyes and large ears, capable of sustaining a rapid and con- tinuous flight for some hours. Most are insectivorous, a few frugivorous. They produce one or at most two young ones at a birth, which are of a very large size compared to the parent, and are carried about by her. Their sense of hearing and smell is very acute. They roost in the day- time in trees, in the hollows of trees, in caves, old buildings, under roofs, &c., hanging head downwards by their hind claws. They may be said to resemble Insectivora with the addition of wings. The skull is thin, the temporal bone, especially its acoustic portion and the cochlea, much developed. The ribs are extraordinarily long, and the sternum greatly developed, the manubrium or anterior portion being * May not this be the last species ? PTEROPODID.E. 17 much extended laterally to afford a strong attachment for the clavicles which are always present and very robust. The ulna is almost rudimen- tary and firmly joined to the radius, and the fore-arm is quite incapable of any rotation. The metacarpal bones are greatly elongated. The pelvis is straight and long, and the coccygeal bones are lengthened in some to support the membrane, and assist them in turning rapidly. The organ of hearing is greatly developed in the insectivorous species, especially the tragus. The foliaceous appendages to the organs of smell in some (Ithinolophinm) may be perhaps intended to give increased power and delicacy to this organ. Their wings form an enormously expanded organ of touch, by means of which they can direct their flight even when their eyes are extirpated, and their hearing blunted, as was proved by some experiments by Spallanzani. Bats do not possess a coecum. The penis is pendulous and has a small bone in it. The testes only descend during the breeding season. The uterus has two short horns. The supposed additional inguinal teats of the Rhinoloplii are probably only cutaneous glands. The females of many bats have nursing pouches. Many become periodically torpid, hybernating in cold countries. The hairs of bats generally appear under the microscope as serrated and jointed, in some almost annulated, mostly so at the tip. Many are infested by insects of the genus Nyctcribia. Bats are found throughout the whole world. They are divided into the families Pteropodidcv, Vampyridce, N octilionidce, and Vesper t'dionidcv. Fam. PTEROPODID.E. FKUGIVOROUS BATS. Molars, with the crown flat with a median longitudinal groove. Ears, small, without a tragus. Index with three phalanges, generally unguicu- late. Tail, very short, or none. Interfemoral membrane, small, deeply excised posteriorly. Face, lengthened. Gape, moderate. The frugivorous bats, differing so much in their dentition from the insectivorous species, seem to lead through the flying Lemurs directly to the Quadrumana. They comprise the largest species in the order, and are chiefly found in the tropical regions of the East, being very numerous in the Malayan islands as far as Australia. Their molars have rounded eminences ; the stomach is complex, long, and twisted on itself, has two dilatations and some deep longitudinal rugae or folds. The pyloric 1 8 PTEROPODID^E. orifice is very small, whilst the cesophageal is dilated widely. The intes- tinal canal is long, being about seven times the length of the body. The females of some are provided with nursing pouches. It is possible that the fabulous Harpy of the ancients was one of these large bats. Gen. PTEROPUS, Geoffroy. Char. Incisors, - ; canines, -HI- : molars, -HI- . Index-finger 4 1 1 6 6 unguiculate. Snout lengthened. No tail in some ; a short one in others. The tongue is covered with large papillae, pointing backwards, each ter- minating in a brush. 12. Pteropus Edwardsi. GEOFFKOY. P. medius, TEMMINCK. P. leucocephalus, HODGSON. P. assamensis, MCLELLAND. ELLIOT, Cat. 3. BLYTH, Cat. 51. Gadal, or Barbagal, H. in the South. Bddun and Pata debli, H. in the North. Badul, Beng. Warbagul, Mahar. Toggul bawali, Can. Sikat-yelli, of Wuddurs. Sikurayi, Tel. Flying-fox of Europeans in India. THE LARGE FOX-BAT. fiescr. Head and nape rufous-black; neck and shoulders golden- yellow ; back, dark-brown ; chin, dark ; rest of body beneath, fulvous or rusty brown j interfemoral membrane, brownish-black. Length, 12 to 14 J inches; extent of wings, 46 to 52 inches. This large bat, the flying fox of Europeans, is found throughout all India, Ceylon, and Burmah. Specimens vary considerably in shade and colouration. During the day they roost on trees, generally in large colonies, many hundreds often occupying a single tree, to which they invariably resort if not driven away. Towards sunset they begin to get restless, move about along the branches, and by ones and twos fly off for their nightly rounds. If water is at hand, a tank, or a river, or the sea, they fly cautiously down and touch the water, but I could not ascertain if they took a sip, or merely dipped part of their bodies in.* They fly vast distances occasionally to such trees as happen to be in fruit. They are fond of most garden fruit * A recent writer, on observing this, has jumped to the conclusion that they do this for the purpose of fishing, and a note on the fishing propensities of the Ptcropnn is to be found in a late number of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society. PTEROPUS LESCHENAULTII. 19 (except oranges, &c.), also the neern, jamoon, be"r, and various figs. About the early dawn they return from their hunting-grounds, and the scene that then daily takes place is well described by Tickell, in an excel- lent memoir published in the Calcutta Journal of Natural History, from which I extract the following : " From the arrival of the first comer until the sun is high above the horizon, a scene of incessant wrangling and contention is enacted among them, as each endeavours to secure a higher and better place, or to eject a neighbour from too c lose vicinage. In these struggles the bats hook themselves along the branches, scrambling about hand over hand with some speed, biting each other severely, striking out with the long claw of the thumb, shrieking and cackling without intermission. Each new- arrival is compelled to fly several times round the tree, being threatened from all points, and when he eventually hooks on he has to go through a series of combats, and be probably ejected two or three times before he makes good his tenure." The female brings forth only one young one, which adheres firmly to the breast, retaining its position whether the dam be flying or at rest. The flesh is esteemed good eating by some. Colonel Syke calls it delicate, and with no bad flavour, and states that it is eaten by the native Por- tuguese. Many classes in the Madras presidency also eat it. Whilst on service with my regiment in the Ghazeepore district during the mutiny in 1858, the force was encamped in a grove of trees, on one of which was a rather small colony of these Pteropi. The wind which had hitherto been from the east and moist, suddenly changed to a fierce, hot, dry, westerly blast, and this so affected the bats, that one by one they descended to lower branches, being blown to leeward of course at the same time, and eventually fell to the ground, and many were picked up, panting and all but lifeless, others quite dead, by our followers, Madras grooms, and grass-cutters. Several birds and numerous flies also perished from the same cause. 13. Pteropus Leschenaultii. DESMAREST P. seminudus, KELAART. BLYTH, Cat. 54 THE FULVOUS FOX-BAT. Descr. Fur, of a fulvous ashy, or dull light ashy-brown colour, paler c 2 20 . PTEROPODIDJS. beneath, the hairs whitish at the base ; membranes, dark brown ; fur, short and downy. Length, head and body, 5 to 5 J inches ; extent, 18 inches. Of another, length, 6 inches ; extent, 20 inches ; fore-arm, 3^ ; tibia, 1 J; ear, -^Q. I have only procured this species in the Carnatic, at Madras, and Tri- chinopoly, and know nothing of its habits. It is stated to have been procured at Pondicherry and Calcutta. One specimen from the Coro- mandel coast is stated to have the fur browner, a white collar with the hairs on the sides of the neck longer and directed forwards. Could this have been a specimen of P. Dussumierii, Is. Geoffroy, stated to occur on the continent of India, but of which little is known ? It is described as being fulvous-rufescent of different shades, lighter beneath, and on the sides of the neck sometimes brown with a white collar. Length, 7 inches ; exterior, 27. A specimen is stated to exist in the British Museum from Sharunpore. The membrane of P. Leschenaultii is described as occasionally marked with white spots in rows. Kelaart met with such in Ceylon. Many Pteropi are found throughout Malayana ; one of large size, P. edulis, in Java and Malacca ; one species at least occurs in Africa ; and some in Australia. Gen. CYNOPTERUS, F. Cuvier. Syn. Pachysoma. Char. Incisors, ; canines, ; molars, . 4 1 1 5 5 Two rudimentary false molars in each jaw, but they want the last molars. Snout, short j tail, very short or none. 14. Cynopterus marginatus. Vespertilio apud HAMILTON. Pteropus pyrivorus, HODGSON. P. tittcecheilus, TEMMINCK. ELLIOT, Cat. 4. BLYTH, Cat. 58. HORSFIELD, Cat. 35. Cham-gadili, Beng. THE SMALL FOX-BAT. Descr. General colour fulvous olivaceous, paler beneath and with an ashy tinge ; ears, with a narrow margin of white. Length, 4 to 4J inches. Of one, 4J ; the extent of wing, 17^ ; fore- arm, 2 T 6 g- ; tail, T 4 ^, Kelaart gives larger dimensions ; one measured 5g- inches; extent, 20^; fore-arm, 2| ; tibia; tail, -JJ-. In some the neck and sides are deeply ferruginous, and fresh speci- CYXOFTERUS MARGIKATUS. 21 mens are often deeply tinged with dark ferruginous throughout, but fade quickly on drying. This bat is found throughout all India, from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin and Ceylon. It roosts during the day in clusters on the folded leaves of the plantain, Palmyra palm, and other trees. It is exclusively frugivorous in habit. Several species are recorded, apparently very closely allied, and some of them perhaps not distinct. C. affinis, Gray, from the Himalayas, is usually considered the same. It may, however, be distinct, and is perhaps Hodgson's P. pyrivorus in part, described as " wholly earthy brown, nude skin of lips, of joints, and the toes fleshy gray; length, 6 inches ; expanse, 24 ; weight, 5 oz."* Of this family, other JTgenera are antharpyia, and Epomophorus fro m Africa ; and Macroglossus, the type of which is Pt. minimus^ from Tenas- serira and Malayan a. The rest of this sub-order are all insectivorous. They have true molars, 3 3 , beset with pointed tubercles adapted for crushing the hard cases OO of beetles, &c. The canines are often of large size. The gape is large. The fore-feet have the thumb clawed, the hind -feet without a claw. Index with one or two bony phalanges. The stomach is small and simple, and the intestinal canal short, being only about twice the length of the body, or less. They are found all over the world. They are called Gadal Chamgidar in Hindustani ; Chamgiiddri, Beng.; Chidgu, at Bhagulpore, Gabbelay and Jiburai in Telugu ; Kanka-pati in Canarese ; Phiyu longtd, Bhotia ; and Brin, Lepcha. Fam. VAMPYRID.E. A. nose-leaf, either simple or complicated. Sub-fam. MEGADERMATIX^E. Nose-leaf complicated. Index-finger of two joints. Gen. MEGADERMA, Geoffrey. Char. Incisors, - ; molars, -H-. Nose furnished with a complicated 4 o 5 * I see that in the last edition of Hodgson's Catalogue, by Mr. Gray, P. pyrivorus is given, in addition to Cynopterus marginatus, from the Sikim Terai. This, if really distinct, may be C. affinis, as noted above ; or Pteropus dussumierii. 22 MEGADERMATIN.E. membranous apparatus ; ears very large, connate at the base, with a small tragus. No tail. Interfemoral membrane cut square. Peculiar to the Eastern hemisphere. 15. Megaderxna lyra. GEOFFROY. M. carnatica, ELLIOT, Cat. 5. M. schistacea, HODG- SON. BLYTH, Cat. 59. HORSFIELD, Cat. 73. THE LARGE-EARED VAMPIRE BAT. Descr. Of a slaty blue or pale mouse colour, albescent or yellowish-ashy beneath. Nasal appendage large, oblong, free at the tip, reaching to the base of the ears with a fold down the centre ; tragus, cordate, two-lobed, anterior lobe pointed, twice as high as the posterior, which is rounded ; muzzle, truncated ; under lip, cleft. Length of one, head and body, 3J inches ; extent, 19 ; fore-arm, 2f ; tibia, 1^. The molar teeth above are occasionally only three on each side, as found by Mr. Elliot, but Hodgson and others have observed four on each side. This curious-looking bat is found over all India, from the foot of the Himalayas to the extreme South, frequenting old buildings, pagodas, caves, roofs of houses, &c. It is very abundant in the innermost com- partments of the cave temples of Ellora and Ajunta. Hodgson consi- dered those he procured (which were under the roof of the Dak bungalow at Silligoree, at the foot of the Sikim Himalayas) distinct ; but I got specimens from the very same locality and found them apparently quite identical with those from Southern India. Horsfield, indeed, when noticing Hodgson's new Mammals, &c., stated that dry specimens could not be distinguished from M. lyra. Mr. Blyth has fully ascertained that this bat at times sucks the blood from other bats, fixing on them behind the ear, sucking the blood during flight, and then devouring the body. It has also been known to eat frogs and fish. Hodgson found insects only in those he examined. 16. Megaderma spectrum. WAGNER. In Hugel's Kaschmir, IY. p. 569, with figure. THE KASHMIR VAMPIRE BAT. Descr. Above slaty cinereous, whitish beneath ; the vertical nose-leaf of moderate size, oval ; inner lobe of tragus, ovate. RHINOLOPH1N.E. 23 Length, head and body, 2| inches ; ear, 1-^-. Wagner, in his sup- plemental volume to Schreber, makes Hodgson's species schistacea, as synonymous with this one ; and as part of his description is apparently taken from Hodgson, I can give no other characters than those above. I have not seen a specimen. It is stated to have been found in Kashmir by Baron Hiigel. Two other species are recorded from the East, M. Horsfieldii, Blyth, from Tenasserim, and M. spasma, L. from Malayana and Ceylon. Dr. Cantor states that in the latter species he found a small ccecum, -^ of an inch long. One species, M. frons, is from Egypt. Sub-fam. EHINOLOPHIN^E. Nasal leaf, complicated, membranous. Fore-finger of a single joint ; wings, largely developed. Females with pubic warts simulating mammae. This family is greatly developed in India and Malayana, Gen. RHINOLOPHUS, Geoffroy. 2 Char. Incisors, _ or ; the upper ones small and distant ; molars, or or ; nose furnished with a complicated 5 5 .5 5 6 6 apparatus, consisting of a cordate or semi-orbicular leaf, bilobed in front of the nostrils ; a longitudinal crest along the nose, and an erect frontal leaf posteriorly, more or less lanceolate. Ears, large, not joined at the base, without a tragus, but often with a lobe at the base of the outer margin. Tail, long, connate with the membrane. Wings, long, ample. These bats are said to hang with their body rolled up in their wings as in a mantle. 17. Rhinolophus perniger. HODGSON, J. A. S., XII. 414. BLYTH, Cat. 62. R. ^C^TEMMINCK? THE LARGE LEAF-BAT. Descr. Ears, very large, much longer than the head, broad, acutely pointed ; nasal apparatus, very complicated, the lower leaf very large, con- cealing the upper lip like a door-knocker ; the upper leaf like a graduated spire ; ears, transversely striate ; a rather large semicircular lobe at base of ear ; lower lip with two warts ; molars, 1-. Fur, long, dense, soft, 6 6 24 RIIINOLOPIIIN.E. and lax, slightly curled or woolly, black, with a silvery grizzle, or greyish- black, or rich chestnut brown. Length of one, head and body, 3J inches ; tail, If ; expanse, 17 ; fore- arm, 2A ; tibia, 1 J; ear, 1^ by f-inch wide. Hodgson gives one, head and body, 3|-; tail, 2J ; expanse, 17 ; fore-arm, 2| ; leg, If. This fine bat has been usually considered the same as Temminck's JR. luctus from Java, &c. ; but latterly, Blyth considered it distinct, stating that its facial membranes are less complicated than in luctus. Hodgson procured it in Nepal, and I got it at Darjeeling in warm valleys. I pro- cured one specimen at Tellicherry, which I forwarded to Mr. Elliot, who pronounced it to be R. luctus. It was of a reddish-brown colour, and a rufescent variety of luctus has been described by Eydoux. It is impossible now to decide if the Malabar bat be the same as the Himalayan one, but if not, it will probably turn out to be true luctus. E. perniger occurs also on the Khasia hills. 18. Rhinolophus mitratus. BLYTH, J. A. S., XIII. 483. Cat. 63. THE MITRED LEAF-BAT. Descr. Ears, large, anti-helix moderately developed ; upper leaf, trian- gular, acute ; tail, extending beyond the tibia \ above light-brown, paler beneath. Length, head and body, 2^ inches ; tail, 1 J ; fore-arm, 2J ; tibia, 1; ear, 1. Expanse, "probably 12," according to Blyth, but from its size I should judge considerably larger, probably 14 at least. This species has only been hitherto recorded from Chybassa, Central India, whence sent by Colonel Tickell. Hutton, however, considers that he obtained it at Mussoorie. 19. Ehinolophus tragatus. HODGSON, J. A. S., IY. 699. BLYTH, Cat. 66. THE DARK-BROWN LEAF- BAT. Descr. Upper process like a barred spear-head ; central one small and narrow, a little expanded at the summit ; anti-tragus less developed than usual lips, simple ; colour, a uniform deep brown, with the tips of the hairs paler and somewhat rusty. Length, head and body, 2| inches ; tail, 1J ; expanse, 15 J ; fore-arm, 2J; tibia, 1 T V RIIIXOLOPHUS ROUXI. 25 This bat has been found in the central region of Nepal, and also at Mussoorie. It conceals itself in cavities of rocks, and issues forth soon after dusk, earlier, says Hodgson, than the species of Vespertilio. Blyth remarks on the inappropriate name, for, says he, the anti-helix is less developed than usual. 20. Rhinolophus Pearsoni. HORSFIELD, Cat. 43. BLYTH, Cat, 64. PEARSON'S LEAF-BAT. Descr. "Colour above, dark -brown, with a slight shade of chestnut ; underneath, brown, with a sooty cast ; fur, very long, dense and soft ; ears distinct, with an additional rounded lobe below, measuring ante- riorly three-fourths of an inch ; point of facial crest moderately deve- loped. Length to root of tail, 3 inches ; tail, J inch ; fore-arm, 2 ; expanse, 11 inches. Although allied to tragatus, possesses distinct cha- racters." This bat has been found at Darjeeling, and Capt. Hutton informs me is common about Mussoorie. 21. Rhinolophus affinis. HORSFIELD. BLYTH, Cat. 67. R. rubidus and R. cinerascens, KELAART. THE ALLIED LEAF-BAT. Descr. Ears, large, pointed, emarginate externally, anti-helix well developed ; upper leaf triangular, emarginate at the tip, reaching above 2 the base of the ears ; incisors, Varies much in colour above, bright rufous, or ferruginous brown, or brown paler beneath. Length, about 3 inches, of which the tail is 1; fore-arm, l|f ; extent, 11 to 12. Kelaart gives head and body, 2 T 8 ^ ; tail, -5-% ; expanse, 12; fore-arm, 1 T %; tibia, T % ; ears, T V This variable bat is more abundant in Ceylon, Burmah, and Malay- ana ; but it is said to have been taken on the Malabar coast. It appears to be very closely allied to the next species, but is stated to differ in having 2 upper incisors, 6 lower molars, in the tail being longer than the tibia, and in the fur being long. It is possible that the specimens stated to be from Malabar belonged to the next species. 22. Rhinolophus rouxi. TEMMINCK. BLYTH, Cat. 68. R. lepidus, BLYTH. 20 RHINOLOPHIN^E. THE RUFOUS LEAF-BAT. Descr. Ears, large, pointed, externally notched ; tragus, broad ; tip of upper nose-leaf, triangular, with its sides well emarginate, reaching above the base of the ears ; no upper incisors ; lower molars only five ; canines very large ; fur, short, crisp ; colour above, smoky brown in some, red- brown in others, and golden rufous in some ; beneath, paler. Length of one, 3| inches, of which the tail is 1-|-; expanse, 13; fore-arm, 1 J ; tibia, J ; ear, T V Blyth gives much smaller dimen- sions to his lepidus, which, however, he identifies with JRouxi, viz., head and body, If inch ; tail, ; expanse, 9 ; fore -arm, If. Wagner gives total length, 3 T \; tail, f; fore-arm, 1^. I procured specimens of this beautiful bat in a covered drain near Tellicherry, on the Malabar coast, and Blyth has procured specimens from the neighbourhood of Calcutta, from a cave near Colgong, and also from Mussoorie, where Hutton tells me it is rare. 23. Khinolophus macrotis. HODGSON, J. A. S., XIII. 485. BLYTH, Cat. 70. THE LARGE-EARED LEAF-BAT. Descr.- Ears, very large, broad, oval, with pointed recurved tip, and a large obtuse tragus ; anterior central crest of nose-leaf produced in front over the top of the flat transverse front edge ; hinder leaf lanceolate ; triangular ; above, sooty-brown, or light earthy olive-brown ; paler below ; some with a rufous or isabelline tint. No pubic teats. Length, head and body, If inch; tail, ; fore-arm, 1 T V> ex- panse, 9f. This species occurs in the Himalayas, having been sent from Nepal and Mussoorie, where stated to be rare. 24. Khinolophus sub-badius. HODGSON, J. A. S., XIII. 486 BLYTH, Cat. 69. THE BAY LEAF-BAT. Descr. Ears, not larger than the head, obtusely pointed, and ovoid ; nasal appendage quadrate, with a transverse bar nearly surmounting it, upper leaf triangular, with slightly emarginate sides ; above, clear brown ; paler below and on the head and face. Length, head and body, 1^- inch j tail, 1^ ; expanse, 7-| ; fore-arm, 1 J ; ears, f . H1PPOSIDEROS SPEOBIS. 27 From the Himalayas. Has been sent from Nepal only. Blyth has a RHINOLOPHUS BREVITARSUS from Darjeeling not described. One or two Rhinolophi are European, a few from Africa, and there are several others from the Malayan islands, China, and Japan. Gen. HIPPOSIDEROS, Gray. Char. Nasal leaf, broad, depressed, transverse ; ears, with transverse wrinkles ; incisors ; molars ; the upper incisors near the canines, 4 5 5 the lower ones close, crenulate, tricuspid ; interfemoral membrane large. Most of the species of this genus have a remarkable peculiarity, viz., a circular cavity or sac behind the nasal crest, which the animal can turn out at pleasure like the finger of a glove ; it is lined by a pencil of stiff hairs, and is probably a glandular organ, as it contains a peculiar waxy matter. The ears are very tremulous. Most of the species are from India and Malayana, a few African. ^ 25. Hipposideros armiger. HODGSON, J. A. S., IV. 699. .BLYTH, Cat. 74. H. nobilis, var. BLYTH, olim. THE LARGE HORSE-SHOE BAT. . Nasal leaf, large, quadrate ; lips, with a triple fold of skin on each side ; " tragus, vaguely developed, and wavily emarginate." Of a uniform light-brown colour, with marone tips to the hairs of the upper parts ; membranes, black. Length, head and body, 4^ inches ; tail, 2J ; expanse, 22 ; fore-arm, 3 J ; tibia, 1|. This fine bat was first procured by Hodgson in Nepal ; and Hutton found it at Mussoorie at 5,000 feet of elevation. I obtained specimens at Darjeeling. This species is represented in Ceylon by H. lankadiva, Kelaart, and in Burmah and the Malay countries, by H. nobilis. 26. Hipposideros speoris. Rhinolophus apud SCHNEIDER. BLYTH, Cat. 78. ELLIOT, Cat. 7. H. apiculatus and H. ptnidliatus, GRAY. R. duJchunensis, SYKES. THE INDIAN HORSE-SHOE BAT. j) eSGT% _ Ears, large, erect, acuminate, rounded at the base, emarginate 28 RHINOLOPHIN.E. on the outer margin; facial membrane, complicated; muzzle, short ; inter- femoral membrane, narrow, square, enclosing the tail, the half of the last joint alone free ; body, short, thick, of variable colour ; sometimes light mouse colour, paler beneath ; at times, fulvous-brown ; at other times, bright rufo-ferruginous or golden fulvous. Length of a male, about 3^ inches, of which the tail is 1 j fore-arm, 2 ; tibia, T 9 ^ ; expanse, 13 ; ear, T 6 ^. The females are a little smaller. Sykes' species has generally been considered the same as speoris, but I see that Wagner separates it, and Blyth states that " the races from different localities may yet prove to be distinct, however closely affined." It inhabits India, Ceylon, Malayana, as far as Timor, &c. ; and is far from rare in Southern India, inhabiting old buildings, wells, &c. It has been sent from Deyra Doon. I procured it at Madras, Nellore, and in the Deccan. 27. Hipposideros murinus, Rliinoloplms apud ELLIOT, Cat. 8. R.fulgens, ELLIOT, Cat. 9. BLYTH, Cat. 80. THE LITTLE HORSE-SHOE BAT. Descr. Ears, large, erect, rounded ; muzzle, short ; a transverse frontal leaf and sac ; in front a simple membrane round the nostrils ; interfemoral membrane, large, including the tail all but the extreme tip ; body, short and thick ; colour, dusky-brown or mouse colour, sometimes light fawn or ferruginous ; wing membranes blackish. Length to end of tail, 3^ inches, of which the tail is 1 T ^ ; expanse, IQi ; fore-arm, I T i(.H our province is the following remarkable animal, and which differs sufficiently to have been classed by Gray in a sub-family, Ailurina. Gen. AILURUS, F. Cuvier. Chwr. Incisors - ; molars ^^. The crowns of the posterior molars 6 G 6 furnished with salient lull, truncated tubercles ; head sub globose, 1iro;i, to (/w:oAy^:.s-, and by SOUK; even lias been compared in external appearance with certain Lemurs ; but there is no doubt that its nearest affinities arc with the '.Bears, whilst it lias one or two points of a (Unity with Hie /'V/mrr or I'ivi'.rri.nu'., vi/., its semi- retraetile talons, and the structure of its genital organs. There is only one known species. 92. Ailurus fulgens. F. CUVIER, Mamm. III. pi. 52. BLYTH, Cat. 219. HARDWICKE, Lin. Trans. XV. 101. A. ochraceus, HODGSON. Wdh, of Nepal. Wdh-donka, Bhot. Sunnam or Suk-nam, "LQpoh.Negalya pony a, of the Nepalosc. THE RED CAT-BEAR. Dwr. Above deep oehreous-red ; liead nnd tail paler, and some\vh;it fulvous, displayed on the tail in rings ; faee, chin, and ears within white ; cars externally, all the lower Hiirfaco and tlio entire liml>s and tip of tai/ AILURUS FULQENS. 75 jet-black ; from the eye to the gape a broad vertical lino of ochreous-red blending with the dark lower surface ; moustache white ; muzzle black. Length of head and body 22 inches ; tail 16 ; height about 9 inches ; weight 8 Ib. This very curious and richly-coloured animal is a denizen of the south- eastern Himalayan, having only been taken in Nepal and Sikim. It is stated to be found from 7,000 feet up to 12,000 feet or so. General Hardwicke was the first to discover this animal, but his description was not published till after F. Cuvier had described it from a specimen sent to Paris by M. Duvancel. Hodgson has given a full account of it, from which I extract the following observations : " The Wall is a vegetivorous climber, breeding and feeding chiefly on the ground, and having its retreat in holes and clefts of rock. It eats fruits, roots, sprouts of bamboo, acorns, gave an account of its manners in confinement in the " Gardens MUSTELA SUB-HEMACHALANA. 83 and Menageries of the Zoological Society." It has a very slight unplea- sant odour. Martes toufceus, Hodgson, is stated to have been killed in Tibet, Ladak, &c., at 11,000 feet of elevation, where it chiefly lives in the villages of the inhabitants. It is also found in Afghanistan, and its skin sold in the bazaars at Peshawur. Another species, which Blyth is inclined to identify with Mustela zibellina, the Sable Marten, has also been pro- cured from Tibet. This has the soles clad with fur. The former of these has by some observers been taken for the Pine Marten of Europe, Martes abietum. Gen. MUSTELA, Linnasus. Char. Four molar teeth above on each side, and five below ; lower canine with no internal tubercle, upper tuberculated tooth with the crown broader than long ; ears short, rounded ; feet short ; toes separate j claws sharp ; tail short or moderate. Of small size ; body elongated, vermiform. Weasels are a well-known group of small animals, of lengthened habit of body and very short legs, to which the name vermin is commonly applied. They are, though so small, most sanguinary in their disposition, often killing far more than will satisfy their hunger. They are ground animals, hunting on the ground, and living in holes in walls and like places. They are chiefly inhabitants of the northern parts of the old world and Northern America ; in India they are only found in the Himalayas. 97. Mustela sub-hemachalana. HODGSON, J. A. S. VI. 563. BLYTH, Cat. 202. M. humeralis,'BiXTH. Zimiong, Bhot. Sang-king, Lepch. THE HIMALAYAN WEASEL. Descr. Uniform light bay or brown, slightly darker along the median line ; nose, upper lip and forehead, and the end of the tail dark reddish- brown ; edge of the upper lip and chin hoary-white ; feet dusky-brown ; fur close, glossy and soft ; head and ears more closely clad than the body ; tail laxly furred, tapering. Length, head and body, 12 inches ; tail 5J, with the hair 1 inch more. Blyth described a specimen that had some white spots and mottling on the shoulders and sides of the neck. He also likens this species to the Ermine, which is about the same size, but is darker in colour, and has the tip of its tail black. G 2 84 MUSTELTDJi This weasel appears spread throughout the whole range of Himalayas, from Cashmere to Darjeeling, chiefly on the middle and outer ranges. Adams states that it is common in Cashmere, and very destructive to poultry, 93 white about the head." Again, "Unless the Lion, no other cat approaches it in the massive proportions of the fore paw, as compared with the hind. Some of both sexes are made more heavily than others, with a greater development of the fold of skin along the belly, which adds to their apparent bulk. The stripes too vary much in different individuals, and occasionally are almost throughout double." The Tiger is found throughout all India, from Cape Comorin to the Himalayas, ascending the hills occasionally to an elevation of 6,000 or 7,000 feet. It is found in all the forests and jungles throughout the peninsula, occasionally visiting the more open and cultivated parts of the country, and harbouring in thickets, long grass, and especially in brush- wood on river-banks, and on churs covered with tamarisk. In the hot weather, indeed, these are its favourite resorts in many parts of Central India, and from there it sallies forth towards the villages in search of food. In lower Bengal the heavy grass jungles and swamps are his usual lair. Tigers are perhaps more abundant in lower Bengal than in most other parts of the country, and are said to be both larger and more savage than those from other parts of India. Those of Central India, however, are perhaps as large, and quite, if not more ferocious than their Bengal brethren. The average size of a full-grown male tiger is from 9 to 9J feet in length, but I fancy there is very little doubt that, occasionally, tigers are killed 10 feet in length, and perhaps a few[inches over that; but the stories of tigers 11 feet and 12 feet in length, so often heard and repeated, certainly require confirmation, and I have not myself seen an authentic account of a tiger that measured more than 10 feet and 2 or 3 inches. Major Sherwill, who was for some years in Dinagepore district, told me that the largest he had seen killed was 9 feet 8 inches. The skin is very often measured either when fresh taken from the carcass, or after it has been stretched out to dry ; and Mr. W. Elliot records an instance of a lion measured by himself at 9 feet 4 inches. This was noted by one of the party as 11 feet and by another as 12 feet, the first measurement being taken from the skin when taken off ; the other from the skin stretched out by pegs for drying. Mr. Walter Elliot * has the following remarks on the distribution and habits of this animal in Southern India. " The Tiger is common over the whole district, breeding in the forest and mountain tracts, and coming * Cat. Mammalia, South Mahr. Country. 94 FELIDJE. into the open country when the grain is on the ground. In some places they do much mischief, and have been known to carry off the inhabitants out of the villages whilst sleeping in their verandahs during the night. The female has from two to four young, and does not breed at any particular season. Their chief prey is cattle, but they also catch the wild hog, the sambar, and more rarely the spotted deer. It is naturally a cowardly animal, and always retreats from opposition, until wounded or provoked. Several instances came to notice of its being compelled to relinquish its prey by the cattle in a body driving it off. In one case an official report was made of a herd of buffaloes rushing on a tiger that had seized the herd-boy, and forcing it to drop him. Its retiring from the wild hog has been already adverted to. Though the wild hog often becomes its prey, it sometimes falls a victim to the successful resistance of the wild boar. I once found a full-grown tiger newly killed, evidently by the rip of a boar's tusk ; and two similar instances were related to me by a gentleman who had witnessed them one of a tiger, the other of a panther. It is generally believed a tiger always kills his own food, and will not eat carrion. I met with one instance of a tigress and two full- grown cubs devouring a bullock that had died of disease. I saw the carcass in the evening: next day, on the report of tigers having been heard in the night, I followed their track, and found she had dragged the dead animal into the centre of a cornfield, and picked the bones quite clean, after which she found a buffalo, killed it, and eat only a small portion of it. Another instance was related in a letter from a celebrated sportsman in Khandeish, who having killed a tigress, on his return to his tents sent a pad elephant to bring it home. The messenger returned reporting that on his arrival he found her alive. They went out next morning to the spot, and discovered that she had been dragged into a ravine by another tiger and half the carcass devoured. They found him close by, and killed him also. The Bheels in Khandeish say that in the monsoon, when food is scarce, the Tiger feeds on frogs, and an instance occurred some years ago in that province of one being killed in a state of extreme emaciation from a porcupine's quill that had passed through his gullet, and prevented his swallowing, and which had probably been planted there in his attempt to make one of these animals his prey. Many superstitious ideas prevail among the natives regarding the Tiger. They imagine that an additional lobe is added to his liver every year ; that his claws arranged together so as to form a circle, and hung round a child's neck, preserve it from the FELIS TIGRIS. 95 effect of the evil eye ; that the whiskers constitute a deadly poison, which for this reason are carefully burnt off the instant the animal is killed. Several of the lower castes eat his flesh." The late Major Sherwill, of the Re venue Survey, gave me some in- teresting information on the habits of the Tiger, as observed by him in the Dinagepore district the substance of which is as follows : Tigers arve very partial to certain localities, and avoid others to all appearance quite as favourable cover. Year after year they will be found in one locality and killed, and never be seen in another close at hand, apparently just as suitable. They are very fond of ruins, and may often be seen lying on the top of old walls, temples, &c. ; sometimes three or four together. Generally speaking, the Bengal Tiger is a harmless, timid animal, but when wounded he becomes ferocious and dangerous. He seldom molests man without provocation, and man-eaters are very scarce in Bengal, except in the vicinity of the Sunderbuns. A tigress has from two to four cubs at a time, which remain with her until they are able to kill for themselves. Young tigers are by far the most mischievous, occa- sionally killing as many as four or five cows at once, whilst an old one seldom kills more than what it requires for its food. An old tiger will kill a cow about once a week, and for this purpose will quit its place of retreat in dense jungle, proceed to the vicinity of a village and kill a bullock or cow. It will remain near the "kill" for two or three days, and sometimes longer, gnawing the bones before retreating to deep cover. A tigress deposits her young in good cover. Two taken by Major Sherwill were laid under a thorn bush in dense jungle. Null grass appears to be a favourite place for breeding in. The mother appears much distressed on losing her young, and for three or foui* nights afterwards remains at the spot roaring all night in a very excited manner. The few remaining observations must be considered as supplementary to the previous observations of Messrs. Elliot and Sherwill. When once a tiger takes to killing man, it almost always perseveres in its endeavours to procure the same food ; and, in general, it has been found that very old tigers, whose teeth are blunted or gone, and the vigour of whose strength is faded, are those that relish human food, finding it a much more easy prey than cattle. In some parts of Central India, however, it appears to be more the rule than the exception ; and in the Mundlah district, east from Jubbulpore, in 1856, and previous years, on an average between two and three hundred villagers were killed annually. 96 FELID^E. So dire was the destruction that Major Erskine, the Commissioner, applied to the Madras Government to furnish an officer for the special work of thinning these cannibals. In the Bustar country, south-east of Nagpore, when I traversed part of that then unexplored district, I found that in several parts the villages were deserted, entirely, as I was informed, from the ravages of tigers, although, in some instances, the villages had been surrounded by a high stockade. In the Bengal Sunderbuns too many wood -cutters are (or used to be) annually carried off. Tiger hunting is generally done from elephants in Northern India and a well-trained shikaree elephant will stand the charge of a tiger well, occasionally even rushing to meet it, which is by no means agreeable to the sportsman in the howdah. In Southern India, where there are but few elephants kept, the Tiger is often successfully slain on foot ; but it is at all times a dangerous sport, and many serious and fatal accidents are well known to have occurred. Occasionally a tiger is shot by night from a platform on a tree, either close to where the tiger has killed, but not eaten all his prey, or, with a fresh bullock picketed near. In the Wynaad one class of Hindoos assemble in large numbers, and forming a large circle, drive the Tiger into a net, where it is speared. Various modes of capture are practised all over India, and strychnine has been had re- sort to occasionally to destroy this animal ; but in spite of the numbers killed annually by sportsmen, and by native shikarees for the sake of the Government reward, in many districts its numbers appear to be only slightly diminished. The native idea about the Tiger getting an additional lobe to its liver every year has been fully taken up by English sportsmen, and in the pages of the Bengal Sporting Magazine, &c., the number of lobes in the livers of tigers whose death is there chronicled, are duly recorded. The clavicle lies loosely imbedded among the muscles near the shoulder-joint, and is considered of great virtue by natives. The whiskers are, in some parts of Southern India, considered to endow the fortunate possessor with unlimited power over the opposite sex. The claws are mounted in silver and made into bracelets. The Tiger is peculiar to Asia, extending as far west as Georgia, through Persia to Bokhara, and is also found in Amurland, in the Altai region, and China ; thence extending south through Burmah to the Malayan peninsula, and some of the neighbouring larger islands. It is not found in Ceylon. FELIS PARDUS. 97 Next come the Leopards. Gen. LEOPARDUS, Gray. These are more or less spotted. Of moderate or large size, tail long. 105. Felis pardus. LINN.EUS. BLYTH, Cat. 173, Synops. 4. F. leopardus, SCIIREBER. Lsopardus varius, GRAY. The Panther and Leopard of the English in India. THE PARD. Descr. Of a rufous-fawn colour, more or less deep, with dark spots grouped in rosettes ; tail more or less ringed. Varies greatly in size, from six to eight feet, and upwards. It is still an undecided point among Zoologists, whether there are two distinct species of leopard, or whether they are simply varieties of the same species. Temminck in his monograph of the genus Felis, placed them distinct, with the following characters : F. leopardus, the Leopard. Tail as long as the body only ; fur light-fulvous, the spots moderately distinct from each other, as much as 1 8 lines in diameter ; caudal verte- brae 22. From Asia only. F. pardus, the Panther. Smaller ; tail as long as the head and body ; fur deep yellow-fulvous, the spots closely approxi- mate, not more than 14 lines in diameter; caudal vertebrae 28. From both Asia and Africa. Cuvier considered that F. pardus was found in Africa and part of Asia ; whilst F. leopardus was confined to the regions adjacent to the Straits of Sunda ; and Miiller, reversing the names, says that F. pardus is only found in Sumatra and Java; thus confirming Cuvier's idea of one species being peculiar to these regions. Of late years the two varieties have been classed under one specific name, and Mr. Ely th has joined them in his Catalogue and Synopsis, which arrangement I have also here followed. The prevalent idea, however, among sportsmen in India, is that there are two distinct races or varieties ; and taking Mr. Elliot's remarks as the groundwork, I shall briefly notice each. 1st. The larger variety, which (with most sportsmen) I shall here call the Panther. F. pardus apud Hodgson. F. leopardus apud Temminck. - Leopard of Sykes. Tendwa, H., throughout India. Tenduwd of Bauris, or cheeta-catchers. Chita, and Chita-bag, popularly, Adndra, Hindi, in 98 FELID^E. Central India. Honiga, Can. Asmd, Mahr. of Ghats. Ckinna pull, Tel. Biirkdl of Gonds. Bay-heera and Tahir hay in the Himalayas. Sik, Tibetan. The colour of this large variety is generally pale fulvous-yellow, the belly white; whilst some are deeper and more tawny in hue, and others without any white at all beneath. " As a general rule," says Walter Elliot, "the fur of the Honiga is shorter and closer than that of the small variety. The most strongly marked difference of character that I observed was in the skulls. That of the Honiga being longer and more pointed, with a ridge running along the occiput, and much developed for the attachment of the muscles of the neck. If this character is universal and permanent, it will afford a good ground of distinction." " Mountaineer," in the Bengal Sporting "Review, vol. VIII., says, " This is a fine and handsome animal. It may be distinguished by its superior size, and the different formation of the head, which is much longer than that of the other ; " thus hitting on the same distinctive mark as Mr. Elliot. Horsfield, 1. c., says " that this is a taller, larger, slighter animal than the next one, with fewer and more broken spots." Mr. Elliot gives the dimensions as, head and body 4^ to 5 feet ; tail 2f to 3 feet. A fine male, killed nearMhow in 1854, measured 4 feet 9 inches to root of tail, which was 3 feet 2 inches ; total 7 feet 1 1 inches. My own experience has led me to conclude that this large variety is seldom found in dense forest country, but in more open country, where low hills and deep ravines occur. Mr. Elliot says, "It is found chiefly among the rocky hills to the eastwards. It is a taller, slighter, more active animal, extremely strong and fierce. It is a very formidable assailant, and several instances occurred of as many as four men having been killed by one before it was put ' hors de combat.' " " Mountaineer " says " It generally keeps aloof from villages, wandering through the forests and glens of the remoter hills. It preys on all wild animals, wild pigs, monkeys, &c., occasionally seizes on domestic cattle." Baker says " that in Ceylon (where it is called tiger) he has seen a full-grown bull with his neck broken by a leopard which attacked it, and that at Newera-ellia they destroy many cattle." Johnson, in his Field Sports of India, gives an account of " a panther or leopard having leapt over a wall 7 feet high, two or three nights in succession, which killed and carried off a deer each night : " he adds, " I rather think it was a panther, an animal larger than the leopard." I have myself had ponies killed twice close to my FELIS PAKDUS. 99 own tent, near Mhow, by panthers. Mr. Barnes, of Colgong, informs me that he has known many cases of human beings killed by them in the Bhagulpore district, old women being the chief victims, some of whom were taken out of their huts. Children are not unfrequently carried off in various parts of India. This is the variety usually found in Bengal. It appears to extend through Western Asia as far as the Caucasus, and it is common in the mountainous parts of Afghanistan, but does not accompany the Tiger into Northern Asia. In Africa it is often destructive to human life j as also in some parts of the Malayan peninsula. 2nd. The Leopard, or smaller variety. F. leopardus apud Hodgson. F. pardus apud Temminck. F. longicaudata, Valenciennes. Gforbacha, or Horbacha, H., in the Deccan. Beebeea-bagh, Mahr. Bibla of the Bauris. Ghur-hay and Dheer-hay, of some of the hill tribes near Simla ; but generally called Lakkar-bagha throughout the hills, a word in the plains confined to the Hysena. W. Elliot says, " The generality of Kerkals are dark, whence probably their name, from kera, dark j the fur is longer and looser than in the Honiga. It is a smaller and stouter animal, and varies much in size, some not being bigger than a large tiger-cat, though the skull proved them to be adult animals. The skull is rounder, and the bony ridge of the Honiga wanting. Dimensions, from 3 to 3 J feet to root of tail, which is 21 feet ; height 1 J to 2 feet." Horsfield says, " smaller, stouter, darker, with the spots more crowded." " Mountaineer " says, " It is smaller, with a round bull- dog head." This is the one most commonly met with, and appears to be the most numerous. It does not confine itself to the forests, but prowls among villages, carrying off sheep, goats, dogs, and sometimes commits great depredations. It is very fearless, frequently seizing a dog in the middle of a village, whilst the inhabitants are still stirring. " Everywhere," says Mr. Blyth, " it is a fearful foe to the canine races, and in general to all the smaller animals sheep, goats, deer, monkeys, pea-fowl, &c. j and when such animals are penned up and helplessly in its power, it will kill any number of them, seemingly in indulgence of its blood-sucking propensity." Hutton men- tions one entering a house and seizing a bull-dog chained to the bed of its master, and I have known it enter tents and carry off dogs in Goomsoor as well as on the Himalayas. At Manantoddy, in the Wynaad, I have known every dog in the station to have been carried off, many in broad H 2 100 FELID^E. daylight. This small variety appear to be most abundant in forest countries, as in Malabar, the "Wynaad, Goomsoor, and the more wooded parts of the Himalayas. In winter it is particularly bold, coming on to the roads in some of our hill stations shortly after sunset, and carrying off many dogs. A spiked iron collar is often, however, a sufficient pro- tection, and in the interior of the hills most of the shepherd dogs are thus clad. It always seizes its prey by the back of the neck or the throat, and it is popularly believed in India that it cannot recover from a wound inflicted on ib, which would be the case sometimes if it seized a dog from behind. Instances are known of the fine hill dogs killing leopards occa- sionally in fair fight. Speaking generally of the Pard, without reference to the distinct races, Blyth says, " The pard is a particularly silent creature, very stealthy, and will contrive to dodge and hide itself in places where it would appear impossible that a creature of its size could find concealment." In the Malay provinces, they are said to attack man not unfrequently, and are said occasionally to climb up to the machdns * with facility, and carry off people who are watching the grain by night. They are popularly said to be much in the habit of climbing trees, but this habit does not seem to have been much noticed by late observers. The natives assert that they are fearful of water, and will not readily swim, and are there- fore rarely found on small islands. Blyth too says that " it shows great aversion to wetting its feet, and if water be spilt in its cage, will care- fully avoid treading on it if possible." Like the Tiger, the Leopard will, if hungry, eat any dead carcass he can find. A well-marked race is the Black Leopard, F. melas, PeYon.F.perniger, Hodgson, Cat. Coll. B. M., No. 25. It is of an uniform dull black colour, the spots showing in particular lights. Mr. Elliot considered it a variety of the Honiga, or panther, but it is generally a smaller animal, and is almost always found in forests or forest country ; in this more resembling the Leopard. It is found sparingly throughout India, from the Himalayas to Malabar and Ceylon, and in Assam, the Malay peninsula, &c. ; but I have not seen it recorded from Africa. Mr. Hodgson is inclined to consider it a distinct species. The name leopard and also panther were originally both given to the Cheeta ; or hunting leopard, this being the Pard of the ancients \ but they * Platforms erected on trees. FELIS UNCIA. 101 have been so universally applied to the present species, that it would be vain to attempt to restore these names to their legitimate owner. 106. Felis uncia. SCHREBER. BLYTH, Cat. 174, Synops. 5. HODGSON, J. A. S. XI. 274. F. uncioides, HODGSON. F. pardus apud PALLAS. F. irUs 1 EHRENBERG. Iker, Tibetan. Sdh, Bhot. Phdle, Lepch. Burrel hay of the Simla hills. Thunvdg in Kunawur. Snow Leopard of sports- men. THE OUNCE. Descr. Ground-colour pale yellowish-gray ; head, cheeks, and back of neck covered with small irregular dark spots, gradually changing posteriorly on the back and sides inte dark rings, running in lines on the back, but irregularly distributed on the shoulders, sides, and haunch ; from the middle of the back to near the root of the tail on the median line is an irregular dark band, closely bordered on each side by a chain of oblong rings almost confluent ; limbs with small dark spots ; lower parts pale dingy yellowish-white, with some large dark spots about the middle of the abdomen, the rest unspotted ; ears externally black at the base, the tip yellow with a black edge ; tail very long, thick, and bushy, with incomplete broad bands, or with a double row of large black patches, unspotted below. Length, head and body, 4 feet 4 inches ; tail 3 feet ; height at shoulder barely 2 feet. The far throughout is very dense, and it has a well-marked though short mane. The Snow Leopard, as it is popularly called by sportsmen in the hills, is found throughout the Himalayas at a great elevation, never very much below the snows, at elevations varying with the season, from 9,000 to 18,000 feet. It is said to be more common on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas ; and it is found chiefly throughout the highland region of Central Asia, but extending as far west as Smyrna. The description above was taken from a fine specimen procured in Sikim. It is stated to frequent rocky ground, and to kill the barrkel, wild sheep ; hence one of its hill names ; also thdr, domestic sheep, goats and dogs ; but has never been known to attack man. 102 FELID.E, 107. Felis Diardi. DESMOULINS. BLYTH, Synopsis, 7. F. macrocelis, TEMMINCK. Figd. HORSFIELD, Zool. Res., Java. F. nebulosa, GRIFFITH, ed. Cnvier, with figure. F. macroceloides, HODGSON, Gal. J. Nat. Hist. IV. 286. BLYTH, Cat. 175. Figd. P. Z. S. 1853, pi. XXXVIIL Felis n. sp. TICKELL, J. A. S. XII. with figure. Tungmar, Lepch. Zik, Bhot. Lamchittia of the Khas tribe. THE CLOUDED LEOPARD. * Descr. Ground-colour variable, usually pale greenish-brown, or dull clay-brown, changing to pale tawny on the lower parts and limbs internally, almost white however in some ; in many specimens the fulvous or tawny hue is the prevalent one j a double line of small chain-like stripes from the ears, diverging on the nape to give room to an inner and smaller series ; large irregular clouded spots or patches on the back and sides, edged very dark and crowded together ; loins, sides of belly, and belly marked with irregular small patches and spots j some black lines on the cheeks and sides of neck, and a black band across the throat ; tail with dark rings, thickly furred, long ; limbs bulky, and body heavy and stout ; claws very powerful. Length of one, head and body, 3 J feet ; tail 3 feet j but it grows to a larger size. This handsome and powerful leopard is found, in our province, only in the south-eastern portion of the Himalayas, usually at a moderate elevation, 5,000 to 10,000 feet. It has been found in Nepal 1 and Sikim, extending through the mountainous regions of Burmah and the Malayan peninsula in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Hodgson states that it occurs in Tibet ; but as it is quite a forest leopard I doubt that, and fancy that his shikarees must have misled him. I obtained the young from the neighbourhood of Darjeeling, and it lived for some time, becoming very tame and playful. It is stated by the Lepchas to be very destructive to sheep, goats, pigs, and dogs. Mr. Blyth notices that some individuals have a cat-gray, and others a fulvous ground-hue, and the markings vary to some extent, occasionally even on the two sides of the same animal. Other Asiatic leopards are Leopardus japonensis, Gray ; and Leopardus Irachyurus, Swinhoe ; respectively from Japan and Formosa. FELIS VIVERRINA. 103 Another large leopard is the Jaguar of S. America, F. onca, very savage and dangerous, and of which a black variety is by no means rare. Next come the Cats. Of smaller size, and with shorter tails. 108. Felis viverrina. BENNETT, P. Z. S. 1833. BLYTH, Synops. 10. F. viverriceps, HODG- SON. Figd. HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool. IV. pi. 4. F. cclidogastcr, TEMMINCK, apud GRAY and BLYTH, Cat. 179. F. himalayana, JARDINE, Nat. Libr. pi. 2G. F. bengalensis apud BUCHANAN HAMILTON. Mach- bagrul, also Bagh-dasha, Beng. THE LARGE TIGER-CAT. Descr. Of a mouse-gray colour, more or less deep, and sometimes tinged with tawny, with large dark spots more or less numerous, oblong on the back and neck, and in lines more or less rounded elsewhere, and broken or coalescing ; cheeks white ; a black face-stripe ; beneath dull white ; chest with five or six dark bands ; belly spotted ; tail with six or seven dark bands and a black tip ; feet unspotted ; whiskers either entirely white, or with a white tip. Length, head and body, 30 to 34 inches, and sometimes more ; tail 10 J to 12J ; height about 15 or 16 inches ; weight of one 17 Ib. The ears are rather small and blunt, the pupil circular ; the fur coarse and without any gloss ; the limbs short and very strong. The nasal bones are somewhat attenuated, causing a narrowness of visage which has suggested the names viverrina and viverriceps. In old animals the bony orbital rings are complete. This large tiger-cat is found throughout Bengal up to the foot of the south-eastern Himalayas, extending into Burmah, China, and Malayana. I have not heard of its occurrence in Central India nor in the Carnatic, but is tolerably common in Travancore and Ceylon, extending up the Malabar coast as far as Mangalore. I have had one killed close to my house at Tellicherry. In Bengal it inhabits low watery situations chiefly, and I have often put it up on the edge of swampy thickets in Purneah. It is said to be common in the Terai and marshy region at the foot of the Himalayas, but apparently not extending further west than Nepal.. Buchanan Hamilton remarks, "In the neighbourhood of Calcutta it would 104 FELID.E. seem to be common. It frequents reeds near water ; and besides fish, preys upon AmpullartCB, Unios, and various birds. It is a fierce untameable creature, remarkably beautiful, but which has a very disagreeable smell." On this Mr. Blyth observes, " I have not remarked the latter, though I have had several big toms quite tame, and ever found this to be a particularly tameable species. A newly caught male killed a tame young leopardess of mine about double his size." The Rev. Mr. Baker, writing of its habits in Malabar, says " that it often kills pariah dogs ; and that he has known instances of slave children (infants) being taken from their huts by this cat ; also young calves." It was considered the same as Temminck's F. celidogaster by Gray, in which he was followed by Blyth in his Catalogue; but in his late Synopsis, he states that celidogaster, Temminck, is an African species. F. himalay- anus apud Gray, remarks Mr. Blyth, 1. c., is perhaps true celidogaster, 109, Pelis marmorata, MARTIN. BLYTH, Synops. 8. F. Charltoni, GRAY. BLYTH, Cat. 176. F. Ogilbii, HODGSON; probably also F. Duvaucelli, HODGSON, and Leopardus dosul, HODGSON, Cat. Hodgson's Coll. B. M., new ed. ' F, Diardi apud JARDINE, Nat. Lib. Felidaa, figd. THE MARBLED TIGER-CAT. Descr. Ground-colour dingy -fulvous, occasionally yellowish-gray, the body with numerous elongate, wavy black spots, somewhat clouded or marbled ; the head and nape with some narrow blackish lines coalescing into a dorsal interrupted band ; the thighs and part of the sides witli black round spots ; the tail black-spotted, and with the tip black ; belly yellowish-white. Length 18| to 23 inches, head and body; tail 14 to 15 J ; ears, from crown of head, 2. This prettily marked wild cat has been found in the Sikim Himalayas, in the hilly regions of Assam, Burmah, and Malayans, extending into the islands of Java at all events. It was formerly considered by Mr. Blyth to be the representative of the Malayan F. marmorata, but in his Synopsis he has joined it to that species. In the original edition of Hodgson's British Museum collections, it is not FELIS BENGALENSIS. 105 mentioned, and it first occurs in Horsfield's paper on some new contri- butions by Hodgson, presented in 1853, as F. Charltoni, with the MS. name by that gentleman of F. Duvaucelli. In the recent edition of Hodgson's British Museum Collections, we find No. 26, Liopardus dosul, syn. F. Duvaucelli and F. dosul, Hodgson ; but Hodgson himself described it in 1846, in Gal. J. N. H., as F. Ogilbii. I can find nothing recorded of the habits of this cat. Mr. Blyth remarks that it has much the same distribution as F. Diardi, or not per- haps quite so extensive : and the ground-colour would similarly appear to become more fulvous with age. 110. Felis bengalensis. DESMOULINS. F. sumatrana and F. javanensis, HORSFIELD, Zool. Res., Java, with figure. JARDINE, Nat. Libr., pi. F. minuta, TEM- MINCK. F. undulata, SCHINZ. F. nipalensis and par dichrous, HODGSON. . F. , ELLIOT, Cat. 29. Leopardus chinensis, JKeevesii, Ellioti ; and Chaus servalinus, GRAY. THE LEOPARD-CAT. Descr. Ground hue varying from fulvous-gray to bright tawny-yellow, occasionally pale yellowish-gray or yellowish, rarely greenish-ashy, or brownish-gray ; lower parts pure white ; four longitudinal spots on the forehead, and in' a line with these four lines run from the vertex to the shoulders, the outer one broader, the centre ones narrower, these two last continued almost uninterruptedly to the tail ; the others pass into large, bold, irregular, unequal, longitudinal spots on the shoulders, back, and sides, generally arranged in five or six distinct rows, decreasing and becoming round on the belly ; two narrow lines run from the eye along the upper lip to a dark transverse throat-band ; and two similar transverse bands run across the breast, with a row of spots between ; tail spotted above, indistinctly ringed towards the tip ; the inside of the arm has two broad bands, and the soles of all the feet are dark-brown. There is generally a small white superciliary line. Length, head and body, 24 to 26 inches; tail 11 or 12, and more. From the numerous synonyms it will be seen that this is a variable species, both as to the ground-colour of the animal, and the size and boldness of its markings, though all retain much the same pattern as 106 FELID^E. the example here described: Mr. Blyth states that F. javanensis differs most from the type, approximating F. v'iverrina in colouring. Those from Southern India appear to have both a richer ground-colour, and the spots of a bolder pattern than most from the north of India ; but I have seen some from the Himalayas very similar. In some the marks have a marbled appearance ; in others they appear to be disposed more irregularly and less in rows, and in some the spots are much smaller than in typical specimens. The original specimen described by Pennant was that of one said to have swum on board ship at the mouth of the Hoogly, and it is said to have coupled with English female cats, and that one of its offspring had as little fear of water as its sire. I cannot help thinking that this must have been a specimen of F. viverrina rather than bengalensis, especially as Buchanan Hamilton applied the latter name to viverrina. The Leopard-cat is found throughout the hilly regions of India, from the Himalayas to the extreme south and Ceylon, and in richly wooded districts, at a low elevation occasionally, or where heavy grass jungle is abundant, mixed with forest and brushwood. In the South of India it is most abundant in Coorg, Wynaad, and the forest tract all along the Western ghats ; but is rare on the east coast and in Central India. It ascends the Himalayas to a considerable elevation, and is said by Hodgson even to occur in Tibet, and is found at the level of the sea in the Bengal Sunderbuns. It extends through Assam, Burmah, the Malayan peninsula, to the islands of Java and Sumatra at all events. Mr. Elliot says of his Wagati,* that " it is very fierce, living in trees in the thick forests, and preying on birds and small quadrupeds. A shikaree declared that it drops on larger animals and even on deer, and eats its way into the neck ; that the animal in vain endeavours to roll or shake it off, and at last is destroyed." In Coorg, I was informed that it lives in hollow trees, and commits great depredations on the poultry of the villagers. It also destroys hares, morse deer, &c. Hutton says, " I have a beautiful specimen alive, so savage that I dare not touch her, They breed in May, have only three or four young, in caves or beneath masses of rock." Mr. Blyth says, " I have had many in captivity, none of which ever showed a disposition to become tame and confiding, * Mr. Elliot did not name this cat F. wagati, as is generally quoted, even by Blyth, but simply gave it as No. 29, Felis . Wagati, Mahratta of the ghats. FELIS AURATA. 107 even though but half-grown when they came into my possession 'but I never had a small kitten to begin with. It never paces its cage for exercise during the daytime at least, but constantly remains crouched in a corner, though awake and vigilant." I have seen several caged, and now possess one, all of which were quite untameable, and I noticed the same repose during the day that Mr. Blyth observed. Gray gives F. Wagati as synonymous with viverrina, in which he is quite wrong. F. mpalemis. Vigors, sometimes referred to this, is pro- bably a hybrid. 111. Felis Jerdoni. BLYTH, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 185; Synopsis, No. 12. THE LESSER LEOPARD-CAT. Descr. " Very similar in its markings to the preceding species ; but the size of the full-grown animal much smaller, that of F. rubiginosa; and the ground hue of the upper parts gray, untinged with fulvous. " Hab. Peninsula of India. I first detected an adult male and a kitten of this species in the Museum at Madras, and find that there is an adult specimen also in the British Museum." Nothing more is recorded of this cat, which may turn out to be only a small variety of the last ; but see further on, page 109. 112. Felis aurata. TEMMINCK. F. moormensis, HODGSON. F. Temminckii, VIGORS (young). HORSFIELD, Cat. 82. BLYTH, Synops. 15. F. nigrescens, HODGSON, Cat. Coll. B. M., new ed., No. 30, black variety. THE BAY CAT. Descr. Above deep bay-red ; paler beneath and on the sides ; a few indistinct dark spots on the sides ; throat white ; ears internally, and tip of tail black. The lower surface in some is reddish- white, with large and small marroon-brown spots j the cheeks are yellowish, with two black streaks, and there is a pale black-edged line over the eyes ; the whiskers are black with white tips, and the nails are black. Length, head and body, 31 inches and more ; tail 19. Mr. Blyth has lately determined the identity of Hodgson's " moor mi 108 FELIDJK. cat " with Temminck's F. aurata, the origin of which was not known. Its dimensions are given, as head and body, 3 feet 4 inches ; tail 12 J; but if Hodgson is right in his measurements, that of the tail must be a mis- take. Hodgson does not allude to the spots at all ; bub Blyth states that a Nepalese specimen in the Indian Museum is very distinctly and conspicuously spotted. He further writes me that it comes near Diardi and marmorata. There is a very beautiful variety of a saturated brown or black colour, of which Mr. Hodgson sent several specimens from Darjeeling to the India House and British Museums. The tip of the tail has a whitish discoloration. Nothing is known of the habits of this cat, which is stated to inhabit the central region of Nepal and Sikim. 113. Felis rubiginosa. Is, GEOFFROY. BfiLANGER, Voyage, pi. Namali pillij Tarn. BLYTH, Synops. 13. THE RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT. Descr. Greenish-gray, with a faint rufous tinge ; beneath and inside of limbs white ; a white superciliary streak, extending on the side of the nose ; two dark face-streaks ; top of head and nape with four narrow dark-brown stripes, becoming interrupted posteriorly, and passing into a series of rusty -coloured spots on the back and sides, somewhat longi- tudinal on the back, but roundish on the sides ; tail short, more rufous than the body, and uniform in colour, or very indistinctly spotted, the tip not dark ; the lower surface and inside of the limbs with large dark- brown spots ; feet rufous-gray above, black on the soles ; ears small ; whiskers long, white ; fur short and very soft. Length, head and body, 16 to 18 inches ; tail 9J. This cat varies somewhat, it appears, both in the ground-colour of the fur and the character of the spots. Is. Geoffrey calls the ground- colour reddish-gray, and Kelaart describes it as ferruginous grayish- brown. The latter calls the spots on the body dark ferruginous-brown, almost black on the limbs. It appears to be very rare in museums, and I have not had many specimens, but in all the spots were rusty, and the fur much of the same hue, more or less tinged with rufous. I have only procured this cat in the Carnatic, in the vicinity of Nellore and Madras. Belanger's specimen was procured in the same district, at FELLS RUBIGINOSA. 109 Pondicherry, and I never saw or heard of it in Central India, or on the Malabar coast. It occurs in Ceylon also, but there, according to Kelaart, is found, not in the northern provinces, which resemble the Carnatic, bnt in the south, and on the hills, even at Newera-ellia. This distribution, and the somewhat different character of the markings, incline me to think that this may be a different species, and I think it possible that it may be Fells Jerdoni of Blyth, which that gentleman recently writes me is perhaps the representative of F. rubiginosa on the Malabar coast. In the British Museum there is a specimen stated to be from Malacca, but Mr. Blyth is inclined to think this a mistake. . This very pretty little cat frequents grass in the dry beds of tanks, brushwood, and occasionally drains in the open country and near villages, and is said not to be a denizen of the jungles. I had a kitten brought me when very young (in 1846), and it became quite tame, and was the delight and admiration of all who saw it. Its activity was quite marvel- lous, and it was very playful and elegant in its motions. When it was about eight months old, I introdueed it into a room where there was a small fawn of the Gazelle, and the little creature flew at it the moment it saw it, seized it by the nape, aud was with difficulty taken off. I lost it shortly after this. It would occasionally find its way to the rafters of bungalows and hunt for squirrels. Mr. W. Elliot notices that he has seen several undoubted hybrids between this and the domestic cat, and I have also observed the same. Felis planiceps, Vigors, from the Malayan peninsula, is the only other Asiatic cat of this division known at present. There are many from Africa and America, besides the wild cat of Europe, F. sylveslris. The North African, F. maniculata and F. margarita, are considered to be two species, from which some of our domestic races may Have originated, but several species are known to breed freely with the domestic cat in different parts of the world. Other well-known species are the Ocelot of South America, F.*par* dalis ; the Serval of Africa, F. serval, a very beautiful long-limbed cat, allied to the Lynxine group ; and there are very many others. 2nd, Lynxine group. Distinguished by a more slender form of skeleton ; a somewhat large and pointed ear, which is more or less tufted in general ; and a short tail. Mr. Blyth approximates the domestic cats and their affines to this group. The first is by no means a typical form of Lynx, 110 FELIDJ2. 114. Felis torquata, F. CUVIEK, fid. BLYTH, Synops. 16. F. arnata, GRAY. HABDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool. (bad figure, the colour much too pronounced). BLYTII, Cat. 184. F. servalina, JARDINE, Nat. Libr. pi. F. Huttoni, BLYTH. Leopardus inconspicuus, GRAY. THE SPOTTED WILD CAT. Descr. Ground-colour of the fur cat-gray, more or less fulvescent, or pale grayish-fulvous, with numerous small black roundish spots j on the head, nape, and shoulders the spots are smaller, and tend to form longi- tudinal Hues on the occiput and nape ; some distinct cross bands on the limbs, -with one or two black streaks within the arm ; cheek striped as usual ; the breast spotted, but the belly almost free from spots ; tail short, with a well-defined series of dark rings and a black tip j ears externally dull rufous, with a very small dusky pencil-tuft ; cheek- stripes as usual ; paws blackish underneath. Length, head and body, about 16 to 18 inches, tail 10 to 11. The fur is more or less dense, and the markings are much brighter and more distinct in some than in others, but never so much so, that I have seen, as in the figure in Hardwicke's illustrations. Specimens from the Salt range of the Punjab and Hazara, whence sent by Captain Hutton, vary somewhat, and were at one time considered distinct by Blyth. The markings in this variety often form somewhat large trans- verse ill-defined stripes on the sides and limbs. Length 2 feet ; tail 1. Mr. Blyth first obtained it from the district of Humana, near Hansi ; and Dr. Scott, who sent the specimens, stated that " it is very common at Hansi, frequenting open sandy plains, where the field-rat must be its principal food. I hardly ever remember seeing it in what could be called jungle, or even in grass. One of these spotted cats lived for a long time under my haystack, and I believe it to have been the produce of a tame cat by a wild one. The wild one I have seen of half a dozen shades of colour, and you also frequently see a tendency in these cats to run into stripes, especially on the limbs." I have procured it at Hissar, where it is common ; at Mhow, far from rare ; also at Saugor, and near Nagpore, rarely; but it does not appear to extend into the Gangetic valley, and is rare south of the Nerbudda. Those I obtained at Mhow and Saugor were generally killed by my greyhounds in corn and stubble fields, but I have seen it in date-groves FELIS CHAUS. Ill though never in jungle. At Hissar it is almost always found among the low sand-hills, occasionally in bare fields, usually in the same ground as the desert fox (Vulpes Uucopus). Here it appears to feed chiefly on the jerboa-rat (Gferbillus indicus), so abundant in the sandy tract there. I have followed Blyth, in his recent Synopsis, 5 in giving this species as the F. torquata of F. Cuvier. In his Catalogue, he assigns Colonel Sykes's F. torquata also to this species, but in a recent letter to me he writes, that he is inclined to consider Sykes's cat as either a domestic cat run wild, or a hybrid; Colonel Sykes states of his species, that it " frequents the grass roofs of houses, thick hedges, and obscure places in cantonments, shunning the face of man and the light ; but it is con- stantly on the alert at night. It is a pest from the damage it does in ponltry-yards in the Dekhan." These habits are so perfectly opposed to those of our wild cat, which is constantly abroad all the day in open ground, and whose habitat is so different, that I can only conclude with Blyth, that it is merely a domestie cat run wild, many of which are found in all cantonments. It may indeed be a hybrid between the spotted and the domestic cat. The description by Gray of F. incoti- spicuus differs a good deal, and it is said to have a long tail. The figure in Janline's Naturalist's Library (F. servalina) is not a bad representation of the wild cat. Blyth formerly gave Gray's Chaua servcdinus as a synonym of this cat, but now refers it to F. benyalensis. The next cat is not a typical Lynx, and it has been separated genetically as C/taus, Gray. 115. Felis chaus. GULDENSTADT. F. CUVIER, Mamm. 3, pi. 32. BLYTH, Cat. 186, and Synops. 19 F. affinis, GRAY. HARDWICKE, 111. Ind, Zool. fig. F. Icutas, PEARSON. F. (lynchus) erythrotis, HODGSON. F. Jacquemontii, Is. GEOFFROY, figd. JACQUEMONT, Yoy. pi. Chaus lybicus, GRAY. Katds, Beng. and H. Janyli-billi, TL.JBanberdl,'B. Sirica, of Bhagul- pore hill tribes. Mant bek, Can. Kada bek or Bella bek of Waddars. Mota lahn manjur, Mahr. Bhaoga, Mahr. of the ghats. Jinkapilli, Tel. Cherrupuli, Mai. THE COMMON JUNGLE- CAT. Descr. Yellowish-grey, more or less dark and unspotted, approaching to rufous on the sides of the neck and abdomen, where it unites with 112 PELID^E. the white lower parts ; a dark stripe from the eyes to the muzzle j ears slightly tufted, rufous-black externally, white internally ; limbs with two or three dark stripes internally, occasionally faintly marked ex- ternally also ; tail short, more or less annulated with black, most con- spicuously in the young. Length, head and body, 26 inches; tail 9 to 10; height at shoulder 14 to 15. A drawing of this species, in Buchanan Hamilton's collection, has the marks on the limbs very conspicuous externally, and also those on the belly, and the face very rufous ; whilst some from Sindh and the Punjab Salt range (F. Jacquemontii) have no black markings on the limbs, and there are two or three faint blackish rings at the end of the tail. This is the common wild cat over all India, from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, and from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8, 000 feet of elevation. It frequents alike jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long grass and reeds, sugar-cane fields, corn-fields, &c. It does much damage to game of all kinds hares, partridges, &c., and quite recently I shot a peafowl at the edge of a sugar-cane field, when one of these cats sprang out, seized the peafowl, and after a short struggle (for the bird was not dead) carried it off before my astonished eyes, and in spite of my running up, made good his escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very birds, so immediately did its spring follow my shot. It is occasionally very destructive to poultry. It is said to breed twice a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I have very often had the young brought me, but always failed in rearing them, and they always evinced a most savage and untameable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats about villages in various parts of the country, that must have been hybrids between this cat and tame ones ; and Mr. Elliot, as quoted by Blyth, says the same. A melanoid variety is not very rare in some parts. Dr. Scott has procured it both near Hansi and in the neighbourhood of Umballa. This jungle-cat appears to be found throughout Africa, most abundant perhaps in the north. The next species is a true Lynx, with the ear pointed and the tuft well developed. The small foremost upper false molar tooth is generally deficient in the adult lynxes, if not in the young also. Their talons though slender are very sharp. Most have a facial ruff, and pointed tuft and beard, which are both wanting in the Indian species. FELIS CARACAL. 113 116. Felis caracal. SCHREBER. BLYTH, Cat. 187 ; Synopsis, 20. Caracal melanotis, GRAY. WOLF, Zool. Drawings. Siagosh, H., i. e. black-ear. THE RED LYNX. Descr. General colour unspotted vinous-brown or bright fulvous- brown, paler beneath, almost white in many ; tail concolorous with the body, tapering, with the tip black ; lower parts with some obscure spots, at times distinct, on the belly, flanks, and inside of limbs ; ears black externally, white within, with a long dark ear-tuft ; a black spot where the moustaches grow, and another above the eye, also a line down each side of the nose. Length 26 to 30 inches j tail 9 or 10 ; ear 3 ; height 16 to 18 inches. This handsome animal is found, though rarely, in many parts of India. I have had it from the Northern Circars on the east coast ; from the Neermul jungles between Hydrabad and Nagpore ; and from the Yindhian range of hills near Mhow. It was sent to Mr. Blyth from Jeypore. It appears to be more abundant perhaps in the west of India, in Kandeish, Gujrat, and Cutch ; and the Guicowar is said to keep a pack of trained lynxes with which he hunts peafowl, hares, &c. It appears to be quite unknown in the Himalayas and in Bengal, and the countries to the eastward. The Bheels about Mhow assert that it kills many peafowl, hares, &c., in its wild state, and it is occasionally trained to stalk peafowl, hares, kites, crows, cranes, &c. s* 11 A. A. 11 Char. Incisors ; canines ; prsemolars _ ; molars o o 1 1 o o 1 1 feet all with four toes. Other characters those of the sub-family. Hyaenas have a short solid skull, short muzzle, the cervical vertebrae often anchylosed ; 15 to 16 pairs of ribs ; tibia and fibula very short ; claws stout and blunt. Beneath the tail is a deep pouch analogous to that in the Civets, but not secreting an odorous substance. Their temporal muscles are very large and powerful, as are those of the neck, and their jaws and teeth are strong enough to enable them to crush large bones. They are quite nocturnal in their habits, living in holes and caverns, and feeding chiefly on the remains of carcasses, but they not unfrequently carry off dogs. They are easily tamed, are even susceptible of attachment ; and it is stated that tame individuals are occasionally used as watch-dogs. There is only one species in India, which is spread over great part of Asia and Africa. 118. Hyaena striata. ZIMMERMANN. H. vulgaris, DESMAREST. ELLIOT, Cat. 24. BLYTH, Cat. 138. Taras, H. (in the South) and Mahr. Hundar in some parts. Jhirak, H., in Hurriana. Lakhar baghar, H., in the North of India ; also LoJcra bdg ) or LaJcar bdgh ; also Lakra bdgh.-^-NauJcra bdgk, Ben. Harvdgh, in some parts. Rerd in Central India. Kirba and Kat- kirba, Can. Korna gandu, Tel. THE STRIPED HYJENA. Descr. Of a pale yellowish-gray colour, with transverse tawny stripes ; neck and back maned. HYAENA STRIATA. 119 Length of one, 3 feet 6 inches to root of tail ; tail 1 7 inches. The Hyaena is common over the greater part of India, most rare in the forest districts, and abundant in open country, especially where low hills and ravines offer convenient spots for the holes and .caverns it frequents. It is not enumerated by Kelaart from Ceylon. It is quite nocturnal, sallying forth after dark and hunting for carcasses, the bones of which it gnaws, occasionally catching some prowling dog, or stray sheep as a " bonne bouche." Adams says that it is "very destructive to poultry." This I have not heard noticed elsewhere. Now and then one will be found in the early morning making its way back to its den, but in general it is safe in its lair long before sunrise. I have more than once turned one out of a sugar-cane field when looking for jackals, and it very commonly lurks among ruins ; but in general its den is in a hole dug by itself on the side of a hill or ravine, or a cave in a rock. The call of the Hyaena is a very disagreeable unearthly cry, and dogs are often tempted out by it when near, and fall a victim to the stealthy marauder. On one occasion a small dog belonging to an officer of the Madras 33rd N. I., was taken off by a hyaena very early in the morning. The den of this beast was known to be not far off in some sandstone cliffs (at Dumoh, near Saugor), and some sepoys of the detachment went after it, entered the cave, killed the hyaena, and recovered the dog alive, and with but little damage done to it ! A hyaena, though it does not appear to move very fast, gets over rough ground in a wonderful manner, and it takes a good long run to overtake it on horseback unless in most favourable ground. A stray hyaena is now and then met with by a party of sportsmen, followed and speared ; but sometimes not till after a run of three or four miles if the ground is broken by ravines. It is a cowardly animal, and shows but little fight when brought to bay. The young are very tameable, and show great signs of attachment to their owner, in spite of all that has been written about the untameable ferocity of the Hyaena. Other species of hyaena are H. crocata, the Spotted Hyaena, and H. brunnea, the Woolly Hyaena, both from Southern Africa. The Proteles Lalandii, Is. Geoffroy, also an African animal, most resembles a hyaena in outward appearance, but has an anomalous form of dentition. The canines are moderately large, there are three false molars, and one small tuberculous back molar \ and all are small and separated by intervals. It has five toes before and four behind. 120 VIVERRIN^E. Sub-fam. VIVERRIN^E, Civets. / n Molar teeth mostly -, viz., three false molars above, and four below, 6 6 the anterior of which sometimes fall out ; two tolerably large tuberculous teeth above, only one below ; the lower flesh- tooth with two tubercules on 33 11 its inner side. Dental formula, incisors q o ; canines ^ 7 ; prsemolars g g 3 3 molars The canines are moderately large and sharp, the 4 4 2 2 false molars conical and pointed. Feet mostly digitigrade, the posterior in some partially plantigrade, with four or five toes, the claws in a few semi-retractile. The Civets are animals of more or less elongated form, with the muzzle produced, and a long and generally tapering tail. The -tongue is rough from rigid papillae directed backwards ; and most of them have a large glandular pouch between the anus and the genital organs, secreting an odorous substance. The pupils contract circularly. They are nocturnal in their habits ; and, according to their genus, are more or less carnivorous in their habits. Their hair is usually coarse and harsh. Gen. YIVERRA, Linn. Teeth as in the sub-family ; feet pentadactylous, the claws small, in- curved, blunt, partially retractile ; the pollex small and raised. Fur usually spotted. The anal pouch is large, and divided into two sacs. It secretes a strongly odorous sebaceous substance called civet. The pupil is vertical and oblong. They have a more or less erectile mane along the back, and are moderate-sized animals, most of them larger than a cat. The female has six teats. Their diet is partly carnivorous, but they will also feed on vegetable substances. There are three species in our province. They are divisible into two sections, which have been made the types of genera. 1st. Size large, does not climb, thumb not remote, s. g. Viverra, 119. Viverra Zibetha. LINNJEUS. BLYTH, Cat. 141. V. bengalensis, GRAY. HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool.^2, pi. 5. V. undulata, GRAY. V. melanurus and V. orientalis, HODGSON ; also V. Civettoides, ejusdem. HORSFIELD, Cat. 87. Katds, H. (used for several other animals as well). Mach-bhondar, Bengal; also VlVERRA CIVETTINA. 121 JBdgdos and Pudo-gaula, in some parts. Bhrdn in the Nepal Terai, and Nit biralu in Nepal. Rung, Bhot. Saphiong, Lepch. The Zibet of Shaw. THE LARGE CIVET-CAT. Descr. More or less yellow-gray, or hoary gray, with black spots and stripes ; throat white, with a broad transverse band ; another on the side of the neck on each side, showing four alternating black and white bands j beneath hoary white ; tail with six black rings j limbs nearly black or sooty brown. In some the body is nearly immaculate; in others, marked with numerous dark wavy bands ; mane distinct. Length, head and body, 33 to 36 inches ; tail 13 to 20 (with the hair). This large civet-cat inhabits Bengal, extending northwards into Nepal and Sikim, and into Cuttack, Orissa, and Central India on the south ; but replaced on the Malabar coast by the next species. It also extends into A.ssam, Burmah, Southern China, and parts of Malayana. It is perhaps ihe large variety of F. Rasse, indicated by Sykes as found in the country east of the Ghats ; 28 inches long, with a more ferruginous tint, and the black lines on the neck more marked. It is said to frequent brush- wood and grass ; also the dense thorny scrub that usually covers the bunds of tanks. It is very carnivorous, and destructive to poultry, game, &c., but will also, it is said, eat fish, crabs, and insects. It breeds in May and June, and has usually four or five young. Hounds, and indeed all dogs, are greatly excited by the scent of this civet, and will leave any other scent for it. It will take readily to water if hard pressed. The drug called civet is produced from the subcaudal gland of this animal, which is 2J inches in diameter. In some parts the drug is collected periodically from animals kept for this purpose. 120. Viverra Civettina. BLYTH, Cat. 40. F. Zibetha, apud WATEEHOUSE, Cat. Mus. Zool. Soc. THE MALABAR CIVET-CAT. Descr. " Like the African F. Civetta, but the mane commences be- tween the shoulders instead of from between the ears." Dusky gray, with large transverse dark marks on back and sides ; two obliquely transverse dark lines on the neck, which, with the throat, is white ; a 122 VIVERRINJ3. dark mark on the cheek ; tail ringed with dark bands ; feet dark. Size of the last, or nearly so. This species differs chiefly from F Zibetha in the more pronounced character of the dark marks, and in the purer gray of the ground colour ; and it would perhaps be considered by some as a climatal variety ; indeed, Mr. Blyth himself, in a note to this species (Cat. p. 44), says "the differ- ence however is scarcely greater from F. Zibetha than in the most dissi- milar examples of Felis bengalensis." All that I have seen, however, were quite true to the particular type of marking, and in no case showed any tendency to the uniformity of coloration sometimes met with in Zibetha. The Malabar civet-cat is found throughout the Malabar coast, from the latitude of Honore at all erents to Cape Comorin, and very possibly it extends further north. It inhabits the forests and the richly wooded low land chiefly, but is occasionally found on the elevated forest tracts of Wynaad, Coorg, &c. It is very abundant in Travancore, whence I have had many specimens. It is not recorded from Ceylon, but most probably will be found there. I have procured it close to my own house at Tellicherry, and seen specimens from the vicinity of Honore. I never obtained it from the Eastern Ghats nor in Central India. It is stated by the natives to be very destructive to poultry. Viverra Tangalunga, Gray, is very closely allied to F. Zibetha. It inhabits the Malayan peninsula and islands as far as the Philippines. F. Civetta, vera, is from Africa. 2nd group. Size small, vermiform ; nails more raptorial ; thumb remote ; of scansorial habits. s. g. Viverricula, Hodgson. 121. Viverra malaccensis. GMELIN. BLYTH, Cat. 143. F. indica, GEOFFROY. ELLIOT, Cat. 20. F. Rasse, HORSFIELD, apud SYKES, Cat. F. pallida, GRAY (variety), figd. HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool. 2, pi. G.Mushak billi, ll.^Kasturi, Mahr. ; also Jowddi manjur Gando gaula or Gandha gokul, Beng. Punagin bek, Can. Punagii pilli, Tel., these names all signifying musk- cat ; popularly Katds, Beng. Sayer and Bug-nyul, in the Nepal Terai. THE LESSER CIVET-CAT. Descr, Tawny gray or grayish-brown, with several longitudinal lines VIVERRA MALACCENSIS. 123 or streaks on the back and croup; the side spotted more or less in rows; some transverse bands on the sides of the neck, and also a few indistinct lines ; abdomen without spots ; head darker, with a black stripe from the ear to the shoulder ; tail long, with eight or nine complete dark rings. Length, head and body, 22 or 23 inches; tail 16 or 17. This civet-cat is found over the whole continent of India, from the foot of the Himalayas to Cape Comorin and Ceylon, and extends through Assam and Burmah to the Malayan peninsula and islands. It lives in holes in the ground or in banks, occasionally under rocks, or in dense thickets, now and then taking shelter in drains and out-houses. Mr. Hodgson says, "these animals dwell in forests or detached woods and copses, whence they wander freely into the open country by day (occasionally at least) as well as by night. They are solitary and single wanderers, even the pair being seldom seen together, and they feed promiscuously upon small animals, birds' eggs, snakes, frogs, insects ; be- sides some fruits or roots. In the Terai a low caste of woodmen, called Musahirs, eat the flesh." The female has six ventral teats, and has usually four or five young at a birth. It is frequently kept in confine- ment in India, and becomes quite tame, contrary to what Horsfield says of it in Java. I have had several myself perfectly tame, that caught rats and squirrels at times, as also sparrows and other birds. The civet is extracted by the natives from these kept in confinement. The Genets, Genetta, Cuvier, have the pouch very small, and the secre- tion scarcely discernible, the claws quite retractile, and the pupil vertical. They are smaller and more slender animals than the Civets, with the markings generally more pronounced. There are several species, all African, and one extending to the South of Europe. Near the Genets should be placed the next animal, which at one time was classed along with the Felince. Gen. PRIONODON, Horsfield. Syn. Linsang, Miiller. Char. Molars -ZL. ; false molars three-lobed or serrated ; body slen- 6 6 der ; limbs short ; tail very long, cylindrical ; feet with the claws quite retractile ; a fifth toe on the hind feet ; thumbs of both feet approximate to the other digits ; soles all well furred. No anal pouch is present, and the tongue is rough with retroverted 124 VIVEBRIN^E. prickles. The female has four teats, two pectoral and two inguinal. This genus was founded by Horsfield on a Malayan animal from Java. It forms quite a link between the Cats and Civets. The fur is short and close, resembling that of the Cats. 122. Prionodon pardicolor. HODGSON. Calc. J. N. A. 2, 57, with figure.* Zik-chum, Bhot. Suliyu, Lepch. THE TIGER-CIVET. Descr. Rich orange-buff or fulvous, spotted with black ; the neck above with four irregular lines ; the body above and on the sides with large entire elliptic or squarish marks, eight in transverse, and seven in longitudinal series, diminishing in size from the dorsal ridge, which has an interrupted dark line, and extending outside the limbs to the digits ; below entirely unspotted ; tail with eight or nine nearly perfect and equal rings. Length, head and body, about 16 inches ; tail 14 j height 6 or so. This very beautiful animal is said to have the manners of the Cats, to spring and climb with great power, to prey on small mammals and birds, and to frequent trees much in search of the former, as well as for shelter. Hodgson says, " equally at home on trees or on the ground, it dwells and breeds in the hollows of decayed trees." It has only been obtained in the south-east Himalayas, in Nepal and Sikim, and does not appear to be at all common, though Hodgson asserts it to be so. I only pro- cured one specimen whilst at Darjeeling. Cantor thus refers to an in- dividual of the Malayan species, to which ours is very closely allied, kept in captivity for some time : " At first the animal was fierce and impatient of confinement, but by degrees it became very gentle and playful, and when subsequently suffered to leave the cage, it went in search of sparrows and other small birds, displaying great dexterity and unerring aim in stealthily leaping upon them." Hodgson had our species in confinement, and states that it was very gentle and fond of being petted. It was fed with raw meat. It never * By an oversight in the recent edition of Hodgson's British Museum Collections, this is twice enumerated as 38, Linsang pardicolor, and 39, Prionodon pwdochrous. PARADOXURUS MUSANGA. 125 uttered any sort of sound. He further states, that " the sharpness of the coronal process of the molar teeth seems to indicate that the animal is somewhat insectivorous, which I hear is actually the fact." Gen. PARADOXURUS, F. Cuvier. /> n Char. Molar teeth - - as in Viverra ; flesh-teeth, especially the lower one, thick, with conical tubercles ; all feet with five toes connected by a web, the thumb not raised ; sole of the feet bald, tuberculous ; claws semi-retractile ; tail very long, cylindrical. The Tree-cats are stouter in form than the Genets, with which they have been confounded, and more uniform in their coloration ; their gait is plantigrade. Their pupil is elliptic, and they are quite nocturnal in their habits. Their dentition is very similar to that of dogs, but the cerebral cavity is proportionally smaller. The bony orbit is not closed. There is a glandular fold in some between the anus and genitals, secreting a peculiar matter, without the odour of civet or musk j* but not a distinct pouch. They are chiefly inhabitants of the Indian region, and a considerable number of species have been lately made known. They climb trees remarkably well, and roost during the day either on trees or on the roofs of houses, among the rafters. Their diet is of a mixed character. The character of the tail, from which the generic name was derived, is shown by Blyth to have been the result of some deformity, and not to be a normal state. It can be rolled up, but is not prehensile. This genus is linked toPrionodonby a Malayan species, P. ? derby anus, Gray, of which Cantor remarks, " The serrated false molars, the soles hairy under the toes, the somewhat remote thumb, are characters by which this animal differs from Paradoxurus, and forms a link between that genus and Priondon." It has indeed been made the type of a distinct genus, Hemigalea, by Jourdain. 123. Paradoxurus Musanga. Viverra apud MARSDEN. BLYTH, Cat. 148. Figd. F. CUVIER, Mamm. 2, pi. 55. P. typus, F. CUVIER. ELLIOT, Cat. 23. P. Pattasii, P. musangoides, P. Crossii, and P. dubius, GRAY. P. prehensilis, andViverra * Cantor, Cat. Mamtn., Malay. 126 VIVERRIN.E. hermaphrodite*, PALLAS. Menuri, H., in the south. LaJcdti, H., in some parts ; occasionally Khatds. Vulgo, in Southern India, Jhdr ka kdtd, or Tree-dog. Ud, Mahr. Ehondar, Bengal. Kera bek, Can. Mdnti-pilliy Tel. ; and Marrapilli, Malayl., both signifying tree-cat. Toddy-cat of Europeans in Madras. THE COMMON TREE-CAT. Descr. General colour brownish-black, with some dingy yellowish stripes on each side, more or less distinct, and sometimes not noticeable ; a white spot above and below each eye, and the forehead with a whitish band in some ; a black line from the top of the head down the centre of the nose is generally observable. In many individuals the ground colour appears to be fulvous with black pencilling, or mixed fulvous and black ; the longitudinal stripes then show dark; limbs always dark-brown. Some appear almost black throughout, and the young are said to be nearly all black. Some appear fulvous- gray washed with black, the face black, and the tail very dark ; and others appear to have the sides spotted. Many of these variations are owing to the state of abrasion of the fur, which is yellowish at the base and blackish at the tip. One is described as " pale grayish-brown with longer black hairs intermixed, and most prevalent on the back of head, neck, and along the back ; three black bands on the loins ; head brownish, with a gray mark above and below the eyes ; tail with the terminal fifth yellowish-white." I have had several skins with the terminal portion of the tail yellowish-white, and one or two with the whole posterior parts of the same hue. Some have the abdomen marked with elongated white spots, and individuals occur with the tail spirally twisted, so that the extremity has the lower surface uppermost ; and, according to Blyth, it was an individual similar to this on which the genus was founded, and the name Paradoxurus bestowed, which has been translated into Screw-tail. Length, head and body, 22 to 25 inches; tail 19 J to 21 ; hind foot 3 T V ; weight 81 Ib. This tree-cat is a common and abundant animal throughout the greater part of India and Ceylon, extending through Burmah and the Malayan peninsula to the islands. It is most abundant in the better wooded regions, and is rarely met with in the bare portions of the Deccan, Central India, and the North-west Provinces. It is very abundant in the Carnatic, PARADOXURUS MUSANGA. 127 and Malabar coast, where it is popularly called the Toddy-cat, in conse- quence of its supposed fondness for the juice of the palm (Tari, H., toddy, Anglice), a fact which appears of general acceptation both in India and Ceylon (where it is called the palm cat), and which appears to have some foundation. Kelaart says it " is a well established fact that it is a consumer of palm-toddy." It lives much on trees, especially on the Palmyra and cocoa-nut palms, and . is often found to have taken up its residence in the thick thatched roofs of native houses. I found a large colony of them established among the rafters of my own house at Telli- cherry. It is also occasionally found in dry drains, outhouses, and other places of shelter. It is quite nocturnal, issuing forth at dark, and living by preference on animal food, rats, lizards, small birds, poultry, and eggs ; but it also freely partakes of vegetable food, fruit, and in- sects. In confinement it will eat plantains, boiled rice, bread and milk, ghee, &c. Colonel Sykes mentions that it is very fond of cockroaches. Now and then it will commit depredations in some poultry-yard, and I have often known them taken in traps baited with a pigeon or a chicken. In the South of India it is very often tamed, and becomes quite domestic, and even affectionate in its manners. One I saw, many years ago, at Trichinopoly went about quite at large, and late every night used to work itself under the pillow of its owner, roll itself up into a ball, with its tail coiled round its body, and sleep till a late hour of the day. It hunted for rats, shrews, and house lizards. Their activity in climbing is very great, and they used to ascend and descend my house at one of the corners of the building in a most surprising manner. One, 20 inches long, examined by Kelaart, had the small intestines 5 feet 4 inches long, the large do. 9 inches ; caecum |ths ; liver with seven lobes, &c. &c. Hodgson has described several new species lately, of which P. strictus and P. quadriscriptus appear to be merely varieties of colour of P. Musanga. They are figured at plates 47 and 48 of the Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1856. Blyth described the skull of one from the Andaman Islands, which had peculiarly large canines. It may possibly be the species lately described by Colonel Tytler, Journ. As. Soc. for 1865, and named after himself, Paradoxurus Tytleri. From the description, it is evi- dently nearly related to P. Musanga. The two next species were formerly classed under the genus Paguma, 128 VIVERRIN^J. Gray, differing somewhat from Paradoxurus in the form of some of the teeth, in the more attenuated tail ; in the fur being dense and woolly, with the coloration more uniform and less variegated. 124. Paradoxurus Grayii. BENNETT, P. Z. S. 1835. BLYTH, Cat. 154. P. nipalensis, HODGSON, Asiatic Trans. Yol. XIX. P. Bandar, apud TEMMINCK, Mon. t. 65, f. 46, skull. THE HILL TREE-CAT. Descr. Colour above light unspotted fulvous-brown, showing in cer- tain lights a strong cinereous tinge, owing to the black tips of many of the hairs; beneath lighter and more cinereous; limbs ash-coloured, deeper in intensity towards the feet, which are black ; tail of the same colour as the body, the end dark, white-tipped ; ears rounded, hairy, black ; face black, except the forehead, a longitudinal streak down the middle of the nose, and a short oblique band under each eye, which are gray or whitish. Length, head and body, 30 inches ; tail 20. This animal inhabits the South-east Himalayas only, extending into Assam and Northern Burmah. It has been sent from Nepal, Darjee- ling, and the A rrakan hills. Hodgson states that " it is common in the central region of Nepal, keeping to the forests and mountains. It feeds both on small animals and birds, and vegetable food. One shot had only seeds, leaves, and unhusked rice in its stomach. A caged animal was fed on boiled rice and fruits, which it preferred to animal food. When set at liberty it would lie waiting in the grass for mynas and sparrows, springing upon them from the cover like a cat, and when spar- rows, as frequently happened, ventured into its cage to steal the boiled rice, it would feign sleep, retire into a corner, and dart on them with unerring aim. It preferred birds thus taken by itself to all other food. This animal was very cleanly, nor did its body usually emit any unplea- sant odour, though, when it was irritated, it exhaled a most fetid stench, caused by the discharge of a thin yellow fluid from four pores, two of which are placed on each side of the intestinal aperture." 125. Paradoxurus Bondar. GRAY ex BUCHANAN HAMILTON. P. hirsutus, HODGSON, As. Res. XIX. 72. P. Pennantii, GRAY, -HARDWICKE, 111. Ind, Zool. 2 ; pi. 13. PARADOXURUS BONDAR. 129 Chinghdr, H. Bondar and Baum, Beng. Machabba and Malwa, in the Nepal Terai, and neighbouring districts. THE TERAI TREE-CAT. Descr. Colour a clear yellow, largely tipped with black, and entirely devoid of marks or lines upon the body ; the bridge of the nose, the upper lip, whiskers, broad cheek-band, ears, chin, lower jaw, forelegs and hind feet, and terminal third of the tail, black or blackish-brown ; region of the genitals and a zone encircling the eyes, pure pale-yellow ; snout and soles of feet brownish fleshy-gray ; nude parts of lips, palate, and tongue, pure fleshy-white. The hair is straight, long, erect, yellow at the base, black-tipped ; the under wool soft, curly, yellow. Its nails are very sharp and curved, sheathed and mobile. Total length 45 inches, of which the tail is about half; weight 6 Ib. The female is somewhat smaller and paler, and has four ventral teats. This tree-cat is said to be found throughout the Terai of the hills, extending into the neighbouring districts of Bengal and Behar, but of its distribution elsewhere I can find no record. In its habits it is said to be found in inhabited and cultivated tracts, its favourite resort being old abandoned mango-groves, seeking refuge in holes of decayed trees, where it also breeds. It seeks its food as well among the branches of trees as on the ground, and is highly carnivorous, living upon birds, small mam- mals, mice, rats, and even young hares ; also on snakes, but it will not touch frogs or cockroaches. Occasionally it is very destructive to poultry. It will eat ripe mangoes and other fruit. It sleeps rolled up like a ball, and when angered spits like a cat. It is naturally very ferocious and unruly, but capable of domestication if taken young. It has a keen sense of smell, but less acute hearing and vision by day than the mungooses. Another species allied to these two last, is Paguma laniger, Gray, Maries laniger, Hodgson, from Tibet and adjoining snowy Himalayas. Parado- xurus quinque-lineatus, Gray, appears to be described from the same speci- mens as P. strictus, formerly alluded to ; and there are other species de- scribed, some of which also appear to be varieties of P. Musanga. Ceylon possesses a peculiar species, P. zeylanicus, Pallas ; P. trivir- gatus, Temminck, and P. leucomystax, Gray, are found in the Malayan peninsula and islands, in addition to P. Musanga and P. Derbyanus t already alluded to. 130 The next animal has only a doubtful claim to a place here. Gen. ARCTICTIS, Temminck. Syn. Ictides, Valence. c r Char. Molars ; canines stout, those in the upper jaw very long, 5 5 compressed at the base, with a longitudinal groove exteriorly ; muzzle short, attenuated ; ears short, rounded ; body long ; legs short ; tail nearly as long as the body, partially prehensile ; hair long, rough, copious ; feet plantigrade ; toes five in each foot, with short half-retractile, com- pressed, strongly curved claws. 126. Arctictis binturong 1 . Viverra apud RAFFLES. BLYTH, Cat. 157. Ictides ater, F. CUVIER> Mamm. III. pi. 50-51, olim Paradoxurus albifrons. THE BLACK BEAR-CAT. Descr. General colour throughout deep black, with a white border to the ears, and a few brown hairs scattered over the head above, and on the anterior surface of the forelegs ; hairs long, rigid and diverging ; tail monstrously thick at the base, tapering to a point, with bristling straggling hairs, exceeding those of the body in length. Cantor describes it as black, sprinkled with pale ferruginous ; head, face, and throat whitish and grizzled ; a trace of a white spot over the eye in the young ; tail black, whitish at the base. Length, head and body, 28 to 33 inches ; tail 26 to 27. It has a large gland between the anus and genitals, which secretes an oily fluid of an intense but not fetid odour. This peculiar animal forms a very distinct genus, whose place in the natural system has not been satisfactorily decided. In general form of skull it resembles Meles, but the relative position of the bones is more like that of Paradoxurus. It deviates from the type of Viverrince in the more strictly plantigrade character of the feet, and in the partially pre- hensile tail, approaching Ailurus and Cercohptes among the Ursidce. The head is somewhat bulky, and the muzzle slightly turned up; the ears are ARCTICTIS BINTURONG. 131 large, black, and prominent, edged with white, and terminated by tufts of black hair. Its habit of body is slow and crouching. Tn its habits it is quite nocturnal, solitary, and arboreal, creeping along the larger branches, and aiding itself by its prehensile tail. It is omnivorous, eating small animals, birds, insects, fruit, and plants. It is more wild and retiring than Viverrine animals in general, and it is easily tamed j its howl is loud. One examined had 14 pairs of ribs ; the intestines were 9 feet 9 inches long, and the caBcum J inch. This bear-cat was classed by Cuvier and Cantor among the Ur since, and it may be considered a sort of link between the plantigrade and digitigrade Carnivora, with some distant analogies to the Lemurs. I have followed Blyth in his Catalogue in placing it after Paradoxurus. It has been stated to inhabit Nepal, Bhotan, and Assam, but it does not occur in the Catalogue of Hodgson's Collections. It is said to have been obtained from Bhotan by M. Duvaucel, and will probably be found to occur rarely in the north-eastern limit of our province. It is known from the hills of Assam, Arrakan, and Malayana. Other animals belonging to this group of Carnivora are Cryptoprocta ferox, Bennett, from Madagascar ; Cynogale Bennettii, Gray (Potamo- pJdlus barbatus, Kuhl), an aquatic species from the Malayan peninsula, Sumatra, &c. The next group have been separated by Blyth as a distinct sub-family, Herpestidince. They differ from the Viverrince by the quality of their fur, which is long and harsh, and generally ringed with pale and dark tints ] the tail is thick and bushy at the base, more tapering than in the tree-cats, and they have a large and simple pouch with the anus situated within its cavity. The bony orbits of the skull are perfect in several species. Compared with the Paradoxuri, they are much more terrestrial, seeking their prey entirely on the ground, and very rarely climbing trees. Gen. HERPESTES, Illiger. Syn. Mangusta, Fischer. Char. Teeth as in Viverra, but the molars vary in number, some having . , others , and some ; ears small, short, and rounded : 55 6 6 7 7 feet all with five toes, with large compressed, incurved, somewhat 132 \ VIVERRINjE. retractile claws ; tail long, thick at the base ; hairs long, rigid, often ringed with distinct colours. The Ichneumons or Mungooses, as they are named in India, have a sharp muzzle, small eyes, short limbs, the hinder ones semi-plantigrade, and the toes connected by a membrane. The female has only four mammae. The tongue is rough with horny papillae. Some of the species are stated to have a voluminous simple anal pouch, which does not contain odoriferous matter, and at the bottom of which the vent is placed. Hodgson states, " that g both Nepal species of Herpestes have a congeries of small glands surrounding the caudal margin of the anus like a ring, and secreting a thick musky substance, which is slowly protruded in strings like vermicelli, through numerous scattered minute pores ; and one species (iiyula) has also on either side the rectum two large and hollow glands of similar structure, but with a thinner secretion, each of which has a larger and very palpable pore." The mungooses are very active in their habits, bold and sanguinary in disposition. They are partly fossorial, and in the hot tropical countries of the old continent appear to take the place of the weasels of colder regions. The bony orbit is often closed by a ring posteriorly, which however is not perpetual, and in some appears to depend on advanced age. This genus is numerously represented in the Indian peninsula, and extends to Africa. 127. Herpestes griseus. GEOFFROY. BLYTH, Cab. 164. H. pallidus, SCHINZ. Mangusta mungos apud ELLIOT, Cat. 21. Mangus, H. and Mahr. in Southern India. Newal, Newara, in Northern and Central India ; sometimes called Nyul. Mtingli, Can. Yentawd, Tel. Kordl of Gonds. THE MADRAS MUNGOOS. Descr. Tawny yellowish-gray, the hairs ringed with rufous and yellowish, the general result being an iron-gray tinge, with less of the yellow tint than in the next species from Northern India, which it otherwise much resembles in size and form, whilst in the character of its fur it is more like H. nipalensis. The muzzle is concolorous with the body, as is the tail, which is not tipped with black, and is nearly equal in length to the body. HERPESTES ORISEUS. 133 Average length, head and body, about 16 to 17 inches ; tail 14. It is said occasionally to reach 20 inches and upwards, with the tail 16J. This mungoos is spread througli most of Southern India, replaced in Bengal and the lower Gangetic plains by a nearly allied one, H. malac- censis. I am not able to state the limits of each species exactly, but the present animal occurs in the North-west Provinces and the Punjab, and throughout the Deccan up to the Nerbudda river. It frequents alike the open country and low jungles, being found in dense hedgerows, thickets, holes in banks, &c. ; and it is very destructive to such birds as frequent the ground. Not unfrequently it gets access to tame pigeons, rabbits, or poultry, and commits great havoc, sucking the blood only of several. I have often seen it make a dash into a verandah where some cages of mynas, parrakeets, &c., were daily placed, and endeavour to tear them from their cages. It also hunts for, and devours, the eggs of partridges, quails, and other ground-laying birds ; and it will also kill rats, lizards, and small snakes. I do not think it would go out of its way to attack a large snake in its wild state. Colonel Sykes states, that " it is believed by the Mahratta people to have a natural antipathy to serpents, and in its contests with them to be able to neutralize the poison from the bite of serpents by eating the root of a plant called moonguswail ; but no one has ever seen the plant." This is the prevalent belief throughout all India, and also in Java, and many experiments have been made with a view to test the native idea above referred to, that the mungoos, either by virtue of some plant to which it has recourse, or from some other cause, is proof against the bite of a cobra. Many have asserted that after being apparently bitten, it would retire to some hedge side, returning shortly with evident marks of its having eaten some green herb ; whilst others have declared that it never attempted anything of the kind even when set free, and that where it was forcibly kept indoors it suffered as little as if allowed its liberty. I of course entirely disbelieve in the efficacy of any herb as an antidote to the serpent's poison ; and I do not think that the mungoos habitually has resort to any herb if bitten. The plants are supposed to be Ophiorhizon serpentinum, and 0. mungos. I have witnessed many contests between a mungoos and cobra, and though the mungoos has in general succeeded in killing the serpent, it often declines the combat, or undertakes it some- what unwillingly. In none of the combats that I have seen has the mungoos suffered, but my belief is that it generally escapes being bitten 134 by its extreme watchfulness and activity ; or, if bitten at all, has been so very superficially ; and that perhaps its very thick skin may have a certain degree of insusceptibility to poison. Since this paragraph was first penned, a writer in the Indian Lancet confirms this idea, which he says he has practically proved, both by seeing the cobra bite the mungoos, and by forcing the fang of a cobra into the skin of one, which did not suffer from the experiment. A very recent writer, however, in one of the Indian newspapers, declares that if the. fangs are forced through the skin into the flesh the mungoos will die. This little animal is frequently domesticated, and becomes excessively tame, following its owner about like a dog, and effectually clearing a house of rats. Mr. Bennett* mentions that an individual of this species in the Tower, " actually on one occasion killed no fewer than a dozen full-grown rats which were loosed to it in a room sixteen feet square, in less than a minute and a half." The Egyptian Ichneumon, Herpestes ichneumon, is said to have a peculiar penchant for crocodiles' eggs. This habit is not noticed with regard to our species, though I dare say it would devour them if it came across any. 128. Herpestes malaccensis. F. CUVIER, Mamniif. I. pi. 65. BLYTH, Cat. 163. H. nyula, HODG- SON. Newol or Nyul, H. Newdra, in Central India. jBajior fiiji, H, in Behar. THE BENGAL MUNGOOS. Descr. General colour mixed rich reddish-brown and hoary-yellow? the ears, face, and limbs redder, and less maculate ; neck and body pure pale yellow ; tail concolorous with the body, pointed, and nearly equal in length to the body ; the hair harsh, bristly, not closely applied but diffuse. Length, head and body, 15 inches ; tail about 10 or 11. This mungoos replaces H. griseus in Bengal and other parts of the North of India, and has precisely the same habits as that species. It extends into Assam, Burmah, and Malayana. Hodgson states that it affects cultivated fields and grass, and lives in burrows made by themselves. The females produce 3 to 4 young at a birth. * Tower Menagerie, p. 106. HERPESTES SMITH II. 135 129. Herpestes monticolus. W. ELLIOT, MSS. Konda yentawa, Tel. THE LONG-TAILED MUNGOOS. Descr. Colours much as in griseus, but somewhat more yellow in its general tone j tail longer, tipped with maronne and black, and more hairy ; feet dark reddish-brown ; muzzle not dark, slightly tinged with reddish. Larger than griseus. Tail nearly equal in length to the head and body. Length of one 20 inches ; tail with hair 19. This fine species differs conspicuously from griseus in its longer and dark-tipped tall, which also distinguishes it from malaccensis. It differs from H. Smithii in its muzzle being concolorous with the body, or nearly so, and prevalent lighter colour. I have only procured this mungoos from the Eastern Ghats inland from Nellore, where it inhabits forests among the hills. It most resembles H. fulvescens, Kelaart, of Ceylon, but this has a shorter tail with the tip reddish, and has a more prevalent fulvous hue. The muzzle too is blackish and the face ferruginous-brown. 130. Herpestes Smithii. GRAY. BLYTH, Cat. 162. H. Ellioti, BLYTH. H. rubiginosus, KELAART. THE RUDDY MUNGOOS. Descr. General colour ferruginous-brown, in some inclining to grizzled maronne-red, brighter where it joins the blackish limbs and black tip of the tail ; muzzle dark ; face rusty-red ; head and legs redder than the other parts ; feet black ; the hairs are ringed black and white, and have a dark reddish tip. It approximates malaccensis in the character of the fur and also in size. Length of one, head and body, 13 to 15 inches; tail 12 to 13. This mungoos has been taken in forest jungle among the Eastern Ghats near Madras, and in other parts of the same region. I procured it in the forest at the foot of the Neelgherries, but did not obtain it in the Malabar forests, though it most probably will be found there also. 136 VIVERRIN.*. It is said to be not rare in Ceylon. The first specimen obtained by Mr. Elliot had an accidental dark collar, and that gentleman named it torquatus in MSS., which name is alluded to by Kelaart. 131. Herpestes Nipalensis. GRAY. BLYTH,Cat. 165. H. auro-punctatus, HODGSON. H.pallipes, BLYTH, olim. THE GOLD-SPOTTED MUNGOOS, Descr. Of an uniform olive-brown colour, more or less striate in- different individuals, freckled with golden-yellow, paler and somewhat yellowish-gray beneath ; cheeks more or less rusty ; tail shorter than the body ; hairs with five distinct rings of black and golden ; the fur short, soft, adpressed. Length, head and body, 12 to 13 inches; tail 9 to 10. This species resembles H. javanicus, but the ground colour is lighter. It is found over the whole extent of the lower Himalayas, from Sikim to Kashmir (and even to Afghanistan) ; and it also occurs in the plains near the hills, from Bengal to the Punjab, not extending far south. It also inhabits Assam, Burmah, and the Malayan peninsula. Nothing peculiar has been noticed of the habits of this Mungoos. I find a species recorded in Schinz, If. thysanurus, Wagner, from Kashmir ; hair dark-brown ringed with pale yellow ; feet brown ; tail ending in a long deep black tuft. This, if correctly described, must be distinct from Nipalensis. The only mungoos I got in Kashmir was the latter species. 132. Herpestes fuscus. WATERHOUSE. BLYTH, Cat. 167. THE NEELGHERRY BROWN MUNGOOS. Descr. General colour brown, the hair being ringed black and yellow, and tawny at the base ; throat dusky -yellowish ; tail nearly equal in length to head and body. Length of one, head and body, 18 inches; tail with the hair 17. I procured this Mungoos, many years ago, on the Neelgherries in the dense woods near Ootacamund, and have not seen it from any other locality. My original specimen is in the Museum of the Asiatic Society at HERPESTES VITTICOLLIS. 137 Calcutta. It appears nearly allied to H. Javanicus. Its distribution is more local than that of any other of the Indian species, no record of its occurring elsewhere existing ; Waterhouse's type specimen also came from the same locality. It probably will eventually be found in other elevated hill regions of Southern India. The next species has been, with some others, separated as a sub- r> n genus, Mungos, having the molars 1^-, and the bony orbital ring always complete. It approximates to Urva. 133. Herpestes vitticollis. BENNETT. BLYTH, Cat. 159. ELLIOT, Cat. 22, with figure. THE STRIPE-NECKED MUNGOOS. Descr. Of a grizzled gray colour, more or less tinged with rusty reddish, especially on the hinder part of the body and tail; a dark stripe from the ear to the shoulder ; tail rufous-black at the tip. Length of one killed on the Neelgherries, the head and body 21 inches ; tail with the hair 15 ; weight 6 Ib. 10 oz. This fine species of mungoos is found throughout all the forests of the "Western Ghats, from near Dharwar to Cape Comorin. It is rare in the northern parts, and most abundant in Travancore. It have killed it on the Neelgherries, in Wynaad, and seen specimens from various parts of Malabar. From its large size this must be a very destructive animal to game and the smaller quadrupeds. The Malayan region, besides those common to India, viz., H. malaccensis and II. nipalensis, has If. java- nicus and H. brachyurus, peculiar to that district ; and //. exilis is recorded, Zool. de la Bonite, from some of the islands. There are many species from Africa, and one extends into Spain. Gen. URVA, Hodgson. Syn. Mesobema, Hodgson. Char. Teeth as in Herpestes, but blunter ; structure intermediate to that genus and Gulo ;' snout elongate, acute, mobile ; hands and feet large ; soles nude ; nails subequal ; digits connected by large crescentic membranes ; tail long, cylindric ; habit sub- vermiform. This genus contains only one species. 138 VI VERRIN^. 134. Urva cancrivora. HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. 158. 6Wo urva, HODGSON (olim). Viverra fusca, GRAY, apud HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool I. pi. 5. Osmetictis fusca, GRAY, Mag. Nat. Hist. THE CRAB MUNGOOS. Descr. General colour jackal or fulvous iron-gray ; inner fur woolly ; outer of longstraggling lax hairs, generally ringed with black, white, and fulvous; in some the coat has a variegated aspect; in others an uniform tawny tint prevails, and in a few dark rusty brown mixed with gray is the prevalent hue ; abdomen brown ; limbs blackish-brown ; a white stripe on either side of the neck, from the ear to the shoulder ; tail rufous or brown, with the terminal half rufous. Length, head and body, 18 inches ; tail 11 ; weight 41b. This curious animal has been found in the South-east Himalayas, extending into Assam and Arrakan. In its habit it is somewhat aquatic, preferring, it is said by Hodgson, frogs and crabs. It lives in burrows in the valleys of the lower and central regions of Nepal. The drawing of the one figured by Hardwicke was taken from a caged indi- vidual at Agra. Colonel Phayre informed Mr. Blyth that it was the only mungoos found in Arrakan. Some details of its anatomy were furnished to Mr. Hodgson by Dr. Campbell. It has two glands about the size of a cherry on each side of the anus, which secrete an aqueous fetid humour, which the animal has the power of squirting out with great force. The female has six ventral teats, remote. The bony orbits are incomplete. Other genera allied to the mungooses are Galidia and Ichneumonia of Is. Geoffroy, the former from Madagascar. Cynictis, Ogilby, with four toes to each foot, and Ryzcena, Illiger, with the same number, both from South Africa ; and Crossarchus, F. Cuvier, from Sierra Leone. Bassaris astuta, Lichtenstein, from Mexico, a peculiar digitigrade, carnivorous animal, is placed here by some systematists, and it has some likeness to Paradoxurus, but it belongs to the sub-plantigrade division, none of the Viverridce occurring in the new continent. The next group is well marked by anatomical characters as distinct from the other digitigrade carnivora. CANIS PALLIPES. 139 Fam. CANID.E. The Dog tribe. / / 7 7 Q Q Molar teeth mostly _^_ ; more rarely _H- or ; two of these 7 7 7 7 - 8 8 in general on each side in both jaws being tuberculous, rarely three ; the first of the upper tuberculous teeth very large ; upper flesh-tooth with one inner tubercle, lower do. with its posterior portion tuberculous. Fore-feet with five toes, the thumb raised ; hind-feet usually with four. Head more or less conical, and pointed in front, the jaws being pro- duced ; legs of nearly equal length. The tongue is smooth ; the intestines rather long, and the caecum of a peculiar spiral form. Some have a dermal gland above the base of the tail ; others a sac or hollow gland on each side of the anus, opening by a pore, which secretes a pungent whey-like substance with the peculiar smell of the animal, the contents of which can be made to trickle out on pressure. In domestic dogs these pores exist, but are evanescent, and without a distinct sac or secretion. In these too there is often a fifth claw on the hind-feet, but only connected by skin, and called the dew-claw. Gen. CANIS, Linn, (restricted). fi 11 Char. Dental formula, incisors ; canines ; praemolars 6 ' 1 1 4 4. 2 2 3 3 ; molars The false molars are ' : and the tubercular 44 ' 33 44 ' o 2 molars - ; the former small ; tail moderately brushed ; pupil rounded. 2i 2 In this group, as here restricted, are classed the Wolf and the Jackal. Linnaeus included Foxes and Hyaenas as well. 1st. Wolves, Lupus, Hamilton Smith. Of large size. Muzzle obtuse, not much lengthened ; tail short ; no caudal gland. 135. Canis pallipes. SYKES, Cat. BLYTH, Cat. 121. C. lupus, var., ELLIOT, Cat. 17. Ldndagk, H., in the South. Bherd, or Bherid, or Syria, or Bharya, H., in Northern and Central India. Nekrd, in some parts. Bighdna, in part of Bundelcund. Hunddr, or Hurdr, in other parts. Tola, Can. Toralu, Tel. 140 CANID^E. THE INDIAN WOLF. Descr. Hoary fulvous or dirty reddish-white, some of the hairs tipped black, which gives it a grizzled appearance ; somewhat reddish on the face and limbs, the latter paler than the hody ; lower parts dingy white; tail thinly bushy, slightly black-tipped. Ears rather small. Length of one, head and body, 37 inches; tail 17; height at the shoulder 26 inches. Elliot and Horsfield have stated that they did not consider the Indian wolf specifically distinct from the European wolf, but Blyth gives it as his opinion that it is so. " The Society's Museum now contains good and characteristic examples of the skulls of the European, Indian, and Tibetan wolves, G. lupus, pallipes, and laniger, and the specific distinct- ness appears to be well marked. The European is the largest of the three, with proportionally much larger and more powerful teeth, and the orbital process of the frontal bone is much less developed than in the others. The Indian and Tibetan wolves are more affined to each other than either is to the European one." This wolf is found throughout the whole of India, rare in wooded districts, and most abundant in open country. "The wolves of the Southern Mahratta country," says Mr. Elliot, " generally hunt in packs, and I have seen them in full chase after the goat antelope (Gazella Bennettii). They likewise steal round a herd of antelope, and conceal themselves on different sides till an opportunity offers of seizing one of them unawares, as they approach, whilst grazing, to one or other of their hidden assailants. On one occasion three wolves were seen to. chase a herd of gazelles across a ravine in which two others were lying in wait. They succeeded in seizing a female gazelle, which was taken from them. They have frequently been seen to course and run down hares and foxes, and it is a common belief of the Ryots that in the open plains, where there is no cover or concealment, they scrape a hole in the earth in which one of the pack lies down, and remains hid, while the others drive the herd of antelope over him. Their chief prey, however, is sheep, and the shepherds say that part of the pack attack and keep the dogs in play, while others carry off their prey, and that if pursued they follow the same plan, part turning and checking the dogs, whilst the rest drag away the carcass till they evade pursuit. Instances are not un- common of their attacking man. In 1824, upwards of 30 children were CANIS PALLIPES. 141 devoured by wolves in one pergunnah alone. Sometimes a large wolf is seen to seek his prey singly. These are called Won-tola, by the Canarese, and reckoned particularly fierce." I have found wolves most abundant in the Deccan and in Central India. I have often chased them for several miles, they keeping 50 to 100 yards ahead of the horse, and the only kind of ground on which a horse appeared to gain on them was heavy ploughed land. I have known wolves turn on dogs that were running at their heels and pursue them smartly till close up to my horse. A wolf once joined with my greyhounds in pursuit of a fox, which was luckily killed almost immediately afterwards, or the wolf might have seized one of the dogs instead of the fox. He sat down on his haunches about 60 yards off whilst the dogs were worrying the fox, looking on with great apparent interest, and was with difficulty driven away. In many parts of the North-west of India, they are very destruc- tive to children, as about Agra, in Oude, Rohilcund, and Rajpootana, and rewards are given by Government for their destruction. Wolves breed in holes in the ground, or caves, having only three or four young, it is said. The female has ten teats. They are usually rather silent, but sometimes bark just like a pariah dog. The howling after their prey, recorded of the European wolf, is seldom heard in India. Hodgson has described a wolf from Tibet, Canis Zangier, sometimes called the " white wolf " by sportsmen who cross the Himalayas. It is the Chdngu of Tibet, Chankodi near the Niti pass from Kumaon ; and it is a larger animal than the Indian wolf, with white face and limbs, and no dark tip to the tail, which is fully brushed. The fur is extremely woolly, and the hairy piles few ; but this is also to a certain extent apparent in domestic dogs of the same region. Another species of wolf has recently been "described by Gray,* as Canis chanco, or the red wolf of Tibet, or golden wolf : " fulvous, head grayish-brown, lower parts pure white. Somewhat larger than the Eu- ropean wolf, to which its skull bears a close resemblance." It is probably the same as the animal in Blyth's Cat. Mamm. No. 119, "large red wolf," referred by that naturalist with doubt to Pallas's C. alpinus ; but Gray says that that is a fox. The specific name given by Gray is the name also applied to the common wolf of that^region, spelt differently. There are many other species of wolves in various parts of the northern regions of both continents. * Proceedings Zoological Society, 1863, p. 94. 142 CANIDJ5. 2nd. Jackals. Saccalius, Hamilton Smith. Of moderate size, gregarious ; brush rather scanty. 136. Canis aureus. LINN^US. BLYTH, Cat. 124. ELLIOT, Cat. \.Khold or Kold, H., in the South of India and Mahr. Kolya, in some parts. Gidar or Ghida/r, H., in the North. Shial or Sial, or Sidr and Shialu, in Bengal and adjacent provinces. Nari, Can. Nakka, Tel. NerTca of Gonds. Shingal or Sjekal, in Persia, whence our English word. Amu, Bhot. THE JACKAL. Descr. Fur of a dusky yellowish or rufous gray, the hairs being mottled black, gray, and brown, with the under fur brownish-yellow ; lower parts yellowish-gray ; tail reddish-brown, ending in a darkish tuft ; more or less rufous on the muzzle and limbs ; tail moderately hairy. Length, head and body, 28 to 30 inches; tail 10 or 11; height about 16-17 inches. The Jackal varies considerably in the colour of its fur according to season and locality. A black variety is by no means rare in Bengal ; but I never saw or heard of it in the south of India. This well-known animal abounds throughout all India, and its habits are too well known to require much notice. It occurs also in Ceylon, but is rare in lower Burmah, and said to be only of recent introduction there. It is a very useful scavenger, clearing away all garbage and carrion from the neighbourhood of large towns, but occasionally com- mitting depredations among poultry and other domestic animals. Sickly sheep and goats usually fall a prey to him ; and a wounded antelope is pretty certain to be tracked and hunted to death by jackals. They will however partake freely of vegetable food. Sykes says he devastates the vineyards in the west of India ; in Bhagulpore he is said to be fond of sugar-cane ; and he everywhere consumes large quantities of the be"r fruit, Zizyphus jujuba. In Wynaad, as well as in Ceylon, he devours considerable quantities of ripe coffee-berries : the seeds pass through him, well pulped, and are found and picked up by the coolies : it is asserted that the seeds so found make the best coffee ! The female jackal brings forth about four young in holes in the ground, occasionally in dry drains in cantonments. The Jackal is easily pulled CANIS AUREUS. 143 down by greyhounds, but gives an excellent run with foxhounds. They are very tenacious of life, and sham dead in a way to deceive even an experienced sportsman. I have seen one, after being worried by a pack of hounds, and getting a good rap or two on its head with a heavy whip, limp off some time afterwards when unobserved, with apparently a good chance of affording another run on a future day. I have known a jackal come to the aid of his comrade (or mate perhaps) when seized by greyhounds, and attack them furiously, whilst I was close by on horseback. The call of the jackal is familiar to all residents in India, and is certainly the most unearthly and startling music. The natives assert that they cry after every watch of the night. Jackals not unfrequntly get hydrophobia, especially in Bengal, and I have known several fatal cases from their bite. Connected with the old name of the " lion's provider" are the generally credited tales about one always attending the tiger. Mr. Elliot says, " Native sportsmen universally believe that an old jackal, which (in the South of India) they call 'BhdluJ is in constant attendance on the tiger, and whenever his cry is heard, which is peculiar and different from that of the jackal generally, the vicinity of a tiger is confidently pronounced. I have heard the cry attributed to the Bhdlu, frequently." The " Kole bhaloo" is frequently referred to by Lieutenant Rice, in his very in- teresting work on "Tiger-shooting in Rajpootana," as having been frequently heard and seen by him in company with the tiger. In Bengal the same jackal is called " Pheall" or Phao, or Pheeow, or Phnew, from its call, and in some parts Ghog, though that name is said by some to refer to some other (fabulous) animal. " It is," says Johnson, in his Field Sports of India, as quoted in the India Sporting Review, N.S. vol. I., " a jackal following the scent of the tiger and making a noise very different from their usual cry, which I imagine they do for the purpose of warning their species of danger." Again, " Soon after the tiger passed within a few yards of us. In a minute or two after he had passed, we plainly saw the jackal, and heard him cry when very near us. I have often heard it said that the Pheall (or provider, as it is sometimes called) always goes before the tiger, but in this instance he followed him, which I have also seen him do at other times. "Whether he is induced to follow the tiger for the sake of coming in for part of the booty, or whether he merely follows as small birds often follow a bird of prey, I cannot say. Evidently his cry is different from what 144 CANIDJ2. it is "at other times, which indicates danger being near, particularly as whenever that cry is heard the voice of no other jackal is, nor is that particular call ever heard in any part of the country where there are not large beasts of prey. Pheall, I believe, was the original, and is now the usual name, from its resembling the cry they make ; but they are better known in Hamghur by the name Phinkar, which means crier pro- claimer or warner." Mr. Blyth records that, " some time ago I heard a pariah dog, upon sniffing the collection of live tigers, before referred to, set up the most extraordinary cry I have ever heard uttered by a dog, and which I cannot pretend to record more intelligibly, but it was doubtless an analogous note to the Pheall cry of the jackal." I have often heard this peculiar cry, and seen a jackal following a tiger in various parts of the country ; and I have already noted my turning a jackal out of the same bush as a cheeta. A horn is supposed by the natives in the same parts of India to grow on the head of some jackals, which is of great reputed virtue, ensuring prosperity to its possessor. The same idea is prevalent in Ceylon. The Jackal is found over a great part of Asia, in Southern Europe, and in Northern Africa. There are several allied species of small or moderate size in Africa and part of Asia. The domestic dog belongs to this division, but his origin is lost in obscurity, and it is probable that several species of wolf and other animals may have contributed to form this valuable animal. Now and then very jackal-like dogs may be seen about villages, but whether these are hybrids or simply a reversion to one of the original types, it is impossible to say. In India it is a well-known fact that the various breeds of English dogs, if bred in the plains, have a tendency to change towards the pariah dog, the muzzle of the bull-dog, as well as his limbs, lengthening sensibly in even two generations. The next animal, though called a dog, differs in its dentition so remarkably that it has been made the type of a distinct genus. Gen. CUON, Hodgson, ure and dentition of Cc ; the second tubercular behind the flesh -tooth in the lower jaw being Char. General structure and dentition of Canis, but the molars only 66 66 deficient ; skull more uniformly arched than in dogs ; jaws shorter and CUON RUTILANS. 145 stronger. Has the odour and aspect of Saccalius, but ears and tail larger, the latter more brushed, the brow and eye bolder, and the muzzle blunter. The shoulder and croup are about level. The female has 12 or 14 teats. I have followed Blyth in his Cat. Mamm., in keeping this distinct from Oanis. 137. Cuon rutilans. Canis apud TEMMINCK. BLYTH, Cat. 117. C. Dukhunensis, SYKES. Figd. Trans. Roy. As. Soc. C. familiaris, wild variety, ELLIOT, Cat. 16. Cuon primcevus, HODGSON. Figd. also by DELESSERT, Souvenirs d'un Voyage dans 1'Inde. Janglikutd, H. popularly. Sonakiltd, i.e. golden dog, in Central India. Ram kutd, in some parts. Ban kutd,in the North of India. Rahnasay kutd, of some. Kolsun, Kolusnd, Rolsa, andKolasrd, as variously pronounced by the Mahrattas in different localities. Rezd kutd, Tel., i.e. fierce dog; vulgo Adavi kutd. Shen nai, Mai. Eram naiko of Gonds. Sakki sarai, at Hydrabad (Buchanan Humilton). Ram hun in Kashmir. Sidda-ki, Tibetan in Ladak. Suhu-tum, Lepch. PaoJid, Bhot. Bhaosa, Bhoonsa, Buansu, in the Himalayas, generally from Simla to Nepal. Wild dog of Europeans. THE WILD DOG. Descr. General colour bright rusty-red or rufous fawn-colour, paler beneath ; ears erect, rather large, somewhat rounded at the tip ; tail moderately brushed, reaching to the heels, usually tipped blackish ; limbs strong ; body lengthened. Length, head and body, 32 to 36 inches ; tail about 16 inches ; height 17 to 20 inches. I quite agree with Mr. Blyth in considering that the wild dog of Malayana does not differ specifically from the Indian one ; and therefore adopt Temminck's specific name, Sykes's local name and Hodgson's theoretic one being alike inapplicable, as well as posterior in date. " A Malayan specimen," says Blyth, " differs only in the considerably deeper tint of the rufous colouring." There is, however, a prevalent belief among sportsmen of the existence of two races of wild dogs in India. In an early notice of the wild dog, in the first vol. of the " Gleanings of Science," two kinds are indicated ; one called Shikari bhowsa, which hunts its own prey ; the other Ldgh, from eating the offal of its prey. Hamilton Smith says, " Besides the Jangli kutd of the plains, there are two hill 146 CANID.E. kinds, one larger, the other smaller, but with shorter tails, said to ascend as high as the snow-line, and to be very shy." Blyth gives a description of a wild dog from Darjeeling, which he was informed Mr. Hodgson had considered distinct from the common one. " This one (a female) had a considerably more vulpine aspect, with longer and softer fur, with much wool at the base, a considerable ruff round the neck, and much lengthened fur about the jowl ; the ears also were densely clad both externally and within ; and in a living animal from the same locality were closely approximated, and directed forwards ; a remarkably full brush, with much less black than usual on the terminal half, but most of the tail having a nigrescent appearance not particularly noticeable at a little distance. All this may merely indicate the winter vesture as assumed in a cold climate ; but the actions of the living animal were decidedly peculiar, and the general appearance as vulpine as that of the ordinary wild dog is jackal-like. It was particularly light, agile, and graceful in its movements ; still I can discover no distinction in the skull, or in the rest of the skeleton, excepting that the metacarpal bones of the Darjeeling specimen are comparatively shorter. Upon present evidence, I can only regard it'as as pecimen of the common wild dog in winter vesture as developed in a cold climate." In the late edition of Hodgson's Collection Brit. Museum, 1863, asecond species of wild dog is described as Cuon Grayiformis, with the following description : " Deep uniform red, deeper than rust, paler and flavescent below ; lining of ears, chaffron, and end of tail nigrescent. Hair close and short, no feathering of limbs nor brush to tail. Form slighter than in other species, and larger that is in largest dimensions." Length, head and body, 3 feet 1 inch ; tail 16 inches. This was from Darjeeling. It will be observed that this does not tally with Mr. Blyth's description above. Some young wild dogs were brought to Darjeeling whilst I was there, which did not appear to me at the time to differ in any material point from others I had seen in various parts of India. Specimens from the Eastern Ghats perhaps differ more from those of other parts. They have the colour lighter and more fulvous, the tail less brushed and concolorous with the body, or nearly so, and the hair shorter. Those from Coorg and the Malabar forests have the tail blackish and mode- rately bushy, and closely resemble others from Central India, and one represented in a drawing of Buchanan Hamilton's. Mr. Blyth wrote to me from Madras, stating that some specimens he had seen in the Museum there had rather staggered him as to the unity of the species. CUON RUTILANS. 147 Mr. Hodgson gives the folio wing excellent account of his Cuonprimcevus as met with in Nepal. " The Budnsu is in size midway between the wolf and the jackal, being 2| feet long to root of tail and 21 inches in average height. It is a slouching, uncompact, long, lank animal, with all the marks of uncultivation about it, best assimilated in its general aspect to the jackal, but with something inexpressibly but genuinely canine in its physiognomy. It has a broad .flat head and sharp visage, large erect ears, a chest not broad nor deep ; a shallow compressed harrel, somewhat strained at the loin ; long heavy limbs ; broad spreading feet, and a very bushy tail of moderate length, straight, and carried low. It stands rather lower before than behind, with the neck in the line of the body, the head unelevated, the nose pointed directly forwards, the fore limbs straightened, the hind stooping ; the back inclined to arch, especially over the croup, and the tail pendulous. In action the tail is slightly raised, but never so high as the horizontal line. Though the Budnsu be not deficient in speed or power of leaping, yet his motions all appear to be heavy, owing to their measured uniformity. He runs in a lobbing long canter, is unapt at the double, and upon the whole is somewhat less agile and speedy than the jackal, very much less than the fox. The wild dog preys both by night and day, but chiefly by day. Six, eight, or ten unite to hunt down their victim, maintaining the chase by their powers of smell rather than by the eye. Theyusually overcome their quarry by dint of force and perseverance, though they sometimes effect their object by mixing stratagem with direct violence. Their urine is peculiarly acrid, and they are said to sprinkle it over the low bushes amongst which their destined victim will probably move, and then in secret, to watch the result. If the stratagem succeeds, they rush out upon the devoted animal whilst half-blinded by the urine, and destroy it before it has recovered that clearness of vision which could best have enabled it to flee or defend itself. This trick the Budnsu usually plays off upon animals who^e speed or strength might otherwise foil them, such as the buffalo, wild or tame, and certain large deer and antelopes. Other animals they fairly hunt down, or furiously assail and kill by more violence. In hunting they bark like hounds, but their barking is in such a voice as no language can express. It is utterly unlike the fine voice of our cultivated breeds, and almost as unlike the peculiar strains of the jackal and the fox. The Budnsu does not burrow like the wolf and fox, but reposes and breeds in the recesses and natural cavities of rocks." After speaking of some kept alive by him, Hodgson continues : " After ten L 2 148 CANID.E. months' confinement they were as wild and shy as at the first hour I got them. Their eyes emitted a strong light in the dark, and their bodies had the peculiar fetid odour of the fox and jackal in all its rankness. They were very silent, never uttering an audible sound save when fed, at which time they would snarl in subdued tone at each other, but never fight, nor did they on any occasion show any signs of quarrelsomeness or pugnacity." Mr. Elliot has the following remarks on this species : The " wild dog was not known in the Southern Mahratta country until of late years. It has now become very common. The circumstance of their attacking in a body and killing the tiger is universally believed by the natives. Instances of their killing the wild boar, and of tigers leaving a jungle in which a pack of wild dogs had taken up their quarters, have come to my own knowledge, and on one occasion a party of the officers of the 18th M. N. I. saw a pack run into and kill a large samber stag (Rusa) near Dharwar. I once captured a bitch and seven cubs of this species, and had them alive for some time." 1 have come across the wild dog myself on several occasions, in Malabar, the Wynaad, at the foot of the Ajunteh Ghat in Kandeish, near Saugor, on the Neelgherries, 190 MURING. and correspond somewhat to the description of Hodgson's M. macropus, but that species is said to have a fine pelage, and the Dehra rat has the usual harsh hair of the kok. 173, Nesokia Hardwickii. Mus apud GRAY. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837, 585. Nes. Huttoni, BLYTH, J. A. S. XY. 139 1 Memoir on Eats, hind-foot T 6 oths. It bears some resemblance to the descriptions of M. darjeelingensis, having the same proportional length of tail, slender feet, and longer ears. The next mice have the colour of field-mice. 190. Mus Tytleri. BLYTH, J. A. S. XXVIII. 296. THE LONG-HAIRED MOUSE. Descr. Fur unusually long and full, of a pale sandy mouse-colour above; isabelline below, and pale on the well-clad limbs, and also on the tail laterally, and underneath. Whiskers exceedingly fine in texture and of a whitish colour. Length 2f inches ; tail the same. From Dehra Doon. Apparently very nearly allied to the next, but kept distinct by Blyth in his Memoir. It should be compared with M. homourus. 191. Mus bactrianus. BLYTH, J. A. S. XV. 140. M. gerbillinus and M. T/wobaldi, BLYTH, Cat. p. 119. 206 MURING. THE SANDY MOUSE. Descr. Upper parts light isabelline, or sandy-brown, the extreme tips of the hairs dusky, and the basal two-thirds deep ashy; entire under parts and feet white ; tail thinly clad with minute setae. Fur dense and long. Length of one, head and body 2f inches ; tail 2| ; hind-foot f ths ; ear- conch barely | : of another, head and body 2 1 ; tail 2| ; ears | ; tarsi -i^ths. This mouse has been sent from Pind Dadun Khan, in the Punjab, and from Kashmir, and it is stated to be the common house-mouse of Kandahar. Blyth has in this group Mus nitidulus fromBurmah ; and M. cunicularis and M. erythrotis, from the Khasia hills. Next field-mice. Tail shorter than head and body ; fur not spinous. 192. Mus cervicolor. HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. p. 119. M. albidiventris, BLYTH. THE FAWN FIELD-MOUSE. Descr. Above dull fawn or yellowish-gray ; below sordid white ; lining of ears and extremities pale ; tail short ; ears large, hairy. Length of one, head and body 3 J inches ; tail 2f ; head 1 j ears T \ths : another, 3J ; tail 2|. Blyth described his M. albidiventris as light mouse-colour above, paling to grayish -white on the lower parts. This field-mouse has been found in lower Bengal, in Nepal, and in south Malabar, although this last locality is given with doubt by Blyth. It appears to me that Hodgson's M. strophiatus is nearly allied, if not the same. He describes it as " bright fawn above, pure white below, a cross or gorget on the breast. Length 3 ; tail 2 T 7 g-. A field mouse, closely allied to M. cervicolor, but seemingly distinct." There is a nearly allied species in Ceylon, Mus fulvidiventris, Blyth (M. cervicolor apud Kelaart). 193. Mus terricolor. BLYTH, J. A. S. XX. 172. Cat. p. 119. THE EARTHY FIELD-MOUSE. Descr. Above variable according to the soi], light fawn-brown, more or LEGGADA PLATYTHRIX. 207 less rufescent ; under parts white, abruptly separated from the hue of the upper parts. Length of one, head and body 2J inches ; tail 2J ; ears Jth ; hind- foot T 9 g-ths. Much resembles M. lepidus of Elliot, but the fur is short, soft, and not spinous in the least degree. Those from the alluvium of the Ganges are darker than specimens from the ferruginous soil to the westward. " This," says Blyth, " is the most common field and garden-mouse in lower Bengal." It has been also found in Midnapore, and in southern India, a specimen having been sent to Mr. Blyth by Walter Elliot, along with a lot of Mus lepidus, from which he did not distinguish it. The following species are a group of field-mice, the fur of which is mixed with spines. They have been placed in a distinct genus by Gray, which is practically adopted by Blyth in his Memoir. Gen. LEGGADA, Gray. Char. Molars high, with somewhat convex crowns, the cross ridges of the crown of the upper grinders deeply three-lobed ; the front one with an additional lunate lobe at the base of its front edge ; fur fine, mixed with numerous spines, somewhat flattened. This group was founded on a mouse first described by Colonel Sykes. 194. Leggada platythrix. Mus apud SYKES. BLYTH, Cat. p. 121. ELLIOT, Cat. 40. Legyade and Kdl yelka of Waddurs. Gijeli-gadu, Tel. of Yanadees. Kal ilei, Can. THE BROWN SPINY MOUSE. Descr.- Above light sandy-brown or light brown mixed with fawn ; beneath pure white, the white separated from the brown by a well-defined pale-fawn line. The flattened spines are transparent on the back, beneath smaller, and form with the fur a thick close covering. The head is long, the muzzle pointed, the ears rather large, oblong, rounded. Length, head and body 3 J inches ; tail 2 J ; hind-foot f ths ; ear J. This mouse is found only in southern India, and Mr.W. Elliot has given a full account of its habits. " The Leggyade lives entirely in the red gravelly soil in a burrow of moderate depth, generally on the side of a 208 MURING. bank. When the animal is inside, the entrance is closed with small pebbles, a quantity of which are collected outside, by which its retreat may always be known. The burrow leads to a chamber, in which is collected a bed of small pebbles, on which it sits, the thick close hair of the belly protecting it from the cold and asperity of such a seat. Its food appears to be vegetable. In its habits it is monogamous and nocturnal. "In one earth which I opened, and which did not seem to have been originally constructed by the animal, I found two pairs ; one of which were adults, the other young ones, about three-parts grown. The mouth of the earth was very large, and completely blocked up with small stones; the passage gradually widened into a large cavity, from the roof of which some other passages appeared to proceed ; but there was only one com- munication with the surface, viz., the entrance. The old pair were seated on a bed of pebbles, near which, on a higer level, was another collection of stones, probably intended for a drier retreat. The young ones were in one of the passages, likewise furnished with a heap of small stones." I have often opened the burrows of this rat, and can confirm Mr. Elliot's account. The Yanadees of Nellore state that one variety uses small sticks to sit on instead of stones, and give it a distinct appellation ; but I did not notice any difference in the few specimens they brought me, though it is possible that they might have been of the next species. 195. Leggada spinulosa. BLYTH, J. A. S. XXIII. 734. Cat. p. 121. THE DUSKY SPINY MOUSE. Descr. Nearly affined to the last, but of a dark dusky colour above, with fulvous tips to the softer fur ; belowUhd all the feet dull whitish. Upper rodential tusks orange, the lower white. Whiskers long and fine, the posterior and longer of these black for the basal half or more, the rest white. Length of adult, head and body 3f inches ; tail 3 ; foot |ths. This species was originally described by Blyth from specimens sent from the Punjab, and specimens were afterwards received from South Malabar, " quite similar, unless rather larger, and there is little differ- ence in the colour of the upper and lower tusks." LEGGADA LEPIDA. 209 196. Leggada Jerdoni. BLYTH, Cat, p. 121. Memoir on Rats, &c. THE HIMALAYAN SPINY FIELD-MOUSE. Descr. Above bright dark-ferruginous, pure white below ; some fine long black tips intermingled among the spines of the back ; limbs marked with blackish externally ; the feet white. Length 4 inches ; tail 3| ; hind-feet |ths. I procured specimens of this large field-mouse at Darjeeling, and lately in the valley of the Sutlej in Kunawur, at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, living under large stones. 197. Leggada lepida. Mus apud ELLIOT, Cat. 41. Leggada booduga, GRAY. Chitta bur- kani, Chit yelka, Chitta ganda, Tel., of Wuddurs. Chitta yelka, Tel., of Yanadees. THE SMALL SPINY MOUSE. Descr. Above pale sandy -brown, pure white below, separated from the upper colour by an exact line. The spines are small, fine, trans- parent, and of a dusky tinge tipt with fawn. The head very long, and muzzle pointed. Ear large, ovate, naked. Tail naked. Limbs rather long, fine. Length of a large individual, head and body 2 T 9 ^ inches ; tail 2 T 7 ^. This pretty little mouse lives in pairs in the red soil, but sometimes a pair of young ones is found in the same burrow with the old ones. I have found this species in gravelly soil, in gardens and in woods, in most parts of Southern India, making a small burrow, which generally has a little heap of stones placed at a short distance from the hole. It is preyed on now and then by the common Indian roller or jay, and it is very generally used as a bait to catch that bird with birdlime. Near these spined mice perhaps should come the " curious spiny rat of South Malabar," which Mr. Blyth considered as belonging to the Dormouse family, Myoxidce, but Professor Peters has recently * called in question this location, stating it to be a true Murine type. * Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865. 210 MURINJ3. Gen. PLATACANTHOMYS, Blyth. o o Char. Molars ; equal in size, except the last upper one, which is 3 3 smaller than the rest, surrounded with enamel, with three or four trans- verse folds ; incisors smooth, compressed ; muzzle acute ; eafs moderate, nude ; tail hairy, the hairs arranged distichously ; whiskers very long ; upper parts densely covered with sharp flat spines, mixed with an exceed- ingly delicate thin undercoat ; a few spines also on the lower part, but smaller and finer ; hallux nailless. Blyth states that the rodential tusks are quite those of Myoxus, and that its whole habit is myoxine. Professor Peters, too, says the resemblance of this genus to the dormouse at first sight is very striking, principally on account of the long-haired tail ; but in other respects, in its smaller eyes, very thin ears, and the well-developed, although very short, thumb of the fore-foot, it more approaches several murine genera of tropical India. The peculiarities of the skull in which it' deviates from the murine type are, according to Peters, the small and narrow foramina incisiva, formed only by the intermaxillary bones, the imperfect perforate palate, and the very short coronoid process of the lower jaw. 198. Platacanthomys lasiurus. BLYTH, Proc. As. Soc. Gale. 1859, Cat. p. 109. THE LONG-TAILED SPINY MOUSE. Descr. General colour a somewhat light rufescent-brown ; under fur paler. On the forehead and crown, where the hair is very full, the colour is more rufescent ; whiskers chiefly black ; lower part dull or subdued white. The hairs on the tail darker than the body-colour, infuscated, except at the tip of the tail, where they are dull white, forming a conspicuous pale tail-tip. Length of one, head a$d body G inches ; tail 3, 1| more to the end of the hair ; ear posteriorly ^, ovoid and all but naked ; hind-foot 1. This very interesting addition to the Fauna of Southern India was found by Rev. Mr. Baker in the hill-ranges of the Western Ghats of South Malabar, and also in Cochin and Travancore. " I was ignorant of the existence of this animal," says Mr. Baker, " till about a year ago, when I found it in a range of hills about 3,000 feet high. It lives in PLATACANTHOMYS LASIURUS. 211 clefts in the rocks and hollow trees, is said to hoard ears of grain and roots, seldom comes into the native huts, and in that particular neighbourhood the hill-men tell me they are very numerous. I know they are to be found in the rocky mountains of Travancore ; but I never met with them on the plains." In a further communication he remarks : " I have been spending the last three weeks in the Ghats, and among other things had a great hunt for the new spiny dormice. They are most abundant, I find, in the elevated vales and ravines, living only in the magnificent old trees found there, in which they hollow out little cavities, filling them with leaves and moss. The hill people call them the ' pepper-rat,' from their destroying large quantities of ripe pepper (Piper nigrum). Angely and jack-fruit (Artocarpus ovalifolia and integrifolia) are much subject to their ravages. Large numbers of the Shunda palm (Caryota) are found in the hills, and toddy is collected from them : these dormice eat through the covering of the pot as suspended, and enjoy themselves. Two were brought me in the pots half-drowned. I procured in one morning sixteen specimens. The method employed in obtaining them was to tie long bamboos (with their little branches left on them to climb by) to the trees, and when the hole was reached, the man cut the entrance large enough to admit his hand, and took out the nest with the animals rolled up in it, put the whole in a bag made of bark, and brought it down. They actually reached the bottom sometimes without being disturbed : it was very wet, cold weather, and they may have been somewhat torpid ; but I started a large brown rat at the foot of one of the trees, which ran up the stem into a hole, and four dormice were out in a minute from it, apparently in terror of their large friend. There were no traces of hoarding in any of the holes, but the soft bark of the trees was a good deal gnawed in places. I noticed that when their tails were elevated the hairs were perfectly erect, like a bottle-brush." Another rat has been made the type of the Gen. GOLUNDA, Gray. Char. Molars when perfect low, with a broad flat crown ; the cross ridges of the crown of the upper grinders divided into three distinct, slightly-raised tubercles ; upper incisors grooved. Two species are classed under this by Blyth, which are apparently sufficiently distinct in general feature as well as in habits. 212 MURING. 199. Golunda Elliotti. GRAY, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837. BLYTH, Cat. p. 121. Mus hirsulus, ELLIOT, Cat. 36. M. coffceus, KELAART. Gulandi, Can. Gulat yelka ofWuddurs. Sora-panji-gadur, Tel., of Yanadees. THE BUSH-RAT. Descr. Above olive-brown mixed with fulvous, giving a dusky fulvous tint ; beneath yellowish-tawny, or light yellowish-gray ; the tail somewhat villose ; the head long, muzzle blunt, rounded, and covered with rough hair, as are the face and cheeks ; ears round, hairy ; whiskers long and very fine. Length of one, head and body 6-5% in. ; tail 4 T S o-; head 1 T ^; ear T %ths. This rat is found only in Southern India and Ceylon. I have only met with it myself in the Carnatic, Malabar, and the Deccaii. " The gulandi" observes Mr. Elliot, " lives entirely above ground, in a habitation constructed of grass and leaves, generally in the root of a bush, at no great height from the ground ; often, indeed, touching the surface." Again : " The gulandi lives entirely in the jungle, choosing its habitation in a thick bush, among the thorny branches of which, or on the ground, it constructs a nest of elastic stalks and fibres of dry grass, thickly inter- woven. The nest is of a round or oblong shape, from 6 to 9 inches in diameter, within which is a chamber about 3 or 4 inches in diameter, in which it rolls itself up. Bound and through the bush are sometimes observed small beaten pathways, along which the little animal seems habitually to pass. Its motion is somewhat slow, and it does not appear to have the same power of leaping or springing, by which the rats in general avoid danger. Its food seems to be vegetable, the only contents of the stomach observed being the roots of the haryalee grass. Its habits are solitary (except when the female is bringing up her young) and diurnal, feeding in the mornings and evenings." The Yanadees of Nellore catch this rat, surrounding the bush and seizing it as it issues forth, which its comparatively slow actions enable them to do easily. I have always found the nest on the ground, or very close to it, in the midst generally of a thorny mass of Zizyphus nnmmularia. This is the coffee-rat of Ceylon, so destructive to coffee-trees, whole plantations being sometimes deprived of bud and blossoms by these rats. GOLUNDA MELT AD A. 213 " They are found," says Kelaarfc, " in all the higher parts of the Kandian provinces. They appear to be migratory ; and are not always seen in coffee estates ; when they do visit the cultivated parts, their numbers are so great that in one day more than a thousand have been known to be killed on one estate. In clearing forests, the nests of these rats are met with under the roots of trees." 200. G-ohmda meltada. GRAY, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837. Mus lanuginosus, ELLIOT, Cat. 35. Mettade of Wuddurs. Mettayelka, Tel., of Yanadees. Kera ilei, Can. THE SOFT-FURRED FIELD-RAT. Descr. Above reddish-brown with a mixture of fawn, lighter beneath. The fur fine, close and soft, with a few longer hairs projecting. Head short ; muzzle sharp ; ears large ; tail shorter than body. Length of one, head and body 5^ inches ; tail 4^ ; ear T 8 oths. This rat has only been found in southern India. " The mettade" says Mr. Elliot, "lives entirely in cultivated fields in pairs or small societies of five or six, making a very slight and rude hole in the root of a bush, or merely harbouring among the heaps of stones thrown together in the fields, in the deserted burrow of the boh, or contenting itself with the deep cracks and fissures formed in the black soil during the hot months. Great numbers perish annually when these collapse and fill, up at the commencement of the rains. The monsoon of 1826 having been deficient in the usual fall of rain at the commencement of the season, the mettades bred in such numbers as to become a perfect plague. They ate up the seed as soon as sown, and continued their ravages when the grain approached to maturity, climbing up the stalks of jowaree and cutting off the ear to devour the grain with greater facility. I saw many whole fields completely devastated, so much so as to prevent the farmers from paying their rents. The ryots employed the Wuddurs to destroy them, who killed them by thousands, receiving a measure of grain for so many dozens, without perceptibly diminishing their numbers. Their flesh is eaten by the tank-diggers. The female produces from 6 to 8 at a birth." The physiognomy of this rat is so distinct from that of the last, as is also the character of the fur and the habits, that I much doubt if they ought to be included in the same group. 214 MURING. Kelaart has a Golunda newera, which he considers allied to this last species, and found in the black soil of Newera-ellia, where it is a great destroyer of peas and potatoes. It appears to me that Hodgson's Mus myothrix has some affinities for Golunda Elliotti. It is described as, " fur yellow -brown, minutely black varied, hair rather short and rigid, lead-coloured with yellow tips, and with scattered narrow black bristles ; beneath yellowish-white, tail slightly hairy, yellow. Length of one 6 inches, tail 3| ; head 1J. Tenants the woods only, dwelling in burrows under the roots of trees, but cot gregariously." Blyth has described a Hapalomys longicaudatus from Burmah. The next animal has been referred by Gray to another group, the Aspalacidce, but this is not agreed to by Blyth and Waterhouse, who consider it as a murine type. Gen. RHIZOMYS, Gray. Syn. Nyctocleptes, Temminck. Char. Incisors very large, long, somewhat triangular, sharp ; molars o q , rooted, subcylindric, the crown with somewhat parallel cross 3 3 ridges ; upper molars with a lobe internally j head large ; body massive ; eyes small ; ears naked, conspicuous ; feet short, strong ; tail short, thick, naked. Chiefly from the Indo-Chinese region and Malayana. One species extends into our north-eastern limits. 201. Rhizomys badius. HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. p. 122. E. minor, GRAY. THE BAY BAMBOO-RAT. Descr. Above of a bay or chestnut colour, the fur being slaty-gray with rufous-brown tips ; below dark ashy-gray ; feet dark. Length 9 inches. This small bamboo-rat has been taken only in the Terai of Sikim, and the adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. It eats the roots of bamboos and other trees, constructing burrows under the roots. It is said to be very bold and easily taken. Rhizomys pruinosuSj Blyth, is from the Khasia hills ; R. caxtaneus, Blyth, from Burmah ; and R. suniatrensis, from the Malayan peninsula RHIZOMYS BADIUS. 215 and islands. R. sinicus, Gray, from China, is figured in Hardwicke's Illustrations. There are many genera of true rats found in the New World, and a few in Africa. From the Old continent there are several peculiar forms, some of which deserve particular mention. Among these are the Hamsters, genus Cricetus. They have the teeth of Murince, but their tail is short and hairy, and they have cheek-pouches. They belong to the Palsearctic region. The Beaver, Castor fiber, L., is one of the most remarkable Muridce, and is, by some, placed in a distinct sub-family. It has four molars on each side, and five toes on all the feet. Its flattened tail, webbed hind- feet, together with its aquatic habits and peculiar habitations, are described in all popular works on natural history. Their fur is highly prized, and much sought for, and it is now all but extinct in Europe. The substance called Castor is a peculiar pungent secretion of a glandular pouch, terminating in the prepuce ; and the organs of generation of both sexes terminate within the rectum. The genus Helamys, F. Cuvier (Pedetes, Illiger), from South Africa, is a peculiar animal, isolated in its position. It is called the jumping hare, has a large head and eyes, a long tail, short fore-feet, with 5 toes, having long pointed nails ; and lengthened hind-feet, with only four toes, having large claws like hoofs. The Mole-rats, Aspalacidoe, chiefly from Africa, have the incisors broad, large, and exserted ; three molars as in rats, heavy bodies with short limbs and tail, very small eyes, concealed in ome, and the ears small. They live underground, and feed entirely on roots. Bathyergus, of South Africa, is nmde the type of a distinct family by Blyth, Bathyergidce. They have four molars on each side, small eyes, and a short tail. The pouched rats are considered by some to form a distinct family, equal in rank to the other four large families. They are the Saccomydidce of authors. They have four molars on each side ; the, upper incisors are grooved ; the anterior median nails very long and trenchant. They have deep cheek-pouches, opening externally, and are all from North America. Sub-fam. ARVICOLIN^E, Voles, &c. Snout blunt, rounded ; ears small, more or less concealed in the hair: 3 3 molars - -, composed of alternating triangular prisms, without o o roots ; incisors rounded ; tail generally short. 216 ARVICOLIN^E. This family comprises several forms mostly Palsearctic, one or two species only occurring in the Himalayas, of the same genus as the Water- rat and Meadow-vole of Britain, j Gen. ARVICOLA, Lacepede. Syn. Hypudceus, Illiger. Char. Incisors smooth in front ; snout short, bluntish ; eyes small or moderate ; anterior feet with four toes and a hallucar wart, posterior feet five-toed ; nails curved ; tail short or moderate, hairy ; otherwise as in the character of the sub-family. 202. Arvicola Roylei. GRAY, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842. Figd. ROYLE, 111. Bot. Himal. BLYTH, Cat. p. 125. THE HIMALAYAN VOLE. Descr. Above ashy-brown with a tinge of rufous more or less apparent j beneath pale brownish-ashy ; ears moderately large, rounded, hairy ; tail clad with rigid pale hairs \ incisors yellow in front. Length of one, head and body 3 \ inches ; tail 1-^ ', hind-foot T 9 ths. One procured by myself measured, head and body 3f ; tail If. The Himalayan Yole is noted by Blyth only from Kashmir and Find Dadun Khan, in the Punjab. I obtained it in Kunawar, near Chini, at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, and again on the south side of the Barendo pass, at about the same height, in great numbers in a fine meadow, where it was burrowing lightly close to the surface, and several were caught in digging a light trench round my tent. I also observed it in the Pir Punjal pass. Its occurring at such a low level as Pind Dadun Khan is remarkable, as it is only found on the Himalayas at great elevations. In the recent edition of Hodgson's British Museum Collections, there is No. 116, Arvicola thricotis, new species, Darjeeling, in woods near houses ; but it is added, compare with Neodon sikimensis. Gen. NEODON, Hodgson. Char. Nearly allied to Arvicola; incisors similar; grinders both above NEODON SIKIMENSIS. 217 and below disposed in a regular compact series with slightly elevated ridges or folds; anterior grinders of the upper jaw larger than the others, and having an additional ridge more than Arvioofa. Molars of lower jaw more uniform, with a very slight decrease posteriorly, other- wise as in Armcola. This genus is very close to Arvicola. I have not had an opportunity of examining the teeth. 203. Neodon sikimensis. HODGSON, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1849. BLYTH, Cat. p. 125. THE SIKIM VOLE. Descr. Fur very soft and silky ; above deep brownish-black, with a slight rusty shade, minutely and copiously grizzled with hairs of a deep ferruginous tint, giving a general shade of dark rufescent-brown ; beneath dark bluish-gray or ashy, with a slight ferruginous or fulvous shade. All four feet very slender. Ears moderate, hairy. Length of one, head and body 4| inches ; tail 1 j head 1 J ; hind-foot |ths. Another was 5 inches long. The female has six teats. This Yole differs from the last in its much darker tints. It has only been procured in Sikim, near Darjeeling, at heights varying from 7,000 to 15,000 feet. It is said by Hodgson to breed in hollow decayed trees, or among the roots of trees, making a saucer-shaped nest of moss or soft grass. The female brings forth three or four young only. Compared with the Arvicola, it is more a denizen of forests. Mr. Atkinson found it under fallen trees and stones, on the top of Tonglo, near Darjeeling, 10,000 feet; whence, also, I had a specimen brought me. Some of this family are nearly related to the Beavers, and the fur of one, Fiber zibethicus, the Musquash or Oudara of North America, is highly prized. It has semi-palmated hind-feet and a long scaly tail. The Lemmings, Myodes, are another well-known genus of Arvicolince. They occur in the northern parts of both continents in immense num- bers, and their migratory habits are familiar to all. They quite resemble voles, but are more heavily formed, with very short ears and tail. They have five distinct nails on the fore-feet. The peculiar genus Geomys perhaps belongs to this sub-family, Blyth described a Phaiomys leucurus, from Tibet. 218 HYSTRICIN^E. The remaining rodents have the clavicle imperfect in many, almost wanting in some. They form two groups, Hystricidce and Leporidw. Fam. HYSTRICID^E. Clavicles typically imperfect ; the lower angle of the lower jaw acute ; usually 4 equal molars on each side with roots. This family comprises a large number of rodents of varied form and habits, by far the greater number being from America, and only one sub- family occurring in the Old World. Sub-fam. HYSTRICINJS, Porcupines. 4 4 Incisors large, usually coloured, not grooved anteriorly ; molars 4 4 in adults, complex, with undulated striae of enamel in the crown ; body more or less clad with acuminate spines ; fore-foot tetradactylous, with a very small wart-like thumb ; hind-feet with 4 or 5 toes. Porcupines possess clavicles, which, however, are only attached to the sternum, and not to the scapula. The skull is remarkable for the great size of the infra-orbital foramen. They have usually 14 pairs of ribs. The length of the tail is very various. Porcupines are burrowing animals, of strictly nocturnal habits, feeding on roots, fruit, bark, and young shoots. The most typical forms of the sub-family belong to the Old World. Gen. HYSTRIX, Linnaeus. Char. Hind-feet with five unguiculate toes ; all the claws stout ; body armed with rigid spines, mixed with some longer flexible ones ; tail very short, with a bundle of open tubes at the end ; muzzle truncated. Porcupines are a well-known group, which take their popular name, signifying spiny-pig, from their large size and grunting voice. They are found in the warmer regions of the old continent. The peculiar open tubes of the tail are supported on slender stalks, and they make a rattling noise when shaken. 204. Hystrix leucura. SYKES. BLYTH, Cat. p. 128. ELLIOT, Cat. 45. //. hirsutirostris, BRANDT. H. cristata indica, GRAY, HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool. I. HYSTRIX LEUCURA. 219 pi. 14. H. zeylanensis, BLYTH. Sayi, Sayal, Sarsel, H., in various parts of the country. Sajru, Bengal. Saori, in Gujrat. Salendra, Mahr. of the Ghats. Yed, Can. Yeddu pandi, Tel. Dumsi, in Nepal. Ho-igu of Gonds. THE INDIAN PORCUPINE. Descr. Muzzle clad with short stiff bristly hairs, and a few white spines on the face ; spines on the throat short, grooved, some with white points, forming a demi-collar ; crest full, long, chiefly of black bristles, a few of them only with long white points ; the larger quills on the back black ; many annulated with white at base and middle, and some with white points ; the long thin quills mostly white at tip ; the quills on the loins mostly all white ; the pedunculated quills of the tail yellowish- white; some of the quills of the sides and lumbar regions flat and striated ; whiskers long, black, a few tipped white. Length of one, head and body 32 inches ; tail 7. The Indian Porcupine closely resembles the porcupine of Africa and the South of Europe, but differs, according to Waterhouse, in "the quills of the lumbar regions being white in leucura, and chiefly dusky in the cristata ; and the bristles of the crest of the latter have all long white points, whereas in leucura only some have white points ; the rest are entirely brown. The long quills of the back have the white more extended in leucura" This porcupine is found over a great part of India, from the lower ranges of the Himalayas to the extreme south, but does not occur in Lower Bengal, where it is replaced by the next one. It forms extensive burrows, often in societies, in the sides of hills, banks of rivers and nullahs, and very often in the bunds of tanks, and in old mud walls, &c. &c. In some parts of the country they are very destructive to various crops, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. They never issue forth till after dark, but now and then one will be found returning to his lair in daylight. Dogs take up the scent of the porcupine very keenly, and on the Neelgherries I have killed many by the aid of dogs, tracking them to their dens. They charge backwards at their foes, erecting their spines at the same time, and dogs generally get seriously injured by their strong spines, which are sometimes driven deeply into the assailant. The porcupine is not bad eating, the meat, which is white, tasting something between pork and veal. 220 HYSTRICIN.E. This species is common in Ceylon, whence Mr. Blyth formerly named a young specimen as distinct. It occurs also in Afghanistan, and pro- bably in other parts of Asia. 205. Hystrix bengalensis. BLYTH, J. A. S. XX. 179. Cat. p. 128. H. malabarica, SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1865 (fid. BLYTH). THE BENGAL PORCUPINE. Descr. Smaller than leucura ; crest small and thin, the bristles blackish ; body spines much flattened, and strongly grooved, ter- minating in a slight seta j slender flexible quills much fewer than in leucura, white, with a narrow black band about the centre ; the thick quills basally white, the rest black, mostly with a white tip ; a distinct white demi-collar j spines of lumbar region white, as are those of the tail and rattle ; muzzle less hirsute than in leucura. Length of one, head and body 28 inches ; tail 8. Blyth compared this species with the hill porcupine, which it resembles in its smaller crest, and also in its general characters, but it more resem- bles leucura in the proportion of the large quills and other points. He has quite recently written me from England that he considers the por- cupine recently described by Sclater as H. malabarica to be the same as his bengalensis. Sclater describes it as having a great general resem- blance to leucura, but differing in the less bristly snout and the longer tail, as also in many of the quills being orange-coloured in the place of white, especially some of the spines of the back and tail, whilst others were black and white, as in the common kind. If Mr. Blyth is right in his identification of the two species, the orange colour of the quills would appear to be only a local variation ; and even this does not appear to be constant, for Mr. Day, who first noticed the orange porcupine, states that in captivity they lose much of their orange colour, and its vividness greatly decreases when they are ill. Besides the general points of distinction between leucura and malabarica, Mr. Sclater points out a few slight peculiarities in the form of the skull of the latter. The Bengal Porcupine is found in Lower Bengal, extending into Assam and Arrakan ; and also in South Malabar, if Blyth's identification be correct. Nothing peculiar is recorded of its habits. Mr. Day states that HYSTRIX LONGIOAUDA. 221 he procured specimens of the orange porcupine from various parts of the Ghats of Cochin and Travancore, and that the flesh of this kind is more highly esteemed for food than the common variety. The native sportsmen declare that the aroma from these burrows is quite sufficient to distinguish the two species. 206. Hystrix longicauda. MARSDEN. BLYTH, Cat. p. 129. H. alophus, HODGSON. IT. Hodg- sonii, GRAY. Acanthion javanicum, F. CUVIER. Anchotia Dumsi, in Nepal ; i. e. t the crestless porcupine. Sathung, Lepch. 0' e' of the Limbus. THE CRESTLESS PORCUPINE. Descr. No crest ; head, neck, fore-half of the body, entire belly and limbs covered with black spinous bristles, 2 to 3 inches long, shortest on the head and limbs ; the large quills of the back and croup vary from 7 to 12 inches long, mostly white with one central black ring ; the tail conico-depressed, with some quills about 5 inches long, and the rattle consisting of 35 to 40 hollow cylinders, some closed, others open. A narrow and vaguely marked white colour. Length of one, head and body 24 inches ; tail 4, or with the quills 5J. This porcupine is found in the central region of Nepal and Sikim, and extends through Burmah into the Malayan peninsula and islands. Sclater in a Synopsis of the species of ffystrix, separates H. Hodgsoni from H. javanicum. I have followed Blyth in uniting these two. Hodgson states that they are " very numerous and very mischievous, depredating greatly among the potatoes and other tuberous or edible rooted crops. They are most numerous in the central region, but are common to all three regions. They breed in spring, and usually produce two young, about the time the crops begin to ripen. They are mono- gamous, the 'pair dwelling together in burrows of their own formation. Their flesh is delicious, like pork, but much more delicate-flavoured, and they are easily tamed so as to breed in confinement. All tribes and classes, even high-caste Hindoos, eat them, and it is deemed lucky to keep one or two alive in stables, where they are encouraged to breed." I saw several skins of this species at Darjeeling that had been killed in some tea plantations between 4,000 and 5,000 feet of elevation. The name given to this animal by the Limbus of Sikim (according to 222 HYSTRICID.E. Hodgson), viz., 0' e', is singularly like that which the Gonds of Central India apply to the common one, Ho-yu. Hodgson gives a few interesting anatomical details of this species. There are two glands which almost surround the anus, secreting a pus-like fluid devoid of any odour, which is carried off by several pores. The penis is sheathed and pointed backwards, and has a bone 1 J inch long ; the testes are internal. The intestines of one were 30 feet long, and the caecum 12. The only other recorded species of Hystrix, besides H. cristata of Europe, is H. Africce australis of Peters. Atherura fasciculata, is another species of porcupine found on the Tippera hills, and thence southwards to the Malayan peninsula. It has a much longer tail than the true porcupines, and the spines of the back are less elongated. The tail ends in a tuft of long bristles. The American porcupines belong to a different group, called Cerco- labince by some ; Philodendrece by others. They are more or less arboreal, have long tails, prehensile in some, and the spines are short and mixed with hair. The remaining animals of this family are, with one or two exceptions, exclusively American, and the great majority from the Neotropical region. The sub-family CAVING comprises the Cavies and the Capybara. The former, gen. Cavia, have short ears, and little or no tail, and the nails of the toes are large. They are terrestrial and burrow. The guinea-pig is a domesticated variety of one of the species. The capybara, Hydro- chcerus capybara, is one of the giants of the order, and has much the appearance of a small pig. It has 4 toes in front, the three toes to the hind-feet united by a short membrane, and is quite aquatic in its habits. The Dasyproctince comprise the Agoutis and the Paca. The former, Dasyprocta, have 4 toes before, and three or two behind ; whilst the latter, Ccelogenys, have small additional ones, making five on both feet. They somewhat resemble hares and rabbits. The EcHiMYiNvE comprise a somewhat more varied group of animals. Some have spines mixed with their fur, and one, Myopotamus coypus, has much the form of the Beaver, and has often been classed with it. It has the hind-feet webbed, and 5 toes to all the feet. The fur is used by hatters, and many are imported into Europe for that purpose. Two African genera, Aulacodon and Petromys, are usually classed in this division. LEPORID.E. 223 The OCTODONTIN^E have rootless molars, and usually 5 toes to each foot, with large claws. They have mostly large ears, and a long or moderate hairy tail. They are of small size, and burrow. Their general aspect is intermediate to that of chinchillas and voles. The chinchillas (CniN- CHILLIN^E) have rootless molars and stout claws, as the last ; but the number of toes is usually less. The tail is moderate and hairy, and held recurved, and the ears are generally conspicuous. The clavicles are developed in this and the last group. The Chinchilla, Chinehitta laniger, whose fur is so highly prized, and the Yiscacha, Lagostomus tricho- dactylus, are the best-known species. They burrow in the ground, and live in numerous societies. The hind-feet are usually considerably larger than the anterior, and the animals hold their food, like the squirrels, between the short fore-paws. All the species of the two last sub-families are exclusively confined to South America. Fam. LEPORID.E, Hares. Syn. Duplici-dentata, Van der Hoeven. Upper incisors 4 in number, there being two thin teeth placed behind the anterior and larger teeth. Molars 5 or 6 on each side above, and 6 beneath on each side, rootless, and formed of two laminae joined together by a transverse ridge of enamel. Fore-feet with 5 toes, hind-feet with 4, all with hairy soles ; nails long, compressed ; tail short or none. This family is distinguished from all other rodents by the possession of a small additional incisor placed behind each of the large incisive tusks of the upper jaw. These small teeth are considered to be the true incisors, the front teeth being, as before stated, the representatives of the canines. Their orbits communicate with each other through an aperture in the septum, as in birds. They have an enormous caecum lined internally with a spiral layer throughout its entire length. There are only two well- marked generic forms, Lepus and Lagomys. Gen. LEPUS, Linnaeus. n f) o o o o Char. Incisors ~^ ; prsemolars . ; molars . The last 1 1 '2 *2i o o molar above small and simple ; ears typically very long ; tail short, recurved. Hind-legs much longer than the fore-legs. Their clavicles are imperfect. 224 LEPORID.E. Hares are found thinly scattered over all the world, except in Australia, but are most abundant in the northern temperate zone. The habits of hares are well known ; their timidity, watchfulness, in- creased by the situation of their eyes, which are so placed that they can see all round, and their great speed. In some, as in hares, the young are born with their eyes open ; in the rabbits with their eyes closed. There are two well-marked species of hare in India, and a third of a peculiar type. ,' 207. Lepus ruficaudatus. GEOFFROY. BLYTH, Cat. p. 131. L. indicus and macrons, HODGSON. Khargosh, H. Kharra in Central India and part of Bengal. Sasru, also in Bengal. Lamma, Hindi of some Molol, of Gonds. THE COMMON INDIAN HARE. Descr. General hue rufescent, mixed with blackish on the back and head ; ears brownish anteriorly, white at the base and the tip brown j neck, breast, flanks, and limbs more or less dark sandy-rufescent, un- mottled ; nape pale sandy-rufescent ; tail rufous above, white beneath ; upper lip, small eye-mark, chin, throat, and lower parts, pure white. Length of one, head and body 20 inches; tail with hair 4 ; ear ex- ternally nearly 5 ; breadth of ear when expanded 2|. Weight rarely exceeds 5 Ib. This hare is found from the foot of the Himalayas southwards to the Godavery river on the east, and on the west as far south as the Taptee river at all events, perhaps further. It extends from the Punjab to Assam. It is stated by the Rev. H. Baker also to occur in South Malabar along with the next species, but no specimens appear to have been sent, and I rather doubt its occurrence there. It is also supposed to extend into Afghanistan, the skull of a hare from Kandahar being very similar to that of our hare ; perhaps, however, Mr. Blyth suggests, that of a nearly allied species. Hares are very abundant in parts of the North-west Provinces, and excellent coursing is had near Delhi, and especially in Humana. They are less common in the Punjab. Both this and the next species take to earth readily when pursued, and appear to be well acquainted with all the fox-holes in their neighbourhood. LEPUS NIGRICOLLIS. 225 208. Lepus nigricollis. F. CUVIER. BLYTII, Cat. p. 132. ELLIOT, Cat. 46. L. inelanauchen, TEmiiNc-K..I{hargosh, H. Media, Can. Sassa, Mahr. Musal, Tarn. Kundeli, Tel. THE BLACK-NAPED HARE. Descr. Upper part grayish-rufescent, slightly mottled with black j large nuchal spot extending to near the shoulders velvety black ; ears grayish-brown internally, dusky posteriorly, black at the base, and white- fringed at the apex ; lower neck yellowish j chin and abdomen white j tail grizzled black and yellowish-gray above, white beneath. Length of one, head and body 19 inches ; tail 2^ ; ear 4|. The black-naped hare is found throughout the South of India, extend- ing north to the Godavery river on the east, and on the west coast as high as the Taptee river, and perhaps further, for Adams states it to be found in Sindh, and parts of the Punjab ; but this much requires confirma- tion. It is the hare of Ceylon also, and has been introduced into Java and the Mauritius. It is very abundant in many parts of the Madras Presidency, more especially on the east coast and in parts of the Deccan. Lepus peguensis, Blyth, is found in Upper Burmah, and L. sinensis in China. Lepus pallipes, Hodgson, J. A. S. XI. 288, with plate (L. tolai, Pallas, apud Gray), is found in Tibet, along with L. tibetanus,Wsiteic- house (L. oistolus, Hodgson), if indeed they be distinct. The latter is described as pale fawn above, whitish below and on the limbs ; the croup grayish-blue, and the tail white. They are both represented as frequent- ing rocky places, and running from rock to rock. It is possible that a few individuals may occasionally cross to the Indian side of the passes, but I have not observed them myself on this side. The Bhotia name is Ribong, or hill-ass. The next species differs somewhat in general appearance and structure, and was formerly separated generically by Blyth, and I think with justice ; but he has in his Catalogue merely marked it as a section. The charaters of the sub-genus, Caprolagus are, large head, small eyes, short ears, small and subequal limbs, strong, straight, and sharp claws, harsh hair and inconspicuous whiskers. The skull is very strong, and the incisors larger comparatively than in the common hare. Q 226 LEPORID.E. 209. Lepus hispidus. PEARSON. BLYTH, Cat. p. 133. THE HISPID HARE. Descr. General colour dark or iron-gray with an embrowned ruddy tinge ; limbs and body shaded externally with black j the tail rufescent both above and below ; the inner fur short, soft, downy, of an ashy hue ; the outer longer, hispid, harsh and bristly, some of the hairs annulated black and yellow-brown, others pure black and longer, the wholly black hair more abundant than the lighter ones. The ears are very short, and broad. Length of one, head and body 19 J inches ; tail with the hair 2| ; ear 2|. This curious hare is of a very dark hue, of a heavy make, with small eyes, make more rabbit-like, with small eyes, short and stout limbs, and short whiskers. It is popularly called the black rabbit at Dacca and elsewhere, and it is said to burrow in the ground like rabbits. It inhabits the Terai at the foot of the Himalayas, from Goruckpore to Assam, ex- tending south to Dacca, and probably still further, and even it is said to the Eajmahal hills. It frequents jungly places, long grass, bamboos, &c., shunning observation ; and, from its retired habits, is very difficult to observe and obtain ; and it perhaps has a more extended distribution through lower Bengal than that noted above. I have only seen it near Dacca. The flesh is stated to be white, like that of the rabbit. The next group is a Northern or Arctopolitan form. Gen. LAGOMYS, Cuvier. Char. Incisors double, as in hares ; molars j ears short, rounded ; 5 5 claws curved ; no tail ; limbs short and slender; clavicles perfect. Of small size. This genus, called by some the calling hare, by others the barking mouse, is composed of a few species from the northern regions of both continents, one of which crosses the ridge of the Himalayas. They are called by some travellers tailless rats. They construct curious and intri- cate burrows, and have a peculiar piping call, heard to a great distance. 210. Lagomys Roylei. OGILBY, figured in KOYLE'S 111. Bot. Himalayas, pi, 4. L. nipalensis, HODGSON, L. Hodgsoui, BLYTH. LAGOMYS ROYLEI. 227 THE HIMALAYAN MOUSE-HARE. Descr. General colour deep rabbit-gray or brown,with a yellowish-gray tinge, more or less rufous on the head, neck, shoulders, and sides of body ; ears elliptic j roundish at tip, nearly nude, with some long white hairs ex- ternally ; muzzle hairy, brown ; lower lip pale ; under parts dingy whitish ; whiskers long and fine, white anteriorly, the posterior ones blackish, 2J inches long. The hairs of the body are dark bluish at the base, with a broad gray ring and a dark brown point, some of them slaty-black, then rufous-brown, finally tipped dark ; the fur delicately soft and fine. Length varies from 6 to nearly 8 inches ; of one 7 inches long, the head 2 ; ears Jths ; hind-feet 1 J. Some specimens have much more rufous than others. Hodgson described his L. nipalensis (which Blyth identifies with Roylei) as deep bay from snout to mid-body, black freckled with paler rufous thence to the vent ; below chin and belly pale bay, limbs the same. This indi- cates a somewhat darker coloration than is usually met with. This species of Lagomys was first made known from skins sent home by Royle from the Chor mountain, not far from Simla. This hill, I may observe, is some distance south from the Snowy range, and on one of the outer ranges of the Himalayas. I have observed it in Kumaon also at some distance on this side of the Snowy range, near the Borendo pass, and elsewhere, at heights varying from 11,000 to 14,000 feet. It has been found all along the Himalayas at suitable elevations, from Kashmir to Sikim. It is also found on the other side of the Snowy range, but in some parts is replaced by another species. It lives always in rocky ground or among loose stones, several pairs together. They come out to feed, but dart into their holes on the smallest alarm. It is said that they hibernate during winter. Lagomys Curzonice has been lately described by Hodgson from Tibet and the interior of Sikim. This species replaces the common species in Ladak, and other countries beyond the Snowy range. Lagomys rufescens, Gray, is another species from Afghanistan, and there are others in Northern and Central Asia, and one or two in North America. Q 2 228 ELEPHANTINE. ORD. UNGULATA, L. Feet with hoofs instead of claws. The feet being used only as supports, they have no clavicles, and their fore-arms are constantly in a state of pronation ; whence they are reduced to live on vegetables. Their forms and mode of life show much less variety than unguiculated animals. They were divided into two large groups or orders by Cuvier, the non-ruminating, or Pachydermata, and the Ruminantia. More recently they have been divided into several tribes or sub-orders, viz., Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, arid Artiodactyla, the two former, together with one family of the latter, constituting the Pachydermatous division ; and the remainder of the Artiodactyla com- prising the ruminating animals. Linnaeus divided them into Bruta, Bellua, nudPecora ; the former comprising the Elephant and Rhinoceros ; the Bdlua, the Horse, the Hog, and the Hippopotamus ; and the last the ruminants. Tribe PROBOSCIDEA, Cuvier. This comprises only one family. Fam. ELEPHANTID^E. Two large incisive tusks in the upper jaw ; none in the lower jaw ; molars large, with the crown elongated ; feet with 5 toes, with nails surrounded by a thick callous skin ; snout elongated into a long pre- hensile proboscis or trunk ; mamma3 two, pectoral. The cranium of the elephants is much elevated vertically, the inter- maxillary bones being much developed to support the tusks, which are sometimes enormous, and curved upwards, and to give origin to some of the numerous muscles which support the proboscis. This organ, which is flexible in every direction, and endowed with great sensibility, enables the elephant to procure his food from the ground or high trees ; it also serves to suck up the water he drinks, and convey it to his throat. The brain occupies but a small space in the huge cranium, which has numerous sinuses or air-cavities extending through the frontal, parietal, and temporal bones, even to the occipitals. The nasal bones are so shortened, being pushed up by intermaxillaries, that the nostrils (in the skeleton) are situated in the upper portion of the face, but in the living animal terminate in the end of the proboscis. In a fossil genus when ELEPHAS INDICUS. 229 immature, the lower jaw possesses incisors. The carpus has the same number of bones as in man, and there are five complete bony phalanges. The stomach is simple ; the intestines voluminous, and the colon and caecum are enormous. The testes of the male are deeply situated in the abdomen, near the kidneys. The brain has numerous small but deep convolutions, and the cerebellum is very large. There are two genera of elephants, distinguished by the form of the molars, but one of them is now extinct. Gen. ELEPHAS, Linnaeus. Char. Molars usually 2 on each side above and below, the crown flattened. They are formed of a number of vertical lamellae, consisting of bone, enamel, and another substance, called cortical, or crusta petrosa. The huge tusks are cylindrical with a conical tip, like the so-called incisors of rodents, which, as before stated, they closely resemble, and they grow from a persistent pulp, which is constantly forming new ivory. They are formed of ivory and enamel only. The laminae of the molar teeth are arranged transversely to the direction of the jaw ; also as in rodents. The grinders succeed each other from behind forwards, so that each tooth as it becomes worn is pushed forwards by the one behind it ; and thus at times the elephant has only one, at other times two molars on each side, according to its age. It is said that these molars are renewed eight times in some elephants. The tusks are only renewed once, between the first and second years of age. The skin is very thick, and nearly devoid of hairs. Elephants are huge unwieldy animals with large ears, long and thick limbs, and a long tail. They only occur now in the tropical regions of the old world, but in former ages were also denizens of even the northern portions of the old continent. There are two well-marked species, one from Africa, the other Indian, and a third species is indicated. 211. Elephas indicus. CUVIER. ELY TH, Cat. p. 134. ELLIOT, Cat. 48. E. asiaticus, BLUMENBACH. Hathi, H. Ani, Tarn., Tel., Can., and Mai. Yenu, of the Gonds. THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. Descr. Head oblong, with a concave forehead ; crowns of the molars 230 ELEPHANTID^E. presenting narrow transverse ridges ; 4 toes to the hind-feet j ears mode- rate j tusks large in the male, small in the female. Compared with the African elephant this species has much smaller ears. In the former the head is more rounded ; the grinders present broad lozenge-shaped emi- nences on their crowns ; and they have usually only 3 toes on their hind- feet. The number of pairs of ribs is, 19 in the Indian elephant, and 21 in the African, and there are 33 caudal vertebrae in the Indian, and never more than 26 in the African. In some males only one tusk is de- veloped ; and in Ceylon many male elephants have the tusks very small. The elephant is still tolerably common in most of the large forests of India, from the foot of the Himalayas to the extreme south. It is found in the Terai from Bhotan to Dehra Doon and the Kyarda Doon. It used, not many years ago, to occur in the Kajmahal hills, and it abounds in many parts of Central India, from Midnapore to Mundla, and south nearly to the Godavery. On the west coast it is abundant in many localities from the extreme south of Travancore to north latitude 17 or 18 degrees, all along the line of Western Ghats, more especially on the Animally hills, named from that circumstance ; in the Coimbetore hills, "Wynaad, the slopes of the Neelgherries, Coorg, and parts of Mysore and Canara. The Shervaroys and Colamallies, and other detached ranges to the east, have occasionally small herds on them. It is numerous in Ceylon and in Assam, southwards to the Malayan peninsula. Now and then considerable damage is done by wild elephants to various crops, and a single male individual at times becomes savage, and kills any one that comes in his way. Such individuals often occupy a line of road, and rush out at all passers-by, and not unfrequently prevent the dak- runners from passing. As a general rule, however, wild elephants are most timorous, and shun the presence of man as carefully as deer do. Some years ago large rewards were given by the Madras Government for elephants being killed in the Malabar forests, and several sportsmen earned considerable sums by shooting them, only, however, taking the Government rewards for females, or young males, as the value of the tusks of old males generally exceeded that of the Government reward. Two or three of our best sportsmen almost always succeeded in killing elephants with a single shot, never firing till within a few yards. Elephants used to be captured by Government establishments, both in the south of India near Coimbetore, and in the north at Dacca ; some were taken in huge pitfalls dug for the purpose, and carefully concealed ; ELEPHAS INDICUS. 231 others were driven, after days of preparation, into large enclosures ; and occasionally one or two were captured by female decoys taken out for the purpose. The Elephant rarely breeds in confinement. The female has generally one young at a birth. Of the value of the tame Elephant, its docility, intelligence, &c., numerous popular accounts have been written, and are familiar to all. Sir J. Tennent has given the most recent and authentic history of the Elephant in Ceylon.* Tigers are almost always shot from elephants, and a well-trained one will stand the charge of a tiger without flinching, though naturally one of the most timorous of animals. Elephants are used in India occasionally to drag heavy pieces of ordnance, but their chief use is in carrying tent equipage for troops, and to assist in the transport of logs of timber from forests to river-banks. A peculiar race or species, E. sumatranus, Schlegel, is stated to occur in Sumatra, and the Ceylon elephant was by some considered to be of this race j but that opinion was opposed by Dr. Falconer. The Sumatran elephant has twenty pairs of ribs, and the lamina} of the teeth are wider than in the Indian species. It is said to be of more slender make, and to be more remarkable for its intellectual develop- ment than the Indian. The African elephant, Elephas africanus, Cuvier, is not now tamed in Africa, though it appears to have been so in tho time of the Cartha- ginians. The tusks are very large, and are nearly of the same size in the male and female. The Mammoth, Elephas 'primogenius, appears to have been tolerably well clad with hair of two kinds, and was therefore probably an inhabitant of cold climates. It has been found in both continents. The Mastodons, which are quite extinct now, have the molar teeth with large conical tubercles, and there are small tusks in the lower jaw of the immature animal. They have been found in both continents. Tribe PEEISSODACTYLA, Owen. With an uneven number of toes on the hind-feet at least. This tribe comprises part of the Pachydermata ordinaria of Cuvier (excluding those with cloven feet, the Hippopotamus and pigs) and the Solidunguda. The crown of some of the prsemolars is complex, like that of the molars ; * Wanderings in Ceylon, and Natural History of Ceylon. 232 RHINOCEROTID^E. the stomach is simple, and the caecum is large and complicated. It com- prises the families of Rhinocerotidce, Tapir idee, Hyracidce, and Equidw, or the Rhinoceroses, Tapirs, Coneys, and Horses. Their molars are six or seven on each side, both above and below. Fam. RHINOCEROTID^E. Syn. tfasicornia, Illiger. Incisors persistent in both jaws in some, in others disappearing with age; no canines ; molars tuberculate, the crown marked by narrow eminences, usually * ; feet with three hoofed toes ; one or two horns, placed one behind the other on the median line of the muzzle ; tail short ; skin very thick, marked by deep folds. Gen. RHINOCEROS, Linnaeus. Char. Those of the family, of which it is the only genus. The animals composing this genus are large, ungainly, and unwieldy- looking, with long heads and a short tail, and the hide very thick, with several folds. The incisors vary somewhat both in number and in size, and they are stated to bear an inverse ratio to the horns. Canines in a rudimentary state exist in the mature foetus, but early disappear. The molars are implanted by distinct roots. The crowns of the upper molars are subquadrate, with two transverse eminences, joined by a crest to the outer margin ; the crowns of the lower ones are longer, narrower, with two lunate lines, having the convexity outwards. The nasal bones are very strong and arched to support the horn, which is composed of longi- tudinal fibres, as if of hairs closely compacted together without any bony structure. The upper horn, when present, is fixed in the frontal bone. The upper lip is somewhat prolonged. The stomach is simple, and the caecum large and sacculated. The intestines are about eight times longer than the body, and the villi are very large. The females have two inguinal mammae. Rhinoceroses are found only in the tropical regions of the old world. Three species occur in India and Malayana, two of which are found within our limits \ and four or five others inhabit Africa. 212. Rhinoceros indicus. CUVIER. BLYTH, Cat. p. 130. E. unicornis, LINNAEUS. R. asia- RHINOCEROS INDICUS. 233 ticus, BLUMENBACH. E. inermis, LESSON. Figured F. CUVIER, Menag. de Museum d'Hist. Nat. Gfenda, Gonda, Ganda, and Genra, H. THE GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS. Descr. Of large size \ only one horn; skin with a deep fold at the setting on of the head, another behind the shoulder, and another in front of the thighs ; two large incisors in each jaw, with two other intermediate small ones below, and two still smaller outside the upper inqisors, not always present. General colour dusky black. Length, about 9 to 10 feet, occasionally it is said 12 feet; tail 2; height 4J to 5 feet ; horn occasionally 2 feet. Compared with the next species, this rhinoceros has the condyle of the lower jaw proportionally much more elevated, imparting a conspicuously greater altitude to the vertex when the lower jaw is in situ. The skull of one specimen was 2 feet long ; the height of the condyle of the lower jaw one foot. The tubercles of the hide are also much larger than in JR. sondtdcus. This huge rhinoceros is found in the Terai at the foot of the Himalayas, from Bhotan to Nepal. It is more common in the eastern portion of the Terai than the west, and is most abundant in Assam and the Bhotan Dooars. I have heard from sportsmen of its occurrence as far west as flohilcund, but it is certainly rare there now, and indeed along the greater part of the Nepal Terai ; and although a few have been killed in the Sikim Terai, they are more abundant east of the Teesta river. As far as is at present known, this species does not extend to the south of the region adjoining the Himalayas, though it is possible that it may cross the Berrampooter river, and occur on the north of the range of hills that bound that valley to the south. It frequents swampy ground in the forests, and dense jungles. The Rhinoceros is almost always hunted for on elephants, and a wounded one will occasionally charge and overthrow an elephant. The very thick hide of this animal requires a hard ball, and a steel-tipped bullet was fre- quently used before the introduction of the deadly shell, now in general use against large game. Jelpigoree, a small military station near the ; Teesta River, was a favourite locality whence to hunt the Rhinoceros and it was from that station Captain Fortescue, of the late 73rd N.I., got his skulls, which were, strange to say, the first that Mr. Blyth had 234 RHINOCEROTID.E. seen of this species, of which there were no specimens in the Museum of the Asiatic Society at the time when he wrote his Memoir on this group. 213. Rhinoceros sondaicus. SOL. MULLER. BLYTH, Cat, p. 137. It. javanicus, P. CUVIER, Mammif., pi. 85-86. HORSFIELD, Zool. Res. Java, pi. THE LESSER INDIAN RRINOCEROS. Descr. Much smaller than the preceding ; with one horn ; two large incisors in each jaw; folds in the skin less prominent and fewer ; hide covered with square angular tubercles, much smaller than those of R. indicus. Length 7 to 8 feet j height 3J to 3f. As in the last, there is a short and broad type of skull, and a narrow type, the broad type being the kind found in our province. Length of the skull of one If foot ; height of condole of lower jaw 9 inches. The fold at the setting on of the head, so prominent in Indicus, is at most but indicated in Sondaicus. The Lesser Rhinoceros is found at present in the Bengal Sunderbuns, and a very few individuals are stated to occur in the forest tract along the Mahanuddy river, and extending northwards towards Midnapore ; and also on the northern edge of the Rajmahal hills near the Ganges. It occurs also more abundantly in Burmah, and thence through the Malayan peninsula to Java and Borneo. Several have been killed quite recently within a few miles of Calcutta. One of these species formerly existed on the banks of the Indus, where it was hunted by the Emperor Baber. Individuals of this species are not unfrequently taken about the country as a show. The only other Asiatic rhinoceros is the two-horned one, Rhinoceros sumatranus, which has been_shot ae high as north latitude 23 or so, near Sandoway, and is suspected by Blyth to extend as far north as Assam. Though with two horns, it is quite of the same type as the one-horned species, having strong incisors, and not like the African two-horned species, which have deciduous incisors. It is the most common rhinoceros in the Indo-Chinese territories, extending to Sumatra only among the islands. It appears from information received by Blyth, that the horns 235 of this species are sometimes much longer than such as are usually met with, and he suspects that R. Crossii, Gray, is this species. Africa possesses four or five species of rhinoceros, all of them double- horned, and without incisors. The curious genus HYRAX is usually placed near the Rhinoceros family. It forms the family Hyracidce, and the tribe Lamnunguia, Wagner. They are animals of small size, about that of a rabbit, and have quite similar molars to the Rhinoceroses ; the upper jaw has two stout incisors curved downwards, and during youth two very small canines ; the lower jaw has four incisors and no canines. The fore-feet have 4 toes ; the hind-feet 3, all furnished with flat hoof-like nails j they have no tail, have a short muzzle, and they are covered by hair. Several species are known from Africa, and one from Arabia and Palestine, supposed to be the coney of our version of the Scriptures, Hyrax syriacus. It was considered by the Jews one of the animals that chew the end. The Tapirs, TAPIRID^E, have six incisors and two canines in each jaw, separated from the molars by a wide interval. The fore-feet have 4 toes, and the hind-feet 3. The snout is prolonged into a short fleshy trunk, and the skin is covered with short close hair. The tail is very short, and the ears are small and upright. They are animals not unlike pigs in their general form ; frequent damp forests, and are fond of the water. One species is found in the Malayan peninsula and islands, Tapirus malayanusy and it has been killed in Southern Tenasserim. The only other two species are inhabitants' of South America, Tapirus americanus and T. villosus, of the Andes. The remarkable fossil genus Dinotherium was at first described as a tapir. It is now considered to have been an aquatic animal, like the dugongs ; and this would perhaps be the best place to intercalate the family of Sirenia, or herbivorous Cetacea, but I will describe them at the end of the next tribe. Fam. EQUIPS, Horses. Syn. Solidungula and Solipedes, Auct. 6 1_1 66 77 m Incisors : canines molars or ihe two anterior 6 1 1 6 6 6 6 toes are soldered together, forming a single perfect toe, covered by a broad undivided hoof. The molars are complex, with square crowns marked by laminae of 236 EQUID.E. enamel ; and, in young individuals, there is often a small anterior molar which is deciduous. The incisors have their crowns furrowed by a groove. The canines are only present in males. The tail is moderately long, with long hair, the ears rather large and pointed, and there is a mane. The female has two inguinal mammae. The skull is elongated, and the lower jaw is of great size and strength. The humerus and femur are short, the fore-arm and shank are long and partially anchylosed, and there is only one metacarpal and metatarsal bone, the others, however, being represented by small bones called the splint bones. Three phalanges complete the foot, the last of which bears the hoof. The stomach is simple, the intestinal canal long and capacious, and the caecum enormous. The animals of this family are peculiar to the old world. They com- prise horses, asses, and zebras, which are usually placed in one genus. Gen. EQUUS, Linnaeus. Char. Those of the family, of which it is the only genus. It subdivides into Horses properly so called, Equus ; Asses, A sinus, Gray; and Zebras, Hippotigris, Hamilton Smith. Wild horses of a truly feral type are at present unknown, but they have become almost wild in the Pampas of South America. Gen. A sinus , Gray. Asses. Asses are distinguished from horses by their longer head and ears, by the tail being covered with short hairs at the base, and furnished with a tuft of long hairs towards the tip and on the sides only, not throughout, as in horses. They also want the peculiar hard horny excrescences found on the legs of horses, and have almost invariably a dark longitudinal dorsal stripe. Several species of wild ass are now known to exist, one of which is a native of the western parts of India. 214. Equus onager. PALLAS. BLYTH, Cat. p. 135. Figd. F. CUVIEB, Mammif. II., pi. 92. E. hemionus of India, Auct. A sinus indicus, SCLATER. Ghor-Ickur, H. Ghour, of Persians. Koulan, of the Kirghiz. THE WILD Ass OF CUTCH. Descr. Of a pale isabella or sandy colour above, with a slight but EQUUS ONAGER. 237 distinct rufescent tinge ; muzzle, breast, lower parts, and inside of limbs white ; a dark chocolate-brown dorsal stripe extending from the mane to the tail; tail-tuft and short mane blackish-brown; frequently a dark short cross stripe on the shoulders, sometimes two ; and limbs usually faintly barred, now and then strongly so ; a narrow dark ring over the hoof; ears sandy externally, white internally, with a black tip and outer border. Height at shoulder 11 to 12 hands. The head is heavy but well-formed, the ears longish, the neck rather short, and the croup higher than the withers. It is now generally acknowledged that this wild ass is quite distinct from the kiang, or wild ass of Tibet, Equus hemionus of Pallas ; yet Mr. Blyth in a paper on wild asses,* stated that the two species were so alike that he found it difficult to characterize them apart. " Indeed," he says, "instead of being strongly distinguished apart, as has been asserted, they bear so exceedingly close a resemblance that no decided specific distinction has yet been pointed out satisfactorily, however pro- bable that such distinction may exist." Sportsmen and travellers, how- ever, who have seen both the kiang and the ghorkhur, always assert their marked distinction ; and Sclater in his brief paper on wild asses, states the ghorkhur to be " obviously distinct from the Tibetan animal, though apparently hardly separable from the next species, Asinus hemippus" Dr. J. Hooker, too, asserts that the kiang " differs widely from the wild ass of Persia, Sindh, and Beluchistan." Perhaps some of Mr. Blyth's hesitation about the distinctness of the two species arose from the mistake he made in considering the wild ass, figured by Dr. Walker (from a drawing from life by Dr. Cantor), to have been a ghorkhur ; whereas, as Colonel Strachey pointed out, it was in reality a kiang. The following distinctive marks have been pointed out. The dorsal stripe is generally broader on the back in the ghorkhur than in the kiang, but narrower over the tail, and not extending so low down, for in the kiang it is continued down to the tail-tuft. In the ghorkhur too it is more or less conspicuously bordered with white, which extends broadly towards the tail, and along the hind margin of the buttocks. The stripe on the shoulder is much more strongly marked in the ghorkhur, being often only faintly visible, and not dark or blackish, in the kiang. The markings on the limbs, though not always present in the ghorkhur, are denied to be * Journ. As. Soc. 1859, p. 229, et seq. 238 EQUID^E. ever traceable in the kiang. The white of the tinder parts extends higher upwards, in some joining the white border of the dorsal streak, and thus isolating the isabelline hue of the haunch ; and the muzzle has more white than in the kiang. The ghorkhur is found sparingly in Cutch, Guzrat, Jeysalmeer and Bikaneer, not being found further south, it is said, than Deesa, or east of 75 east longitude. It also occurs in Sindh, and more abundantly west of the Indus river, in Beluchistan, extending into Persia and Turkistan, as far north as north latitude 48. It appears that the Bikaneer herd consists at most of about 150 individuals, which frequent an oasis a little elevated above the surrounding desert, and commanding an extensive view around. A writer in the Indian Sporting Review, writing of this species as it occurs in the Pdt, a desert country between Asnee arid the hills west of the Indus, above Mithunkote, says, " They are to be found wandering pretty well throughout the year ; but in the early summer, when the grass and the water in the pools have dried up from the hot winds (which are here terrific), the greater number, if not all of the ghorkhurs migrate to the hills for grass and water. The foaling season is in June, July, and August, when the Beluchis ride down and catch numbers of foals, finding a ready sale in the cantonments for them, as they are taken down on speculation to Hindustan. They also shoot great numbers of full-grown ones for food, the ground in places in the desert being very favourable for stalking." In Bikaneer too, according to information given by Major Tytler to Mr. Blyth, " once only in the year, when the foals are young, a party of five or six native hunters, mounted on hardy Sindh mares, chase down as many foals as they succeed in tiring, which lie down when utterly fatigued, and suffer themselves to be bound and carred off. In general they refuse sustenance at first, and about one- third only of those taken are reared j but these command high prices, and find a ready sale with the native princes. The profits are shared by the party, who do not attempt a second chase in the same year, lest they should scare the herd from the district, as these men regard the sale of a few ghorkhurs annually as a regular source of subsistence." This wild ass is very shy and difficult to approach, and has great speed. A full-grown one has however been run down fairly and speared, more than once. It was generally believed that almost all the males shot or otherwise procured were castrated, and that the old males thus treated all the young ones which they could manage to overcome in fight. This idea EQUUS ONAGER. 239 is of course erroneous, and simply arose from the fact of the testes being drawn up close to the abdomen. The voice of the ghorkhur, according to Blyth, who heard it in some indi- viduals taken to Calcutta by Colonel Tytler, is "a shrieking bray," and was considered by Colonel Tytler to resemble exceediogly the cry of the mule. Equus hemippus, Is. Geoffrey, inhabits the countries to the west of E. onager, viz., Syria, Mesopotamia, North Arabia, &c., and is the wild ass of our version of the Scriptures. Mr. Sclater remarks that it can barely be distinguished from E. onager, but Blyth considers them distinct. He says that the ghorkhur differs from hemippus in the latter having a smaller head and shorter ears. The voice of this species is said by Blyth to be much more like the bray of the common ass than that of E. onager ; and St. Hilaire also notices the difference of voice of the two animals. This wild ass of Western Asia is considered by Blyth to have been iheHemionus of the ancients, and their Onager, the veritable wild E. asinus, which is found in north-east Africa and southern Arabia ; so that the specific names given by Pallas are unfortunately applied. To this last species, Dr. Sclater applies the name Asinus tceniopus, Heuglin. The kiang or dzightai of Tibet and Central Asia, Equus hemionus, Pallas, is met with across the snowy Himalayas in Ladak and other parts, and has frequently been killed by sportsmen. It is much darker in hue than the ghorkhur, the upper parts being of a dull ruddy-brown or chest- nut-rufous hue, approaching to bay, especially on the head, and distinctly darker on the flanks, where it abruptly contrasts with the white of the belly. Cunningham calls it the wild horse, and says that it neighs, and does not bray ; and others assert the same, or that the voice of the kiang is " as much like neighing as braying." On the other hand, Moorcroft, Col. Strachey, and many sportsmen say that his cry is more like braying than neighing. The evidence of Colonel Strachey, an accomplished and scientific traveller, is valuable on this point. He says, " My impression as to the voice of the kiang is that it is a shrieking bray, not like that of the common ass, but still a real bray, and not a neigh." Again : " The kiang, so far as external aspect is concerned, is obviously an ass and not a horse." How any one can call it a wild horse after looking at its tail I cannot understand (though Colonel Chesney even calls the liemippus the wild horse) ; but I can imagine that its darker colour, shorter ears, and large size, compared with the ordinary domestic ass, may give this animal, at a distance, something of the aspect of a horse. 240 1 SUID^E. There are several species of this genus in Africa known as zebras and quaggas, some of them very beautifully striped, and hence named by H. Smith, Hippotigris. ARTIODACTYLA, Owen. With an even number of toes. The crowns of the prcernolars smaller and less complex than those of the true molars. The stomach is complex and the ca3cum small. This group comprises the Pigs and Hippopotamus, i. e. the Pachyder- mata ordinaria of Cuvier, and the great tribe of ruminants. It is generally adopted, I believe, by Zoologists, but is I think rather an arti- ficial group, and I would prefer keeping the non-ruminating Artiodactyhs in a separate tribe, which has indeed been long ago named by Blyth. Tribe CELERODIA, Blyth. Incisors in both jaws ; canines directed outwards, and usually rubbing against their fellows in the opposite jaw. They comprise the families Suidce BndHippopotamidctj the latter of which is not represented in India. Fam. SUID^E. Incisors various ; canines in both jaws large ; molars vary from Q o n 17 to ; feet with the hoofs insistent, with 4 toes usually on all feet, the hind-feet sometimes with 3 \ snout truncate, mobile, pro- minent ; tail short. Pigs have a somewhat moveable snout with a firm cartilaginous tip, which they employ in turning up the ground in search of roots, &c. The incisors, always small, sometimes fall out with increase of age, and the lower ones always slant forwards. The canines, very large in the males, project from the sides of the mouth, except in the American peccaries. The two middle toes are large, armed with strong hoofs, and the animal walks on them alone, the two upper lateral toes with their hoofs not touching the ground. The eyes are small, the ears moderate and upright, and the skin is clad with strong bristles. The occipital bone terminates abruptly above in a broad crest to form an attachment for the strong muscles of the neck. There are four me- tacarpal bones, the two middle ones of which are long, and much larger than the others, and only the two middle phalanges touch the ground. The same arrangement exists in the metatarsal bones and phalanges. SUS INDICUS. 241 Most of the animals of this family (unlike most of the Pachydermata and ruminants) are very prolific. They are found in the warm and temperate portions of both continents. Gen. Sus, Linnseus. Char. Incisors - or _ ; the lower ones procumbent or slanting o 6 forwards ; canines large in the males, exserted, directed upwards ; molars six or seven on each side in both jaws, tuberculate ; all the feet with 4 toes, which are enclosed in separate hoofs. 215. Sus indicus. SCHINZ. S. cristatus, WAGNER. S. scropha, LINNAEUS. BLYTH, Cat. p. 139. ELLIOT, Cat. 49. S. vittatus, SCHLEGEL. Stir or Stiwar, H. ; sometimes Btira janwar, or Bad jdnwar, H., i. e., the bad or unclean animal. Dukar, Mahr. ffandi, Mikka, and Jewadi, Can. Pandi, Tel. Paddi t of Gonds and Mharis. Kis of Bhagalpore hill tribes. THE INDIAN WILD BOAR. Descr. Head longer and more pointed than in the European boar ; the plane of the forehead straight and not concave ; ears small and pointed ; tail more tufted ; the malar beard well marked. Length of a tolerably fine boar, 5 feet to root of tail, which is 1 foot. Stands a little over 30 inches high at the shoulder. " The colour of the adult," says Mr. Blyth, " is brownish-black, scantily covered with black hairs. Besides the black recumbent mane of the occiput and back, and the whiskers and the bristles above and below the eyes, there is a bundle of long black bristles on the throat, and the hairs of the throat and chest are reversed. The tail is scantily covered with short hairs, and the apex compressed, with long lateral bristles like those of the elephant, arranged like the rings of an arrow. The young is more hairy, of a tawny or fulvous colour and striped with dark brown. The hairs of the throat, chest, abdomen, and elbows (in the two latter places very long) are black on the basal and white at the apical half." , Mr. Blyth, in his Catalogue, has given the Indian boar only as a variety of the common wild boar of Europe, but he allows it to be a well-marked race, 242 SUIDJE. and I think it as worthy of specific separation as many other recognized species. Mr. Elliot states that the Indian wild hog differs considerably from the German one, the former of which is altogether a more active- looking animal, the German having a stronger, heavier appearance. He was the first, I believe, to point out the differences, some of which, more- over, are perceptible in domesticated individuals of the two countries. Gray too, in describing a Sus indicus from Madras, says bristles more abundant on the front part of the body, legs slender, covered with a few bristles ; skulls of the Indian one have the hinder part of the forehead less high and dilated. There appear to be two or three varieties of type in India. Blyth has indicated two different forms of skulls. One skull 14 J inches long, was only 1 J inch wide at the vertex, flat and narrow, with the lower tusks 7 J inches long : the other one was 2J inches wide at the vertex, and the whole vertical aspect of the cranium wider and more convex. The latter he distinguished as Sus bengalensis, and the former as S. indicus. The frontal region is flat in the latter, somewhat convex and broad in the former. The skull of one of the Bengal type was nearly 16 inches long. It is found all over Bengal to the foot of the Himalayas, Arrakan, and probably Assam, Sylhet, chrysoyaster, and MOSCHUS MOSCHIFERUS. 267 M. leucogaster, HODGSON 1 Kasturd, H. Rous or Roos and Kasture, Kashmir. Ld and Ldwd, in Tibet. Rib-jo, in Ladak. Bend, in Kunawur. THE MUSK-DEER. Descr. Colour usually dark fuscous-brown, paler beneath, the hairs being long and harsh, with hoary rings and a black tip ; ears internally and chin whitish ; ears large and erect ; tail very short, hairy in females, almost naked, with a tuft of hair at the end, in males. Length of male nearly 3 feet ; height 22 to 23 inches. The colour varies a great deal, perhaps according to age and season. Markham describes it as a dark speckled brownish-gray, nearly black on the hind quarters, edged down the inside of the thighs with reddish- yellow, the throat, belly, and legs lighter gray. Hodgson describes his chrysogaster as bright sepia-brown above, sprinkled with golden red ; orbital region, lining and base of ears, whole body below and insides of limbs, rich golden-red or orange ; a dark brown patch on the buttocks ; legs fulvescent. Adams says, " others are yellowish-white all over, the upper parts with the belly and inner side of the thighs white." One I got in Kashmir had the back sepia-brown, with grizzled gray spots in lines on the back ; head more or less grizzled, edges and insides of ears, rump, tail, lower parts, and limbs, grizzled gray, very pale and almost white on the rump and tail ; posterior limbs with a dark brown stripe as far as the knee. The young are spotted with white. The hairs are long, thick, bristly, very thick-set, white at the base and for more than half their length. The canines of the male are about 3 inches long, about as thick as a goose-quill. The tail of the male has a peculiar gland, the secretion from which glues the hairs together. The legs are long and slender, and the toes long and pointed, with the false hoofs very long, touching the ground. The musk-deer is found throughout the Himalayas, always at great elevations, in summer rarely below 8,000 feet, and as high as the limits of forest. It extends through the Himalayas to Central and Northern Asia, as far as Siberia. Hodgson says that the Musk-deer is " solitary, living in retired spots near rocks, or in the depths of the forests. They leap well but cannot climb nor descend slopes well.* They rut in winter, and produce one or * This is contrary to the experience of most sportsmen. 268 MOSCHID.E. two young, usually in the cleft of a rock. In six weeks the young can shift for themeelves, and are driven off by the mother. They can pro- create ere they are a year old. They are easily tamed." Colonel Markham'says that the Musk-deer is exclusively a forest animal, keeps much to the same ground, and makes a sort of form, like the hare, to lie on in the sun. It usually runs in bounds on all fours, and often makes most astonishing bounds, occasionally 60 feet on a gentle slope for several successive leaps, jumping over considerable bushes at each bound. Adams too states that '* its mode of progression is per- formed by series of jerking leaps." It is wonderfully sure-footed, and over rocky and precipitous ground perhaps has no equal. It appears to eat but little, chiefly grasses and lichens. If twins are produced, the two are kept apart, it being very solitary in its habits, even in infancy. The musk is milky for the first year or two, afterwards granular : the dung of the males smells of musk, but the body does not, and females do not in the slightest degree. The flesh is dark red and not musky, and the young is considered to be the best venison in India. The Musk-deer is much sought after for its musk, many being shot and snared annually. A good musk -pod is valued at from 10 to 15 rupees. The musk as sold is often much adulterated with blood, liver, &c. One ounce is about the average produce of the pod. A few anatomical details of great interest by Dr. Campbell are here given. " The Musk-bag lies at the end of the penis, and might be termed a prseputial bag. It is globular, about 1J inch in diameter, and hairy, with a hole in the centre about the diameter of a lead pencil, from which the secretion can be squeezed. The orifice of the urethra lies near this, a little posteriorly. Bound the margin of the opening of the gland is a circle of small glandular-looking bodies. The musk when fresh is soft, not unlike moist gingerbread. " The anus is surrounded by a ring of soft hairs, the skin under which is perforated by innumerable small pores, secreting an abominably offensive stuff, which pressure brings out like honey. The scrotum is round and naked. " There is, besides, a peculiar organ or gland on the tail, which indeed is composed almost wholly of it. The tail of the male is triangular, nude above, thick, greasy, partially covered with short hair below, and with a tuft of hairs at the end, glued together by a viscid liquor. It has two MEMIMNA INDICA. 269 large elliptical pores beneath, basal and lateral, the edges of which are somewhat mobile, and the fluid, which appears to be continually secreted, has a peculiar and rather offensive odour. The liver consists of a single lobe, and the gall-bladder is constantly present." The next group have the canines much shorter, and want the musk- bag. They form the family Tragulidce of some authors. They are peculiar to the Indian region, and are among the smallest ruminants known. The most typical form, Tragulus, Bennett, is found in the Malayan peninsula and islands. It has the hinder part of the meta- tarsus bald and callous. Our province contains one member of this group, slightly differing from Tragulus. Gen. MEMIMNA, Gray. Char. Canines only in the males, small, not exserted ; false hoofs of ordinary make and size ; tail very short ; ears moderate ; hinder edge of metatarsus covered with hair ; no eye-pits, groin-pits, or feet-pits. These are animals of very small size, with the hair smooth. Their limbs are exceedingly slender, and their hind quarters are high, causing their action to be very inelegant. They frequent only the thickest forests. But one species is known. 225. Memimna indica. GRAY. BLYTH, Cat. 494. Moschus memimna, ERXLEBEN, ELLIOT, Cat. 50. Moschiola mimenoides, HODGSON. Pisuri, Pisora, Pisai, H. and Mahr. Mugi, in Central India. Jitri haran, Beng. Gandwa, of Oorias. Yar, of Koles. Kuru-pandi, Tel. THE MOUSE-DEER. Descr. Above olivaceous mixed with yellow-gray; white below; sides of the body with yellowish- white lines formed of interrupted spots, the upper rows of which are joined to those of the opposite side by some transverse spots ; ears reddish-brown. Length of body about 22 to 23 inches; tail 1 J ; height 10 to 12 inches ; weight 5 to 6 Ib. The colour of this mouse-deer varies somewhat in different localities.* * The note in Blyth's Catalogue, p. 155, placed after this species, belongs to the barking deer, and should be placed in the previous page, after C.Ratwa, Hodgson. 270 BOVID^E. The Indian Mouse-deer is found in all the large forests of India from the extreme south to the foot of the Himalayas, but it does not occur at any great elevation, and I have rarely seen it from higher altitude than about 2,000 feet. It is much more abundant in the south of India than towards the north, and is certainly rare in the Himalayan Terai. It is not included among the list of Hodgson's Collections, presented to the British Museum, but Blyth says he has seen it from Nepal, and certainly Mr. Hodgson named it as above. I made many inquiries about it in various parts near the foot of the hills, but could get no precise information as to its actually occurring there. It is unknown in the countries to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal. It abounds in the forests of Malabar, and also occurs in some of the denser portions of the woods of the Eastern Ghats. It is by no means rare in Central India, and Tickell has given some interesting details of its habits, from which I have taken the subsequent account. The animal walks on the tips of its hoofs, which gives the legs a rigid appearance, and the natives say that it has no knee-joint, and that, in order to rest, it is obliged to lean against a tree. It never ventures into the open country \ keeps a good deal among rocks ; and it is said not to go out much about the fall of the leaf, as its sharp hoofs penetrate the leaves, which clog its movements. They rut in June and July, and the female brings forth two young towards the end of the rains, or beginning of the cold weather. The Mouse-deer is timid but easily domesticated, and has bred in confinement. Four or five species of Tragulus are known from the Malayan pro- vince, one of which, Tragulus Kanchil, occurs as high north as the Tenasserim provinces. We next come to the numerous and important tribe of the hollow- horned ruminants, Cavicornia of some, to which belong, cattle, goat, sheep, and antelope. In all these the horn consists of a conical bony process of the frontal bone, covered by a sheath of horny matter which is permanent, and is mostly present in both sexes. Their dentition is the same as that of deer. They form one family. Fam. BOVID^E. Canines rarely present. Horns in both sexes, or in the males only? composed of a bony nucleus or core, and a persistent horny sheath ; ANTILOPIN.E. 271 muffle generally present. Feet-pits usually in all four feet. Inguinal pits in some ; eye-pits usually present. Four mammae in most. This family comprises antelopes, goats, and cattle, which may form. as many sub-families. They are entirely wanting in South America and Australia. Sub-fam. ANTILOPINVE, Antelopes. Horns in both sexes, or only in the males. Eye-pits in all, and feet- pits in most. The bony nucleus of the horn is generally solid, and often has a sinus at the base within. The horns are seated below the crest of the frontal s, and are usually consideraby apart at the base. There are inguinal pits in many, and the muffle is often wanting. The mamma3 a"e in most cases four. The occipital plane of the skull forms an obtuse angle with the frontal plane. They resemble deer in the lightness of their make ; they are of still more slender form, with finer limbs, and possess still greater speed, but physiologically they are far removed from them.* Their hair is generally finer and more smooth than in deer. The horns of antelopes are variously bent, usually ringed at the base, and round and smooth at the tip, situated well forwards, almost over the edge of the orbits. They are never branched, except in one species, the prong-horned antelope of North America, which, by its harsh hair and tail, evidently forms a sort of link between the antelope and deer, and which, I have noticed, has been removed by a recent writer to the Deer family. One small group has four horns. The eye is usually very large, deep brown or almost black, contrasting with the light eye of the Caprince. It is situated at the upper margin of the forehead, remote from the nostrils. The head is lengthened, owing to the elongation of the nasal bones ; the ears are seated well back, and are long. Antelopes mostly live in more or less numerous herds, and are found chiefly in the old continent, by far the greatest number being from Africa, with many types. Antelopes have been variously grouped. Blyth, in his Catalogue, distributes them in the sub-families, Tragelaphmce, Cephalophince, Adenotince, and Antilopince, of which the first and the last alone have representatives in the Indian Fauna. Taking their habits as well as structure, the Indian members of this sub-family may be classed into Bush-antelope and Desert-antelope. BUSH-ANTELOPE, Tragelaphince apud Blyth. Horns smooth, unknotted, spiral in some, females usually without * Throughout the Bengal Presidency all antelopes are popularly called deer. 272 horns ; muzzle bovine ; four teats j usually white ringed markings above the hoofs, and many with white spots en the face and body. There are two types of this group in India, and many in Africa, the white markings being most highly developed in an African antelope, Tragelaphus scriptus. The Indian species both frequent jungly ground. Gen. PORTAX, C. H. Smith. Syn. Damalis. Char. Horns only in males, short, recurved, distant, smooth ; eye- pit rather small ; upper lip broad, ample ; nostrils approximate ; tail long, tufted ; a short erect mane, and a tuft of hairs on the throat of the male. Of large size. There is a slight pit in front of the orbit, and anterior to this a small longitudinal fold, in the middle of which there is a pore, through which exudes a yellow secretion from the gland beneath. In the only species of this genus the back is rather short, and slopes downwards from the high withers, and the neck is deep and compressed like that of a horse. 226. Portax pictns. Antilope apud PALLAS. Figured F. CUVIER, Mamm. III. 100-101. A. tragocamelus, PALLAS BLYTH, Cat. 512. Damalis risia,IL. SMITH. ELLIOT, Cat. 57. Tragelaphus hippelaphus, OGILBY. Roz orTfo/A, H., in Northern India. Ru-i, Mahr. and H., in the south. Nil-gai, gene- rally ; the male often called simply Nil or Lil. Gurayi and Guriya, of Gonds. Maravi, Can. Mdnu-potu, Tel. THE NIL-GAL Descr. Male of an iron-gray colour ; lips, chin, lower surface of the tail, stripes inside the ears, rings on the fetlocks, and abdomen, white ; head and limbs tinged with sepia-brown j mane, throat-tuft, and tip of tail, b]ack. The female is a good deal smaller than the male, and tawny or light brown. Length of a male about 6 J to 7 feet ; height at the shoulder 4 feet 4 inches to 4| feet ; horns 8 to 9 inches, rarely 1 j ear 7, very broad ; tail 18 to 21 inches, The Nil-gai is found throughout India, from near the foot of the Hima- layas to the extreme south of Mysore, but is rare to the north of the PORTAX PICTUS. 273 Ganges, and also in the extreme south of India. It is most abundant in Central India, and in the country between the Jumna and Sutlej, but is rare in the Punjab, according to Adams. It does not occur in Ceylon, nor in Assam, or the countries to the east of the Bay of Bengal. It frequents thin forests and low jungles, and is often found in tolerably open plains with only a few [scattered bushes. It does not affect a hilly country, but does not avoid low hills clad with thin forest. It is indifferent to the sun, except during the hottest weather. It associates in small herds, varying from seven or eight to twenty and upwards. It appears to go at a lumbering ungainly pace, yet it requires a good horse and a hard run to overtake one, and the only way to succeed certainly, is to press the animal with the utmost speed at first and blow him. The Nil-gai is not much sought after by the Indian sportsman, nor is its flesh highly esteemed, yet at times it is excellent and juicy, and gives a good beef-steak. It is often caught young and becomes very tame, many being allowed to wander about at large. They are apt, however, to get vicious at times. It browses a good deal, and is very fond of many kinds of fruit. Mr. Elliot says that those he kept used to drop on their knees to feed, and attacked and defended themselves by butting with the head. A very dark, almost black one, was lately seen by more than one sportsman near TJmballa. Blyth, Ogilby, and other naturalists, consider that the Nil-gai was probably the Hippelaphus of Aristotle, and not the Samber deer, which opinion I quite endorse. Gen. TETRACEROS, Leach. Char. Horns in the males only, erect, slightly bent forwards at the tip, round, subulate, slightly ringed at the base, situated far back on the frontal bone ; an additional pair of small horns situated between the orbits, short, conical, sometimes replaced by a mere bony knob ; eye-pit moderate, linear ; muffle large ; feet-pits in the hind-feet only ; no in- guinal pits ; canines in the males ; four mammae in the females. The form of these animals is not so elegant as that of the true antelope, and their hair is harsher. They frequent jungles and thin forest, and do not associate in herds, but are monogamous, and often found in pairs. This genus is strictly Indian, and there is only one well-marked species known. T 274 ANTILOPIN^E. 227. Tetraceros quadricornis. Antilope apud BLAINVILLE. BLYTH, Cat. 513. Figured F. CUVIER, Mamm. III. 99. A. chickara, HARDWICKE, Linn. Trans. XTY. pi. 15. T.striaticornis, LEACH. T. iodes, HODGSON, Gale. J. N.H.VIII. 88, with fig. T. paccerois, HODGSON. A. sub-quadricornutus, ELLIOT, Cat. 56, variety 1 ? Chouka and Chousingha, H. Bekra, Mahr. JBhirki, at Saugor. Bhirkura (the male) and Bhir (the female), of Northern Gonds. Bhirul, of Bheels. Kotri, Bustar. Kurds of Bustar Conds. Kond-gtiri, Can. Konda-gori, Tel. Yulgb, Jangli bakra, H., in the Deccan. THE FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE. Descr. Colour uniform brownish-bay above, lighter beneath, and whitish inside the limbs and in the middle of the belly; fore-legs dark, also the muzzle and edge of the ears, which are white within, with long hairs ; fetlocks dark within, with more or less distinct whitish rings. Length from 40 to 42 inches; tail 5; ear 4 J ; height at shoulder 2 feet to 26 inches ; at the croup a little higher. Anterior horns up to 1^ inch ; posterior horns 4 to 5. The colour varies a good deal according to locality. Some are much browner than others ; many are light fawn, with a darker shade on the back and hind quarters, and some are very pale yellowish-fawn. The anterior horns vary much in development. Those in the South of India generally, have rarely more than a knob or corneous tip, which often falls off, leaving a black callous skin. Many from the North of India have the anterior horns well developed, thick, conic, and straight, not exceeding 1J inch in length. The posterior horns are nearly straight, or curve very slightly forwards at the tip, and have three or four wrinkles at their base. Hodgson separated A. Chickara from quadricornis, and named two additional species, but these now are all looked on as identical. I was at one time strongly inclined to consider Mr. Elliot's species distinct from the northern animal, as all those which I procured from the Eastern Ghats had only a vestige of an anterior horn, and were very pale- coloured ; but in deference to Mr. Bly th's matured opinion I have followed him in uniting them. The four-horned antelope is found throughout all India, to which it is exclusively limited, not being known in Ceylon nor the countries to the east of the Bay of Bengal. It frequents jungly hills and open forests in the plains, not occurring in the dense woods of ANTILOPE BEZOARTICA. 275 Malabar, nor in lower Bengal. It abounds in the hills of the Eastern Ghats from near Madras northwards, whence it extends over all the wooded parts of Central India ; and on the west is found in parts of Mysore, and in the jungles that border the Western Ghats. It is unknown in the valley of the Ganges, but occurs at the foot of the Himalayas, in the more open forests. It is said by Adams to occur, though rarely, in the Western Punjab and Sindh. The Chousingha never frequents open plains, but may be seen in open glades in the forests, and in bushy ground at the skirts of denser woods, and is always found single or in pairs, being strictly monogamous. Barely I have seen five or six scattered not far from each other. It is not a mountain animal, but is quite at home on rocky and jungly hills. When first disturbed, it sometimes bounds off in a succession of short leaps, but generally runs with its neck low. It is stated to rut (in Central India) during the rains, and the female to bring forth her young in the cold weather. The specific name, Chickara, applied to this antelope by Hardwicke, is quite erroneous, as that name is throughout all India applied to the Indian gazelle. The venison of this antelope is rather dry, and is not held in much esteem. Other antelopes belonging to the Tragelaphine section are the Elands, Oreas canna and 0. Derbianns ; the Gnoos, Catoblepas Gnu and C. Gorgon ; the Koodoo, Strepsiceros Kudu ; the harnessed antelope, the Grysbok, Klipspringer, and many others, all from Africa. No other Asiatic form is known. The next group is that of the true Antelope, or Antelope of the Desert, restricted Antilopince of Blyth. They have a more or less ovine muzzle, and ringed horns, generally present in the female also. They occur both in Asia and Africa. The teats of the female are generally only two in number. The two best known Indian antelopes belong to this group. Gen. ANTILOPE, Linnseus (restricted). Char. Horns in the males only, long, annulated with strong rings, the tip smooth, spirally twisted, approximate at the base ; no muffle ; eye-pits moderate, somewhat linear ; no canines ; large inguinal pits ; feet-pits present ; small knee-brushes ; female with two mammae. 228. Antilope bezoartica. ALDROVAND. BLYTH, Cat. 528. A. cervicapra, PALLAS, and ELLIOT, T 2 276 ANTILOPIN.E. Cat. 54. Figured HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool., and F. CUVIER, Mamm. III. 102-103. Mirga, Sansc. Mirga, the male, and Harna, the female, of some Hindus. Haran, male, andHarnin, female, H. and generally ; also Mahr. Hariri, in Bengal. The black buck called Kalwit, H., and Phandayat, Mahr. Guria or Goria, in Tirhoot, the male being called Kdld. Kdlsar and JBaoti, male and female, in Behar. Bureta, in Bhagulpore. Barout and Sdsin, in Nepal. Chigri, Can. frri, the male, and Ledi, the female (but also applied to both), Tel. ; also Jinka, Tel. (generic name). Alali, male, and Gandoli, female, of Baoris. THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. Descr. Horns long, diverging, with five flexures in old individuals ; rings strong at -the base, tip smooth ; colour of adult male, above and on the sides, rich dark glossy brown ; beneath and inside of the limbs white. Colour of the hind, head, nape, and back of neck hoary- yellowish ; nose and lips, and a large mark round the eyes, white. Length about 4 feet to root of tail, which is 7 inches ; height at shoulder 32 inches ; ear 5J. Horns from 20 to 27 inches long, diverging at the tip from 9 to 18 inches. The female is somewhat less, and is pale yellowish fawn-colour above, white beneath and inside the limbs, and with a pale streak from the shoulder to the haunch. " The horns of the males in the Southern Mahratta country," says Mr. Elliot, "seldom exceed 19 or 20 inches in length. The largest I have seen was 22 inches, with four flexures in the spiral twist;" but I saw a pair from Hydrabad 24 inches long, with five flexures and fifty rings, and another pair from Kattywar, which were 25 inches. In many parts of Central and Northern India, the average length of the horns of black buck exceeds those of Southern India, and in Hurriana, and especially in the country between the Sutlej and Hissar, horns of 23 and 24 inches are by no means uncommon, and I have seen them only 22 inches long with more than five flexures. I have seen several pairs 26 inches long, and heard of others 27, and I heard of one pair from the Deccan that were said* to be close upon 30 inches. The horns vary much in the size of the rings, in the degree of spiral twist, and in divergence. Three instances of females with horns are now on record. They were, however, * This much requires confirmation. ANTILOPE BEZOARTICA. 277 thin and much curved, " gyring round like those of Ovis Ammon" One buck is also mentioned in which one of the horns curved round, and Blyth suggested that the testis of that side had probably been injured. This beautiful antelope is found throughout India in suitable localities, and does not occur out of our province. It is rare in Bengal, a few only extending into Purneah and Dinagepore, north of the Ganges ; and it does not occur in the richly-wooded Malabar coast. It is abundant in the Deccan, in parts of the Doab between the Jumna and Ganges, also in Hurriana, Rajpootana, and neighbouring districts. It is found in the Punjab, but does not cross the Indus. I have seen larger herds in the neighbourhood of Jalna, in the Deccan, than anywhere else, occasionally some thousands together, with black bucks in proportion. Now and then, Dr. Scott informs me, they have been observed in the Government cattle farm at Hissar in herds calculated at 8,000 to 10,000. Generally throughout the country, smaller herds are more common, where one black buck is accompanied by his harem of ten to twenty does, or even more. With these herds younger bucks that have not turned black are occasionally seen, the lord of the herd driving off the other bucks as soon as they begin to turn black. Mr. Elliot says, " The rutting season commences about February or March, but fawns are seen of all ages at every season. During the spring months the buck often separates a particular doe from the herd, and will not suffer her to join it again, cutting her off and intercepting every attempt to mingle with the rest. The two are often found alone also, but on being followed always rejoin the herd. " When a herd is met with and alarmed, the does bound away for a short distance, and then turn round to take a look ; the buck follows more leisurely, and generally brings up the rear. Before they are much frightened they always bound or spring, and a large herd going off in this way is one of the finest sights imaginable. But when at speed, the gallop is like that of any other animal. Some of the herds are so large that one buck has from 50 to 60 does, and the young bucks driven from these large flocks are found wandering in separate herds, sometimes con- taining as many as 30 individuals of different ages. " They show some ingenuity in avoiding danger. In pursuing a buck once into a field of toor, I suddenly lost sight of him, and found, after a long search, that he had dropt down among the grain, and lay concealed with his head close to the ground. Coming on another occasion upon a 278 ANTILOPIN^E. buck and doe with a young fawn, the whole party took to flight, but the fawn being very young, the old ones endeavoured to make it lie down. Finding, however, that it persisted in running after them, the buck turned round and repeatedly knocked it over in a cotton-field until it lay still, when they ran off, endeavouring to attract my attention. Young fawns are frequently found concealed and left quite by themselves." When a herd goes away on the approach of danger, if any of the does are lingering behind, the buck comes up and drives them off after the others, acting as whipper-in, and never allowing one to drop behind. Bucks may often be seen fighting, and are then so intently engaged, their heads often locked together by the horns, that they may be approached very close before the common danger causes them to separate. Bucks with broken horns are often met with, caused by fights ; and I have heard of bucks being sometimes caught in this way, some nooses being attached to the horns of a tame one. I have twice seen a wounded antelope pur- sued by greyhounds drop suddenly into a small ravine, and lie close to the ground, allowing the dogs to pass over it without noticing, and hurry forward. This antelope, and indeed all the Indian species, have the habit of always dropping their dung in the same spot. Buck-shooting is one of the favourite sports of India, and gives fine opportunities for testing the skill of the sportsman. Where they are very abundant and the ground is favourable, shots can generally be had with a little trouble in stalking, at from 100 to 150 yards, and sometimes closer ; but in very open ground, shooting must be practised at from 200 to 300 yards. During the heat of the day antelopes usually lie down to rest and chew the cud, and a single one may then often be stalked successfully ; but if there is a herd, one of the females is always on the alert. A wounded antelope gives occasionally an excellent course with grey- hounds, and I have known one with a broken fore-leg get away from half-bred dogs in the middle of the day when the sun was rather powerful. Spearing a wounded buck off horseback is rather exciting work, and I have known one, also with a broken leg, give a run of three miles before he was overhauled, and that on tolerably good ground. Grey- hounds are very keen after a wounded antelope, and occasionally get savage and fight over it when pulled down, seeming to take pleasure in sniffing and biting at the groin-pits. Very rarely, good greyhounds have pulled down this antelope un- wounded on ordinary ground ; but there are at least three localities where GAZELLA BENNETTII. 279 this coursing used to be practised successfully : one at Pooree, on the east coast, south of Cuttack, where the antelopes are found in the morning on an extensive plain of heavy sand, and if the dogs are slipped favourably, they are sometimes pulled down before they can get on to hard ground. Another is in the desert near Sirsa, where the ground is entirely sandy. The third locality is at Point Calymere, also on the east coast, very far south, not far from Trichinopoly, where there is a tract of fine pasture land always green and elastic, and on which first- rate English dogs have repeatedly pulled down black buck. I rather think that the antelopes here are in somewhat soft condition, the grass being always green, and that from this cause they are more easily caught than elsewhere. During the rains, indeed, if antelopes are found in the fields where the soil is very soft and heavy, they fall an easy prey to good dogs. The venison of this antelope is at times excellent, the meat very fine- grained, but not fat. Colonel W. Campbell says, that of old bucks is infinitely superior to that of young ones. If taken young, this antelope becomes very tame, and will follow its owner about, or wander forth by itself all day and return at evening. I have often seen one accom- panying a regiment on the line of march. This antelope is living in the Zoological Gardens, in London. A large herd of them is kept in the park round Government-house at Madras. It is one of the constellations of the Indian zodiac, and is sacred to Chandra. There is no other species of this genus. Gen. GAZELLA, H. Smith. Syn. Tragops, Hodgson (partly). Char. Horns rather short, lyrate, ringed, approximate at the base, diverging at the tip, present in the female, but very small ; ears long, acuminate ; tail moderate ; eye-pits small, obliquely transverse j groin- pits distinct ; large feet-pits in all feet j knees tufted, and calcic tuft This genus comprises the Gazelles, so called from the Arabic word Al-ghazal, the name of the Antilope Dorcas. They are animals of rather small size, with large eyes, and very active and graceful, inhabiting bare and desert countries, chiefly in Africa, Arabia, and Persia, one species at least extending to India. Several species are known. 280 ANTILOPIN^E. Hodgson separated the Indian gazelle under the generic name of Tragops, but on erroneous grounds, as the eye-pits (on the absence of which he grounded his genus) are present, though small. 229. Gazella Bennettii. Antilope apud SYKES, Cat. BLYTH, Cat. 533. A. Arabica apud ELLIOT, Cat. 55. A. Dorcas, var. SUNDEVALL. A. Christii, GRAY ? A. Hazenna, Is. GEOFFROY, Voy. JACQUEMONT, Zool. pi. VI. Chikdra, H., throughout India. Kal-punch, H. and Kal-sipi, Mahr., i. e. black- tail. Tiska, Can. ; also Buddri and Mudari, Can. Burudu-jinka, Tel. Porsya, male, and Chdri, female, of Baoris. Hazenne, near Chittor in Malwa (JACQUEMONT). Ravine-deer of sportsmen in Bengal. Goat- antelope in Bombay and Madras. t THE INDIAN GAZELLE. Descr. Colour above deep fawn-brown, darker where it joins the white on the sides and buttocks ; chin, breast, lower parts and buttocks behind white ; tail, knee-tufts, and fetlocks behind black ; a dark-brown spot on the nose, and a dark line from the eyes to the mouth, bordered by a light one above. Length of a buck 3| feet ; tail 8J inches ; height 26 inches at shoulder, 28 at the croup ; ear 6 inches ; head 9; horns 12 to 13. The horns vary much in thickness and lyration. I have seen several 14 inches long with 23 rings ; but Adams states that he has seen them in the Punjab 18 inches ;* as a rule very few exceed 14 inches, and most are below this. The tip sometimes curves much forward. The horns of the female are small, rarely longer than 6 inches, usually 4 to 5, slender, slightly wrinkled at the base, inclining backwards, with the tip bent forwards. The Indian Gazelle is found throughout India in suitable localities, unknown in lower Bengal and the Malabar coast, and most abundant in the desert parts of Rajpootana, Hurriana, and Sindh. It is never found in forest country, nor in districts having a damp climate, but is often met with in low thorny jungle. As a rule, however, it prefers the open bare plains, or low rocky hills or sand-hills ; and a barren country to a richly cultivated one. It occurs generally in small herds, rarely more than 7 or 8, except in the extreme north-west, where I have seen 20 or more * I think there must be some mistake in this, either that the measurement is wrong, or that a different specieg is meant. GAZELLA BENNETTII. 281 together. Usually I think there are several bucks if the herd is large, but the young expelled bucks are also often found in separate herds. Single individuals are also of common occurrence. Mr. Elliot says, " When two bucks fight they butt like rams, retiring a little and striking the foreheads together with great violence. When alarmed, it utters a sort of hiss by blowing through the nose, and stamps with the fore-feet ; whence its Canarese name, ' Tiska. } " Dr. Scott informs me that in Hurriana, during the rainy season, a sort of maggot or bot is constantly found under the skin of the Gazelle, only near the root of the tail. It was never observed on the Antelope. The Gazelle is occasionally hunted by dogs with the aid of the Saker falcon (Falco Cherrug\ which strikes the antelope on the head, and con- fuses it, so that the dogs come up and catch it. Without this aid, dogs have very little chance, though now and then I have known one pulled down. It is considered better eating than the black buck. Gazella Christii, Gray, from Sindh and Cutch, is said to be paler in colour, and with the horns more slender and smaller than in the Indian gazelle, and with the tips abruptly bent inwards. This is joined by Blyth to Bennettii. I have seen one or two heads of gazelles considered distinct from the chikdra, called " the desert antelope," smaller, and with the horns more bent forwards. I only looked on them at the time as a dwarf or stunted chikdra, but it is possible that there may be another species extending from Beloochistan across Sindh into the plains of Raj- pootana, either G. sub-gutturosa or G, Christii, if distinct from Bennettii. Indeed, Mr. Blyth, in a note, p. 172 of his Catalogue (transposed with another on the opposite page), says, " An animal marked Gazella Christii, Gray, in the London United Service Museum, appeared to me to be G. sub-gutturosa. It was labelled from Sindh, but might have been brought thither from beyond the passes." Gazella Dorcas of Arabia, to which Blyth unites A. Arabica, G. Cora, Hevella, and Corinna of H. Smith, is sometimes brought alive to this country, and has been considered by some to be really found in Western India. Mr. Blyth, in a note, p. 173,* Cat. Mammalia Asiatic Society's Museum, says, " After elaborate study of these specimens, I have been obliged to bring all of them together, and suspect that the whole of the animals (i. e., specimens in the museum that had died in captivity) had been brought to India from Aden and Muskat." * This note, attached to G. Bennettii, has been, transposed with another on the opposite page, under 0. Dorcas. 282 CAPRINE. Gazella sub-gutturosa of Persia and Afghanistan (A. Dorcas, var. Persica of Riippell), may, as above stated, occur in Sindh and Beloochistan. The horns of this are said by Hutton and Blyth to be abruptly hooked in at the tip. Other species of gazelle occur in Africa. The Chiru of Tibet, Kemas ffodgsonii, is a fine antelope, of a somewhat pale yellowish-white colour, with very long and nearly straight horns. It is considered to be the Kemas of ^Elian. It is probable that this animal may have given rise to the belief in the unicorn ; for, at a little distance, when viewed laterally, there only appears to be one horn, there is so little divergence throughout their length. Another antelope allied to the Gazelles is the pretty Procapra picticau- data of Hodgson, the God and Rd-god of Tibet. Antilope gutturosa, Pallas, of China and Central Asia, is by some classed as a Procapra. It has the larynx dilated and swollen, and covered externally with long hair. It has also a prseputial bag. The female is without horns. The Saiga antelope, Saiga tartarica, has a most peculiar, vaulted cartila- ginous muzzle, and very open nostrils. It is found in the deserts of Tartary and other parts of Central Asia, and extends into Eastern Europe. There are many other antelopes belonging to this division in Africa, some of them very fine, and with magnificent horns ; among others the Oryx group, Oryxleucoryx, and 0. gazella ; iheITarte-beest,oselaphtiscaama; Aigoceros niger, and A. equinus ; the Addax group, and many other types. The group of Cephalophince apud Blyth are mostly small species peculiar to Africa, somewhat resembling the Muntjacs and mouse-deer. They have a pig-like form, slender limbs, short horns slightly ringed at the base, with a tuft of lengthened hair between the horns ; and some have a long extensile tongue. The females are mostly hornless, and have four teats. The Adenotince apud Blyth are another group peculiar to Africa, with bovine muzzle, and with semi-ringed horns curving forwards. Some are large with coarse hair, others small with a soft coat. The females are hornless and have four teats.* The two first animals of the next group are by some classed among the Antelopes ; but I think, taking all their characters, habits, and haunts into consideration, they more properly pertain to the next sub-family. Sub-fam. CAPRINE, Goats and Sheep. Horns usually in both sexes, or in the males only, more or less com- * Blyth, Cat., p. 167 and 168. XEMORHCEDUS BUBALINA. 283 pressed, usually angulated, rugose, and curving backwards, or spiral j the bony cores of the horns thick, porous, and cellular. No canines. Muffle generally absent. Feet-pits in all feet, or in the fore-feet only, or none. Eye-pits rare. Groin-pits not usual. Teats generally two, rarely four. The horns are seated on the crest of the forehead, and are closely approximate, covering the top of the head. The occipital plane of the skull forms a more or less acute angle with the frontal plane. Eyes usually pale. This sub-family may be divided into the Capricorns, the Goats, and the Sheep. 1st. Capricorns, or Antelope Goat, or Mountain Antelope. Horns somewhat rounded, conical, curving backwards, of small size, found in both sexes. Compared with antelope, these animals have a heavy body, stronger limbs, large hoofs, and false hoofs. Dr. Sclater, who places them among the Antelopes, says, " The mountain antelopes which form the transition between the Antilopince and the goats and sheep, are a group distributed over the northern regions of the two hemispheres, of which the well-known Chamois is a somewhat aberrant European representative." Blyth and Hodgson class them among the goats, as I have done. Gen NEMORHCEDUS, H. Smith. Syn. Capricomis and Kemas, Ogilby. Char. Horns in both sexes, round, black, and ringed; a small muffle ; eye-pits wanting or small ; large feet-pits in all feet ; no inguinal pits nor calcic tufts ; tail short, hairy ; four mammae. This genus was founded by H. Smith upon A.sumatrensis, and therefore must be retained for this group, even if we separate the'Cforal, as is done by Blyth and others, who apply Ogilby's generic name, Capricornis, to the Serow, retaining Nemorhcedus for the Goral. 230. Nemorhcedus bubalina. Antilope apud HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. 536. A. Thar, HODGSON, olim ; also Nemorho&dus proclivus, HODGSON. Thar, in Nepal. Sarao, Serou or Sarraowa, in the hills generally. Eimu, on the Sutlej. Rdmu, in Kashmir. 284 CAPRIN^E. THE SEEOW, OR FOREST GOAT. Descr. Above black, more or less grizzled, and mixed on the flanks with deep clay-colour ; a black dorsal stripe ; forearms and thighs an- teriorly reddish-brown ; the rest of the limbs hoary ; beneath whitish. The hair is rather scanty except on the neck, on which there is a thick mane, harsh and rough ; the horns are seated posterior to the orbits, but below the crest of the frontals, stout, roundish, ringed more than half- way, tapering, much curved backwards, slightly divergent, with the points inclining outwards ; average length about 10 inches, but they are said to reach 14 occasionally. Length of male about 5 to 5 J feet ; height at shoulder about 3 feet 2 inches. Weight about 200 Ib. Colonel Markham says that the Serow is something in appearance between a jackass and a Tahir (Hemitragus jemlaica), with long stout legs and a strong neck. Hodgson states that its back is straight, with the withers higher than the croup, stout rigid limbs, high hoofs and callous knees. By its structure it is well fitted for climbing, but not for leaping. It inhabits the precipitous wooded mountains of the central ranges of the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Sikim. It is almost always found in the forests from 6,000 to 12,000 feet, and is solitary in its habits, and awkward in its gait. It rushes down the steepest declivities with fearful rapidity, but is not in general speedy, and does not spring well. Colonel Markham states that it is not very common, keeps to thickly- wooded ravines, and forests in steep and rocky ground, and is very tena- cious of life. It is very bold, and will keep the wild dog at bay, and has been known to kill three or four of them. Its flesh is coarse. Adams calls it a stupid animal, and says that unless wounded it is sometimes not scared by the report of a rifle. Those that I have met with were always alone, in thick forest, and when approached unawares, dashed off down hill in a most reckless manner. They are stated to rut in February and March, and the female brings forth one kid in September or October ; but Adams says that in the north-west the female has her young in May or June. Nemorhcedus rubida, Blyth, inhabits the mountains of Arrakan. It is " of a red-brown colour with a black dorsal list, the hair shorter than the others." N. sumatrensis is found in Sumatra, and the Malayan peninsula NEMORHCEDUS GORAL. 285^. as high as Tenasserim. There is also a species in China, Nemorhcedus Swinhoii, Gray, figd. P. Z. S. 1862, pi. 35. Near this group should be placed that very remarkable animal the Takin, Budorcas taxicolor, Hodgson, from the Mishmi hills at the head of the valley of Assam. It has something of the aspect of the Gnu of Africa. The next animal differs somewhat in appearance, and also in its haunts, and has been placed in a separate genus, Kemas, by Ogilby and others ; but the points of distinction are very slight. The previous group is stated to possess small rounded eye-pits, whilst this has none; but I have not been able recently to examine a fresh head of Serow to ascertain if they are actually present in that animal. 231. Nemorhcedus Goral. Antilope apud HARDWICKE, Linn. Tr. XIV. 518, with figure. BLYTH, Cat. 540. Figd. F. CUVIER, Mamrn. III. 107. A. Duvaucelei, H. SMITH. Goral, throughout the hills. Pijur, in Kashmir. Sdh or Sarr, of the Sutlej valley. Suh-ging, Lepch. Rd-giyu, Bhot. THE GOORAL, OR HIMALAYAN CHAMOIS. Descr. Colour dull rusty-brown, paler beneath; a dark brown line from the vertex to the tail ; chest and front of fore-legs deep brown ; ears externally rusty -brown ; a large patch of pure white on the throat. The female is paler than the male, and the young are said to be redder in tint. Length of one, head and body about 50 inches ; tail 4 ; height at shoulder about 28 to 30 inches ; horn 8. The horns are situated on the crest of the frontals, and vary from 6 to 9 inches in length, incline backwards and slightly inwards, and have 20 to 25 annuli. The fur is somewhat rough, of two kinds of hair, and there is a short semi-erect mane in the male. The Gooral is very caprine in appearance, the back is somewhat arched #nd the limbs are stout and moderately long, and it is well adapted both for climbing and jumping. It inhabits the whole range of Himalayas from Bhotan and Sikim to Kashmir, at a range varying from a little above 3,000 to nearly 8,000 feet, though perhaps most common about 5,000 to 6,000 feet. It usually associates in small parties of from four to eight or so, and frequents rugged grassy hills, or rocky ground in the midst of forests. If one Gooral is seen, you may be pretty certain that others are not far off, and they rarely or never forsake their own grounds. If 236 CAPRINE. cloudy, they feed at all hours, otherwise only morning and evening. When alarmed it gives a short hissing snort, which is answered by all within hearing. The female breeds in May and June, gestating for six months, and brings forth her young amid crags and rocky recesses. Being generally found in somewhat broken ground, it is easily stalked; and as it is to be found close to most of our hill sanataria, it is generally the first game obtained by the sportsman on the hills. Blyth states that those from Assam or Bhotan are very ruddy in tint. Radde has described a species from Siberia, and there is one in Japan, N. crispus. True Goats. Next come the Goats, having the horns distinctly angulated. Generally speaking, they are devoid of eye-pits and feet-pits. There are two generic types in this group, amongst the animals occurring in-our province. The first is Gen, HEMITRAGUS, Hodgson. Char. Horns trigonal, compressed, knotted in front ; a small muffle ; no eye-pits nor feet-pits, nor inguinal pores. Teats two or four. Sclater does not separate it from the true goats, but most systematists have done so, and Blyth has followed Hodgson. " This," says Hodgson, " is a remarkable type, tending to connect the keeled, compressed hollow-horned and odorous goats with the Deer family, of which they possess the muffle and the four mammaa. Its caprine character is clearly indicated as well by general appearance and odour, as by the acute angle of the occipital line of the skull with the frontal, as distinguished from the large rounded angle of the antelope and deer." One species has four teats, the other only two. 232. Hemitragns Jemlaicus. Capra apud H. SMITH. BLYTH, Cat. 541. Capra jharal and H. quadrimammis, HODGSON. Figd. by WOLF, Zool. Sketches. Tehr, variously spelled Tare, Tahir, by sportsmen. Jehr, near Simla. Jhdral, in Nepal. Krds and Jagld, in Kashmir. Kart, in Kulu. Jhuld, the male, and Thar, tharni, the female, in Kunawur. Esbu and Esbi, male and female, on the Sutlej above Chini. THE TEHR, OR HIMALAYAN WILD GOAT. Descr. The male is dark brown, ashy in front, the inner fur being HEMITRAGUS JEMLATCUS. 287 hoary-blue, and the mane ashy-blue, the upper part of the limbs rusty- brown, the front of the legs and belly being dark brown ; head in front dark ashy or blackish-brown, with a darker patch below the gape, and a dark line along the back. Tail short and depressed, nude below; knees and sternum callous ; a long mane, and the hair on the cheeks, neck, and sides long and copious. The horns touch at the base, are sub-compressed and sub-triangular, uniformly wrinkled except at the tip, short, curve slightly backwards, and diverge somewhat. Length about 4 feet 8 inches to root of tail; tail 7 inches; 36 to 40 inches high ; the horns about 12 inches long, very thick at the base. The female is much less, with much smaller horns, wants the mane, and is of an uniform drab or reddish-brown colour above, dirty whitish below. Some of both sexes are occasionally paler, of a "dirty whitish-fawn" colour. The kids are said to be very pale, with a black stripe down the back. " The Jhdral" says Mr. Hodgson, " has a finely-formed head, no vestige of a beard, the facial line straight; ears small, narrow and erect ; a small moist muffle between the nostrils; limbs long, robust, rigid, with straight pasterns. The back is slightly arched, and the shoulders higher than the croup. The mane is long, and sometimes sweeps below the knees. The male has a powerful odour at times." The Tehr is found throughout the whole extent of the Himalayas, only however at great elevations, generally above the limits of forest, and not far from the snow. It frequents rocky valleys, and very steep and precipitous rocky ground, and is often seen perched on what appear to be inaccessible crags. It feeds on the grassy spots among rocks, and though not unfrequently found solitary, is more generally seen in flocks, sometimes as numerous as 20, 30, or even 40, it is said. If alarmed whilst feeding, they all go off at speed with a clattering sound, but soon halt to gaze on the intruder. They generally follow the guidance of an old male, and will make their way up almost perpendicular precipices if there be but a few rough edges, or crevices. In the north-west, they are said to be sometimes seen along with Marhkor. Captain E. Smyth states* that " the males herd separately from February till October, ascend to a much greater height than the females and very young males, and are very difficult to find. In March and April they chiefly frequent the forests. During the rutting season the males are always fighting, and numbers are killed by falling down the crags. * Trans. Hist. Soc. Lancashire, vol. IX. 1856. 288 CAPRINE. Colonel Markham says that " the Tahir in general haunts the rocky faces and grassy slopes of hills free from forest, but occasionally one will be found in a patch of forest. Seen at a distance, it looks like a great wild hog, but when near it is a noble beast. One shot fell 80 yards perpendicular without touching, rebounded and fell again 15 yards more; he got up, went off and was lost. The flesh of the female is tolerable ; that of the male scarcely eatable at any time." It is bold and pugnacious, but easily tamed. It is living in the Zoolo- gical Gardens, in London, and has been beautifully figured by Wolf. Hodgson relates that a male Jhdral at Nepal had intercourse with a female spotted deer, which produced a hybrid of mixed appearance, more like the mother than the father, which lived and grew up a fine animal. The name Jemlaica (I may state) is taken from the Jumla valley, north of Nepal. 233. Hemitragus hylocrius. Kemas apud OGILBY. BLYTH, Cat. 542. Capra Warryato, GRAY. Warra-ddu or Warri-dtu, Tarn. " Ibex '' of sportsmen on the Neelgher- ries.* Figd. by WOLF, in " My Indian Journal," by Colonel W. Camp- bell, p. 369. THE NEELGHERRY WILD GOAT. Descr. Adult male dark sepia-brown, with a pale reddish-brown saddle, more or less marked, and paler brown on the sides and beneath; legs somewhat grizzled with white, dark brown in front, and paler pos- teriorly. The head is dark, grizzled with yellowish-brown, and the eye is surrounded by a pale fawn-coloured spot. Horns short, much curved, nearly in contact at the base, gradually diverging ; strongly keeled internally, round externally, with numerous close rings, not so pro- minent as in the last species. There is a large callous spot on the knees surrounded by a fringe of hair, and the male has a short stiff mane on the neck and withers. The hair is short, thick, and coarse. Length of adult to root of tail 4 feet 2 to 4 feet 8 ; tail 6 or 7 inches; height at shoulder about 32 to 34 inches; horns occasionally 15 inches, rarely more than 12. Colonel W. Campbell gives the length as 6 feet 5 inches f (inclu- * Colonel W. Campbell states that it is called the " Chamois " by Madras sports- men. This name I never heard applied to it. f Query 5 feet 6 inches ? HEMITRAGUS HYLOCRIUS. 289 sive of tail) ; height 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. These measurements appear to me to be unusually large, and I suspect are erroneous. The female and young male are of a dusky olive-brown colour, paler below ; and the very old male appears almost black at a distance, with the pale saddle usually showing conspicuously. The horns of the female are shorter and less stout than those of the male. She has only two teats. This wild goat was first described by Gray from a drawing and notes of General Hardwicke, and it was said to have been sent from Nepal and from Chittagong. This is of course erroneous. It has hitherto only been found on the Neelgherry and neighbouring hills, extend- ing south along the Western Ghats nearly to Cape Cornorin. The specific name given by Gray is the Tamul word for rock- or precipice- goat. It is called an Ibex by sportsmen in Madras. It chiefly frequents the northern and western slopes of the Neelgherries, where the hills run down in a succession of steep stony slopes or rocky ridges, to the high table-land of Mysore and the Wynaad, both of which dis- tricts are themselves hilly. It has also been seen on several rocky hills in the interior of the plateau, especially near the so-called Avalanche hill. It is occasionally seen on the summit of the northern and western faces, but more generally some distance down, at an eleva- tion of 4,000 to G,000 feet; and, if carefully looked for, the herd may be seen feeding on an open grassy glade at the foot of some precipice. I have seen above twenty individuals in a flock occasionally, but more generally not more than six or seven. With the large herds there is almost always one very large old male, conspicuous by his nearly black colour. If alarmed or followed, they rush rapidly down hill, and are lost to sight among the inequalities of the ground, or go straight down to the hilly country'at the foot of the slopes. Now and then they have been known to take shelter in woods, through which they will freely pass if followed. They are very wary animals, and from the limited extent of the Neel- gherries have been so much hunted there, that it is difficult (I am told) to get a near shot at them at present. The female is said to produce two young at a birth. Besides the Neelgherries, this wild goat occurs in the rocky ranges south of these hills, on 'the Animallies, and along the range of Western Ghats, nearly, I have been informed, to Cape Comorin. It has not been observed in Ceylon. I have no doubt also of its being the wild sheep, U 290 CAPRINE. so called, of the highlands of Madura, and of the neighbouring Pulney hills, as I long ago heard of the Neelgherry Ibex having been killed near Madura and Dindigul. The Rev. Mr. Baker, in sending a fine skull and horns from the Western Ghats inland from Cochin, to Mr. Ely th, wrote as follows : "The animal when alive was as large as an ordinary donkey, and so heavy that six men could with difficulty bring him in. They are very numerous, feeding like a flock of sheep on the hill-tops, and only flee to the precipices when alarmed. They will even hide in jungle and grass. There is a solitary Roman Catholic church on a rock in the jungles, on the borders of Tra- vancore and Cochin, where the wild ' Ibex ' are common, and though numbers of people go there on pilgrimage, these ' ibex ' walk about among them, and eat the sesamum-seed given them, but do not allow themselves to be touched. They are considered holy and belonging to the 3hurch." Elsewhere the same observer, writing of the game animals of the Western Ghats, remarks that, "if the mountains are at all rocky and precipitous, you will find the wild goat or Ibex close to the rocks, often in large herds." As an article of provender, Mr. Baker remarks that " a quarter of ibex hung, as the country people in the mountains do at home, within a wire or muslin bag, and exposed to the air, is equal to Welsh mutton." Baikie,in his work on the JSTeelgherries, stated that the Neelgherry Ibex had very large knotted horns, and a long black or brown beard." Lieut. Beagin also informed Mr. Blyththat the "Ibex"' of the Neelgherries had a considerable beard; and on my first visit to the Neelgherries I was told by more than one good sportsman that the male had a beard. Yet no speci- men that I ever saw (though some were very old) had a vestige of a beard ; and I imagine that the preconceived idea of the Ibex had involuntarily deceived the observers into believing that those they saw had beards. There are no other species of this strictly Indian genus. Gen. CAPRA, Linnaeus. Char. Horns in both sexes, of moderate or large size, angular, flat in front ; no muffle ; no eye-pits nor inguinal pits ; feet-pits in the fore-feet only, or in none ; females with two mammse. The knees are callous ; both sexes are more or less bearded, and the males are odorous. The muzzle is usually concave. Species of this genus are chiefly Palsearctic, but they extend into the North of Africa, and two CAPRA MEGACEROS. 291 are found, in our limits, on the Himalayas and the Punjab, one of them a true wild goat of the same type as the domestic goat, the other an ibex. 234. Capra megaceros. HUTTON,* Calc. J. N. Hist. II. 535, pi. XX. (the horns). BLYTH, Cat. 545. C. Fakoneri, HUGEL. MarJcbw, i.e. snake-eater, of Afghans, Kashmir, &c. Rd-che or Rd-pJio che, in Ladak, i.e. the great-goat. THE MARKHOR. Descr. Horns very long, massive, straight, angular, with two to three spiral twists, closely approximate at the base, and diverging outwards and backwards, quite similar in character to those of many domestic goats, but of gigantic size. Colour in summer light grayish-brown, in winter dirty yellowish- white with a bluish-brown tinge ; the adult male with a long black beard, and the neck and breast also clad with long black hair reaching to the knees ; the hair generally long and shaggy ; the fore-legs chestnut-brown. Stands 11 hands high. The females have a short black beard, but want the long mane. The horns of a large old male have been seen as long as 52 inches ; not uncommonly 4 feet ; and the tips distant 34 inches. One recorded by Cunningham was 3 feet 9 inches long, 1 1 inches in circumference at the base, 3 feet 2 J inches distant at the greatest interval, and the tips 2 feet 8 \ inches apart. The longest horns have three complete spiral twists. Specimens from the hills west of the Indus have the horns rounder, straighter, and with a uniform spiral twist, like that of a corkscrew, but are said not to differ otherwise. This magnificent wild goat is found on the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas, to the south of the valley of Kashmir, in the Hazara hills, and the hills on the north of th* Jhelum, and in the Wurdwan hills separa- ting the Jhelum from the Chenab river ; not extending, it is stated, further east than the sources of the Beas river, and certainly very rare further east than the Wurdwan hills. It is also abundant on all the hills to the west of the Indus, the Sulirnani range as far south as the junction of the Sutlej with the Indus, and extending north into Afghanistan. It is also found in Ladak, but not apparently further east. The Markhor associates in small herds, frequenting steep and rocky * Cunningham, I see, also suggests the same specific name. " Travels in Ladak." U2 292 CAPRINE. hills above the forest region in summer, but in winter descending to the bare spots in the wooded regions. It is much sought after by sportsmen, and the horns considered a great trophy. A male Markhor is now living in the Zoological Gardens, at London, and has bred with the common goat. Capra cegagrus, Gmelin, considered by some to be the original of the domestic goat, is a native of Persia and other parts of Central and Western Asia. The next group is that of the Ibex, which has sometimes been separated generically from the true wild goats, there being several allied species all with the same character of horn, viz., very long, curved backwards and knotted. One species extends from Northern Asia into the Himalayas. 235. Capra sibirica. MEYER. BLYTH, Cat. 543. C. Sdkeen and Ibex Himalayana t 'BLTfm. C. Pallasii, SCHINZ. Skin, Skyin, Sakin or Iskin, of the Himalayas, generally, and Tibet ; the female Dan-mo, in Tibet. Biiz, in the upper Sutlej. Kylj in Kashmir. Tangrol, in Kulu. THE 'HIMALAYAN IBEX. Descr. The horns similar to those of the Ibex of Europe, but longer, more abruptly curved and tapering, diverging less and with more slender tips. Colour in summer light brownish with a dark line down the back ; in winter dirty yellowish -white, faintly tinged with brown or grayish. The female and young have a tinge of reddish in the brown. The beard is from 6 to 8 inches long, of shaggy black hair. About the size of the Tehr, Hemitragus Jemlaicus. Horns of the male 4 feet long occa- sionally, and 1 1 inches in circumference at the base. Those of the female about 1 foot long. A pair are recorded 4 feet long.* The Himalayan Ibex is found throughout the Himalayas from Kashmir to Nepal, at all events. In the west of Kashmir it is rare, and is not found, it is asserted, to the west of the Jhelum river, the Markhor, which has its eastern limit in Kashmir, taking its place. It is found, however, in the Pir Panjal range, and a few in the range of hills north of Baramulla ; and more numerous in the Wurdwan ranges, east of Kashmir ; it is abundant in parts of Kunawur, on some of the ranges on both sides of the Sutlej ; * Proc. Zool. Society, 1840, p. 80. CAPRA SIBIRICA. 293 and also near the seurce of the Ganges, where, however, it is rare. It occurs in many other localities on the south side of the great Himalayan chain, and is not restricted, as stated, to the Tibetan slopes of the Himalayas ; where, however, it is more numerous than in the ranges to the south. It extends through Central Asia to Siberia. The Himalayan Ibex is " agile and graceful in its movements," says Colonel Markham, " and frequents the highest ground near the snows where food is to be obtained. The sexes live apart generally, often in flocks of one hundred and more. In October the males descend and mix with the females, which have generally twins in June and July. It is an exceedingly wary and timid animal, and can make its way in an almost miraculous manner over the most inaccessible-looking ground. No animal excels the Ibex in endurance and agility." Adams states that many are killed by avalanches, and that they are much preyed on by the Panther (i. e. the Ounce). He also states that the female has in general only one kid. I have only seen the Ibex near Chini, in the Sutlej valley. In some of the villages high up the valleys there, many are killed every year during the winter, and their horns may be seen hung up on all the temples. Mr. Vigne states that one or two hundred are killed yearly in Balti, in winter, when forced to descend to the valleys. In Ladak they are snared at night, and shot in the gray dawn of the morning when they venture down to the streams to drink, They are killed for the sake of the soft under fleece, which, in Kashmir,' is called Asali tus. This is used as a lining for shawls, for stockings, gloves, and is woven into the fine cloth called T-tisi. No wool is so rich, so soft, and so full. The hair itself is manufactured into coarse blanketing for tents, and twisted into ropes. A skin of an ibex killed in the Balti valley by Major Strutt, B.A., was much darker than any I have seen. Its general colour was a rich hair- brown, with a yellowish-white saddle on the middle of the back, and a dark mesial line ; the head, neck, and limbs were dark rich glossy sepia-brown, with a still darker central line on the front of the legs ; the belly was brown, grizzled with yellowish-white. Others were seen by Major Strutt in the same locality yet darker. The horns did not appear to differ from those of individuals of the ordinary colour. Major Strutt, who has shot many in different parts of the hills, never saw any of the dark race except in Balti. Dr. Adams in his list of animals of India and Kashmir, gives Capra 294 CAPRINE. caucasica, from Sindh and Beloochistan, but does not state if he procured specimens or not. Besides the European Ibex, Capra ibex, and the Caucasian Ibex just alluded to, other species have been recorded j viz., C. 2)yrenaica, from the Pyrenees ; C. Walie, from North Africa ; C. nubiana, &c. Domestic goats have feet-pits in the fore-feet, but not in the hind, whilst sheep have them in all four feet, and by this means, as Blyth long ago pointed out, a hind quarter of goat with the foot attached can be at once distinguished from one of sheep, a point of some domestic interest in India, where goat mutton is so often substituted for sheep. Gen. Ovis, Linnaeus. Char. Horns in both sexes, large, angular, heavily wrinkled, turned downwards almost into a circle, with their flat points directed forwards and outwards. No muffle ; no beard ; chaffron convex ; large but immobile eye-pits in some, wanting in others ; small feet-pits in all feet ; inguinal glands distinct ; two mammse. The characteristics of sheep compared with goats are, according to Hodgson, as follows : A feebler structure and more slender limbs, shorter hoofs and small false hoofs ; a larger and heavier head ; an arched chaffron ; longer and more pointed ears ; croup higher than the withers ; want of hircine odour ; paler eyes j shorter and more equal hair, and straighter back. The sheep bears change of climate ill, is incurious, staid, and timid ; does not bark trees ; and, in fighting, runs a tilt, adding the force of impulse to that of weight. Blyth remarks that all the wild races of sheep differ conspicuously from most of the domestic races by their short deer-like tail ; but the fine Hunia sheep of Tibet has a short tail, 4J to 5J inches, and the fighting ram has also a short tail. Sheep are found in Northern and Central Asia, in the South of Europe, and in Northern Africa ; and one species in the Neoarctic region. Two species are found in our province, and a third, still larger occurs on the other side of the great Snowy range. 236. Ovis cycloceros. HUTTON, Calc. J. N. H. II. pi. XIX. SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 126, with figure of the horns; and the animal figd. Illustrated Pro- ceedings of Zoological Society, pi. LXXX. BLYTH, Cat. 548. Figured OVIS CYCLOCEKOS. 295 by Wolf, Zool. Sketches. O.Vignei, BLYTH (in part). Urid or Uridl, H., in the Punjab. Koch, or Kuch, of the Sulimani range. THE OORIAL, OR PUNJAB WILD SHEEP. Descr. Male with the horns sub-triangular, much compressed laterally, transversely sulcated. They touch at ihe base, curve backwards and down- wards, then the tip is turned forwards, upwards and inwards towards the orbit. The hair strong and wiry, not woolly. General colour rufous-brown or rufous-fawn, the face livid, sides of the mouth, chin, belly, legs below the knee, white ; a blotch on the flanks, the outside of the limbs and a lateral line blackish ; a profuse black beard from the throat to the breast, intermixed with some white hairs reaching to the level of the knees. Tail short, white. Eye-pits large. The horns of the male sometimes measure above 2| feet round the curve, and are nearly 4 inches in diameter at the base. The male measures about 5 feet in length, more or less, and stands nearly 3 feet high. The female is much smaller, of a more uniform and paler fawn-brown, paler beneath, with the belly whitish ; no beard ; horns very short and nearly straight, only 3 or 4 inches long. The group to which this species and 0. Vignei belong, was formerly separated as a sub-genus^ Caprovis, Hodgson, distinguished, among other points, by the large beard and mane, and the goat-like character of the hair. This wild sheep was formerly confounded with an allied species, Ovis Vignei of Blyth, found only in highly elevated districts. Living specimens of the Punjab sheep having been presented to the London Zoological Gardens, the distinctions were seen and pointed out by Sclater, who restored the name Hutton had long'previously given it, but which I think he evidently applied to both races. The Oorial is found over the whole Salt range of the Punjab, on the Sulimani range across the Indus, the hills of the Hazara, and those in the vicinity of Peshawur. In most of these localities it occurs at a very low elevation, from 800 feet to 2,000 feet, and rarely 3,000 feet, and it is therefore capable of enduring great heat, and is fully entitled to be included in the strictly Indian Fauna. Small flocks of the Oorial may be seen not far from Jhelum. They frequent the rocky and stony hills, and are wary and shy ; but from the nature of the ground are not very difficult to stalk. The male has a loud shrill whistle, which he sounds as an alarm, and their usual call is a sort of bleat. They rut in September, and have generally twins. Seen at a little 296 CAPRINE. distance, the Oorial is a game-looking animal, looking more like an antelope than a sheep, and it is very speedy and active over rocky and stony ground. Hutton remarks that it possesses " a moderate-sized lachrymal sinus, which appears to secrete, or at all events contains, a thick gummy substance of good consistency and of a dull grayish colour. The Afghan and Belooch hunters make use of this gum, by spreading it over the pans of their matchlocks, to prevent the damp from injuring the priming." The nearly allied Ovis Vignei, Blyth, is the Sha^oo or Slid of Tibet and Ladak, Ovis montana apud Cunningham, and is not found in general below 12,000 feet of elevation in summer. It is found in the Hindoo Koosh, the Pamir range, and west as far as the Caspian Sea ; also in Ladak. Further east it is replaced by the next species. In this the horns are more strongly wrinkled, curve outwards and backwards, with divergent points, and do not tend to form so complete a circle as in cydoceros. The colour of the sheep is brownish- or reddish-gray, and its beard is short. The suborbital pits are smaller, deeper, and more rounded in cydoceros ; the nasal bones are shorter ; and the series of molar teeth is also shorter than in 0. Viynei. The next sheep was placed by Hodgson as the type of his genus Pseudovis, with smooth and sub-cylindrical horns that form a bold arc outwards, and have the tip turned backward. They have no eye-pits, and want the mane and beard of the last group. 237. Ovis Nahura. HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. 549. 0. Nahoor, HODGSON. 0. Burhel, BLYTH, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. VII. 248, with figure. -Shared and JBharur, in the Himalayas ; the male Menda. Wd or War, on the Sutlej. Nervati, in Nepal. Nd or Snd of Ladak and Tibet. THE BURHEL, OR BLUE WILD SHEEP. Descr. Horns moderately smooth, with the wrinkles not numerous, rounded, nearly touching at the base, directed upwards, backwards, and outwards with a semicircular sweep, then the rounded points are recurved forwards and inwards. Colour of the pelage dull slaty-blue, more or less tinted with fawn-colour or pale earthy-brown ; beneath yellowish-white ; the nose, front of limbs, a band along the flanks, the chest and the tip of the tail black ; the edge of the buttocks behind, and the tail, pure white. OV1S NAHURA. 297 In summer the coat is overlaid with a distinct rufous tint. In winter the coat is stated by some to be dark brown in certain localities ; thus corre- sponding with Ely th's account of 0. Burhel ; but these were probably young animals. Length of male to root of tail k\ to 5 feet; height 30 to 36 inches; head 11 inches; tail 7 ; horns 2 feet and upwards round the curve, and 12 to 13 inches in circumference at base. The female is smaller, with small, straightish, sub-erect, depressed, slightly recurved horns. The dark marks are smaller, and of less extent, and the chaffron is straighter. The young are darker and browner. The head of the Burrelis, somewhat coarse, with the chaffron arched, and a heavy muzzle. There is no mane; the knees and sternum are callous ; the limbs long and slender, and the false hoofs mere callosities. Ely th at one time, from the examination of a very dark skin, contended that there were two species confounded under the name of Burrel, but he has since reduced them to one species. He stated that his 0. Burhel was smaller, and more robust than 0. Nahoor, with a very short tail, and a harsher coat than that species. The Burrel, or blue wild sheep, is found from Sikim, and probably Bho- tan, to near Simla, but not extending further west than the valley of the Sutlej, its place being taken to the north and west by Ovis Vignei. It is found on this side the great Snowy range at the head of the Tonse river, in the Buspa valley, near the source of the Ganges, and still more abundant eastward in Kurnaon and Gurhwal, in the ranges between the Pindar and Bhagirutty rivers. It is found at great elevations, from the limits of forest to the extreme limits upwards of vegetation, in summer generally keeping to the tops of the hills, and even in winter rarely descending below the forests. These animals prefer grassy slopes to rocky ground, and associate in flocks of various size, from four or five to fifty, or even a hundred. They are timid and watchful, one or more being always on the look-out, and giving a sharp shrill whistle on being alarmed ; but they do not heed noises much, not even the report of a gun if the shooter is concealed. Early in the spring is the best time to shoot them, as the supply of grass being then small, their ground is more limited, and they are obliged to feed all day; later in the season they only feed morning and evening. The males and females sometimes associate all the year round, but generally large flocks of both sexes are met with separately, 298 CA.PRIN.E. especially in summer. They lamb in June and July, commonly producing two young. When in rocky ground, there are few animals " which appear to move with more ease and facility. On the faces of almost perpendicular cliffs of the wildest character, it leaps from rock to rock with scarce an apparent effort. In winter, when snowed in, they actually browse the hair off each others' bellies, many together having retired under the shelter of some over- hanging rock, from which they come out wretchedly poor."* The same sportsman, writing of the supposed difference between the Ovis Nahoor and 0. urhel, states that, near Gangootrie, he saw some sheep which appeared to differ slightly from the others, being apparently shorter, more bulky and stouter, particularly about the head and neck, and the horns shorter and more curved : on the same hills he saw females without horns. The shikarees called them Moossa menda, to distinguish them from the common Menda or Burrel. The Burrel gets very fat in September and October, and is most excellent eating. Beyond the great central Snowy range, on the Tibet side, a magnificent wild sheep is met with. This is the Ovis AMMON, Linnaeus (0. Argali, Pallas ; 0. Ammonoides, of Hodgson j and 0. Hodgsonii, of Blyth). It is the Hyan, Nuan, Nyan, Niar, Nyund, or Gnow, as differently spelled by travellers, and pronounced in Tibet. It has not to my knowledge been killed on the Indian side of the hills (though one writer states that it has been seen near the source of the Ganges), and therefore cannot be introduced here as a member of the Indian Fauna. One is said to have been killed nearly 13 hands in height, i.e. 4 feet 4 inches ; but the more usual height is 3|- feet. One that stood this height measured 6 feet 2 inches in length ; tail with the hair 8 inches ; ear 6 ; horns along the curve 3 feet 4 inches, circumference at base 1 7 inches. Colonel Markham mentions that he has known the horns 24 inches in circumference, and that the skull and horns of one when dry weighed 40 Ib. They are also stated to be sometimes so enormous that the animal cannot feed on level ground, the horns reaching below the level of the mouth. The natives say that foxes occasionally take up their abode in an empty horn ! Those of the female do not reach more than 18 inches in length, are nearly straight, with only a slight curve. The horns of the male are much wrinkled, massive, trigonal, somewhat compressed, being * Mountaineer, in " India Sporting Review." OVIS NAHURA. 299 deeper than broad at the base. They run backwards and outwards with a bold circular sweep, and the flattened points again recurve outwards. The forehead is flat and broad, the nose scarcely arched, and the muzzle fine. The limbs are long and the tail very short. The vesture is close and thick, consisting of more or less porrect piles, concealing a scanty fleece. The colour is a brownish-gray, the sides mixed hoary and slaty gray-brown. There is a well-defined dirty- white disk on the croup, and a more or less marked dark mesial tine. The throat, neck, and breast are white, with long hair, and the rest of the lower parts are dirty white. In summer the pelage has a dull slaty tint, more or less tinged with rufous, and hoary beneath. The female is paler, and wants the long hair of the neck. This splendid sheep is never perhaps seen in summer lower than 15,000 feet of elevation, and is often found much higher in the midst of the snows, being often snowed up in winter for many days, and many perish yearly from this cause. It lives in flocks, the males and females generally apart. They run and leap like deer, it is said, but are not adapted for rocky ground, and as climbers are inferior to the Burr el. It is the shiest and wildest of all animals, and is very hard to kill. To shoot the Oms Ammon is the greatest ambition of the sportsman on the Himalayas. Cunningham states that the horns along with those of Ibex and the Sna (0. Vignei), are placed on the religious piles of stones met with in Ladak and in other Buddhist countries. Another wild Asiatic sheep is Ovis Polii, Blyth, found on the elevated plains of Pamir, east of Bokhara, 16,000 feet high. This magnificent wild sheep has immense horns, less massive but more prolonged than those of the rocky mountain sheep. The horns of one specimen were 4 feet 8 inches in length round the curvature, and 14^ inches in circum- ference at their base. It is the JKass or Roosh of Pamir. 0. Gfmelini, Blyth, from Armenia; and 0. nivicola, Eschscholtz, from Kamtschatka, are also described ; and another from the Caucasus is indicated, 0. cylin- dricornis, Blyth. Ovis Musimon, L., the Moufflon sheep, is found wild in Corsica and Sardinia, and the large 0. tragelaphus, the Aondad of the Moors, is found on the Atlas mountains in North Airica. Two species are recorded from North America, 0. montana, the Rocky-mountain sheep, and 0. Californiana. Hodgson has published a paper 011 the domestic sheep of the Hima- layas, with figures of many.* . * Jour. As. Soc. Calcutta, 1847. 300 BOVIN^E. Blyth states that he considers the fighting ram of India to be descended from 0. Vignei (cycloceros}. Hutton argues that the broad-tailed Afghan sheep, ihsDumba, was most probably the sacrificial ram of the ancient Jews. Sub-fam. BOVINE, Cattle. Horns always in both sexes, usually inclining upwards or forwards ; the osseous core cellular ; muffle large and broad ; tail moderately long ; no eye-pits ; four mammse. Of large size, heavy and massive body, limbs stout ; a dewlap often present. The horns are inserted laterally on the apex of the frontal crest. The occipital plane of the skull forms a small angle with the frontal plane. This sub-family may be further divided into three groups, the Bison- tine, the Taurine, and the Bubaline. The Bisontine group comprise the Bison of Europe and North America, the Musk-Ox of Arctic America, and the Yak of Central Asia. The true bison of Europe, Bison urus, or the Aurochs, has a broad forehead, long limbs, and a shaggy mane. It has 1 4 pairs of ribs. It is very savage, and though formerly spread over most of Europe, is now restricted to the marshy forests of Lithuania and a few other parts. The American bison, Bison americanus, is similar to the European animal, but with shorter limbs, and has one more rib, i.e. 15 pairs of ribs. It is called the Buffalo in North America. The Musk-Ox, Ovibos moschatus, is covered with long hair, stands low on its limbs, and has a very strong musky odour. It inhabits the very coldest parts of Arctic America. The Yak, Poephagus grunniens, L., is found wild on the other side of the snowy Himalayas, and has lately been shot by several of our sports- men. It is called the JBan-chowr, H. ; or Brong Dhong, in Tibet ; has the hair long, coarse, and shaggy, and the tail thick, shaggy, and black. The horns of a wild Yak measured 2 feet 4| inches round the curve, 1 foot in circumference, and the tips 1 foot 8 inches apart. Another measured head and body 9| feet ; tail 3 feet 4 inches ; height 16-J hands ; horns 30 inches; circumference of horns 15. It is found only at considerable elevations, and a wounded bull will occasionally charge his assailant, but in general it will retreat when possible. The domestic Yak (Chaori gao, H.) is much used in all the elevated districts of the Himalayas, both as milch-cattle and for burden, and breeds freely with the common cattle. The milk is remarkably rich. It is the best carriage for rugged hill -work, as they can ford a rapid stony torrent GAV^EUS GAUBUS. 301 in a way that no other animal dare attempt, and can scramble up and down rugged hills in a perfectly wonderful manner. The tails of the domestic Yak, or chowries, are much used in India to keep off flies, &c. The next group is the Taurine, subdivided by Blyth into 1. the Zebus, or humped domestic cattle ; 2. Taurus, the humpless cattle with cylin- drical horns ; and 3. Gavceus, the humpless cattle with flattened horns, peculiar to South-eastern Asia. They have all 1 3 pairs of ribs. The common humped cattle of India belong to the Zebus. In many parts of the country small her,ds of these have run wild. Localities are recorded in Mysore, Oudh, Rohilkund, Shahabad, &c., and I have lately seen and shot one in the Doab near Muzuffurnuggur. These, however, have only been wild for a few years. Near Nellore, in the Carnatic, on the sea-coast, there is a herd of cattle that have been wild for many years. The country they frequent is much covered with jungle and intersected with salt-water creeks and backwaters, and the cattle are as wild and wary as the most feral species. Their horns were very long and upright, and they were of large size. I shot one there in 1843, but had great difficulty in stalking it, and had to follow it across one or two creeks. The genus Taurus contains the cattle of Europe with cylindrical horns, including the feral race of Chillingham. The next group is that called by Blyth the flat-horned Taurines. Gen. GAVJEUS, H. Smith. Syn. JHbos, Hodgson. Char. Head large, massive; horns slightly flattened on one side (the section not cylindrical), thick, remote, spreading ; tail short ; muffle small ; dewlap small or wanting ; frontals concave ; spinous processes of the dorsal vertebrae greatly developed. Otherwise as in Taurus. This genus comprises three species peculiar to the Indian region or South-eastern Asia, one of which is common in our province. 238. G-avseus Gaurus. Bos apud HAM. SMITH. BLYTH, Cat. 506. Bibos cavifrons, HODGSON- ELLIOT, Cat. 58, with figure. -Figd. DELESSERT, Souvenirs d'un Voyage dans Tlnde. Bos Gour, TRAILL, Edin. Phil. Journal, and HARDWICKE, Zool. Journal, 111-232, pi. VII. 2.J3. Asseel, HORSFIELD. Gaur, H., 302 BOVINE. or Gauri-gai, generally through India; popularly Jangli khulgd, i.e. Jungle buffalo. Bod, at Sconce. Bern parrd, at Mundlah. Gaoiya, Mahr. Kar-kona, Can. Vana-go, quasi Ban-gau, Beng. Perd-mdoo, of Gonds in the South. Katu-yeni, Tarn. Bison of sportsmen in Madras.* THE GAUR. Descr. Horns pale greenish with black tips, curving outwards, upwards, and slightly backwards, and finally inwards. General colour dark chestnut- brown or coffee-brown ; legs from the knee downwards white. Length 9^ to 10 feet ; height at shoulder 6 feet; tail 34 inches. This magnificent animal was described by Dr. Traill, in the Ed. Philos. Journal, by General Hardwicke in the Zoological Journal, and by Geoffrey St. Hilaire, in the Mem. Museum d'Hist. Nat., all, it appears, from the same animal, one killed in Central India; but Hodgson was the first who fully defined its peculiarities ; and the following detailed account is chiefly taken from the published observations of Hodgson and Elliot. The skull is massive, the frontals large, deeply concave, surmounted by a large semi-cylindric crest rising above the base of the horns. There are 1 3 pairs of ribs. The head is square, proportionally shorter than in the Ox, the bony frontal ridge is 5 inches above the frontal plane. The muzzle is large and full, and the eyes small, with a full pupil of a pale blue colour. The whole of the head in front of the eyes is covered with a coat of close short hair of a light grayish-brown colour, which below the eyes is darker, approaching almost to black. The muzzle is grayish, and the hair is thick and short. The ears are broad and fan-shaped. The neck is sunk between the head and the back, is short, thick, and heavy. Behind the neck, and immediately above the shoulder, rises a fleshy gibbosity or hump, of the same height as the dorsal ridge. This ridge rises gradually as it goes backwards, and terminates suddenly about the middle of the back. The chest is broad, the shoulder deep and muscular, the fore-legs short, with the joints very short and strong, and the arm exceedingly large and muscular. The hair on the neck and breast, and beneath, is longer than on the body, and the skin of the throat is somewhat loose, giving the appear- ance of a slight dewlap. The fore-legs have a rufous tint behind and late- * Colonel W. Campbell states that Madras sportsmen call this animal a wild bull, and not a bison, for which he rebukes them. Now, I have always heard it called the bison, but in reality the name wild bull would be much more correctly applied to it. GAVJEUS GAURUS, 303 rally, above the white. The hind quarters are lighter and lower than the fore, falling suddenly from the termination of the dorsal ridge. The skin on the neck, shoulders, and thighs is very thick, being about 2 inches and more. The cow differs from the bull in having a slighter and more graceful head, a slender neck, no hump, and the points of the horns do not turn towards each other at the tip, but bend slightly backwards ; and they are much smaller; the legs, too, are of a purer white. The very young bull has the forehead narrower than the cow, and the bony frontal ridge scarcely perceptible. The horns too turn more upwards. In old indivi- duals the hair on the upper parts is often worn off. The skin of the under parts when uncovered is deep ochrey-yellow. A few additional measurements are added from Elliot. Length from nose to root of tail 9 feet 6 J inches ; height at shoulder 6 feet 1 J inch ; at rump 5 feet 3 inches ; tail 2 feet 10J inches ; length of dorsal ridge 3 feet 4 inches ; height of dorsal ridge 4 J inches ; head from muzzle to top of frontal ridge 2 feet If inch; breadth of forehead 1 foot 3 J inches; ear 10 J inches; circumference of horn at base 1 foot 7J inches ; distance between the points of the horns 2 feet 1 inch. The horns are smooth and polished ; and in old individuals are generally broken off at both tips. They are slightly flattened at the base. The Gaur is an inhabitant of all the large forests of India, from near Cape Comorin to the foot of the Himalayas. On the west coast of India it is abundant all along the Syhadree range or Western Ghats, both in the forests at the foot of the hills, but more especially in the upland forests, and the wooded country beyond the crest of the Ghats. The Amrnally hills, the Neelgherries, Wynaad, Coorg, the Bababooden hills, and the Maha- bleshewur hills, are all favourite haunts of this fine animal. North of this it occurs, to my own knowledge, in the jungles on the Taptee river, and neighbourhood, and, north of the Nerbudda, a few on the deeper recesses of the Yindhian mountains. On the eastern side of the peninsula it is found in the Pulney and Dindigul hills, the Shandamungalum range, the Shervaroys, and some of the hill-ranges near Yellore and the borders of Mysore. North of this, the forest being too scanty, it does not occur till the Kishna and Godavery rivers ; and hence it is to be found in suitable spots all along the range of Eastern Ghats to near Cuttack and Midna- pore, extending west far into Central India, and northwards towards the edge of the great plateau which terminates south of the Gangetic valley. 304 BOVINE. According to Hodgson, it also occurs in the Himalayan Terai, probably however only towards the eastern portion, and here it is rare, for I have spoken to many sportsmen who have hunted in various parts of the Terai, from Sikim to Rohilcund, and none have ever come across the Gaur at the foot of the Himalayas. It also occurs in the countries to the east of the Bay of Bengal, from Burmah to the Malayan peninsula. Horsfield, in his Catalogue, considered that a distinct race which he named Bibos Asseel, from the native name Asseel gayal, i.e. the genuine gayal, in contradistinction to the ordinary Gaycd, Gavceus frontalis. Blyth, however, states that he knows the indi- vidual specimen on which this supposed race was founded, and that it is only a female Gaur. It was also formerly an inhabitant of Ceylon, but has been extinct there for above 50 years. Hodgson states in the Sub-Himalayan forests it does not ascend the hills, and that it is not a mountain race at all. Sportsmen in Southern India could tell Mr. Hodgson a different account of its habits there, for it undoubtedly prefers hilly and even mountainous countries, and I have seen it killed at above 6,000 feet of elevation. The Gaur associates in herds of various numbers up to thirty and forty or more, though perhaps generally met in smaller numbers, and a bull is often seen alone. The herd generally consist of from ten to fifteen cows and a bull. They feed mostly at night, or early in the morning, chiefly on grass, but also browsing on the tender shoots of the bamboo, and during the heat of the day retire to some cool and shady spot, the thick bed of a dry nullah, a dense clump of bamboos, or long grass. Hodgson states that they never venture into the open Terai to depredate on the crops, as the wild buffaloes constantly do. In southern India, however, they do occasionally at least, according to Mr. Fisher, as quoted by Mr. W. Elliot. "The chief food of the bison seems to be various grasses, the castor-oil plant, and a species of con volvulus; but they will eat with avidity any species of grain commonly cultivated in the hills or plains, as the ryots find to their cost. The Bison is particularly fond of the Avary cotty (Dolichos fa&fo&)when in blossom; that they will invade and destroy fields of it in open daylight, in despite of any resistance the villagers can offer. In other respects it is a very inoffensive animal, rarely attacking any one it encounters, except in the case of a single bull driven from the herd. Such a one has occasionally been known to take up his location in some GAV^EUS GAURUS. 305 deep bowery jungle, and deliberately quarter himself on the cultivation of the adjacent villages. The villagers, though ready to assist Europeans in the slaughter of bison, will not themselves destroy them (the inviola- bility of the cow extending to the bison), and so bold does this freebooting animal become in consequence, that he has been known to drive the ryots from the fields, and deliberately devour the produce. But in general it is a timid animal, and it is difficult to get within gun-shot of them." The same observer also remarks: "The bison ordinarily frequents the hills, seeking the highest and coolest parts, but during the hottest weather, and when the hills are parched by the heat, or the grass con- sumed by fire, the single families in which they commonly range the hills, congregate into large herds, and strike deep into the great woods and valleys ; but after the first showers, and when verdure begins to re- appear, they again disperse and range about freely. In wet and windy weather they again resort to the valleys to escape its inclemency, and also to avoid a species of fly or gnat, which harasses them greatly. In the months of July and August they regularly descend to the plains for the purpose of licking the earth impregnated with natron or soda, which seems as essential to their well-doing as common salt is to the domestic animal when kept in hilly tracts." The breeding season appears to be in the cold weather, and the young are born from June to October, the greatest number in August. The old male drives the others from the herd at the breeding season, and the single ones seen in the jungle are young males of this description : it is probable the very old bulls are sometimes expelled alsobyyounger and stronger males. The period of gestation is said to be the same as with the cow or buffalo. Hodgson was informed that it was longer. The Gaur is, in general, one of the most timid and wary of animals, and requires to be stalked most carefully. Where the hills are grassy, with tracts of dense forest, they may be discovered occasionally, early in the morning, feeding outside the forest, or even lying down, in pretty close proximity, however, to the wood, and if very carefully approached against the wind, and perfectly noiselessly, the sportsman may get a favourable shot. Now and then too they are stalked in the depth of the forest, a good tracker following them to their mid-day lair. When disturbed, the first who perceives the intruder stamps loudly with his foot to alarm the rest, and the whole rush through the forest, breaking down every obstacle, and forcing their way with a terrible crash. When suddenly approached in 306 BOVINE. the night, they start off with a loud hissing snort. The Gowlees say that they see great numbers of bison when pasturing their herds in the neigh- bouring forest. They describe them as very timid and watchful, more so than any other wild animal, always reposing in a circle, with their heads turned outside, ready to take alarm. The bison is generally driven towards the sportsman by a line of beaters, he remaining concealed behind a tree. A wounded bison will occasionally charge, and several fatal instances are recorded ; but in general he will turn and seek safety in flight. Hodgson says that " in the Tarai, the Gaur will pursue his assailant, and if he climb a tree, will watch for a whole day/' but this account is evidently from native shikarees, and such conduct must be perfectly exceptional. Mr. Elliot remarks that " the persevering ferocity of the bison of the Sub-Hima- layan range," described by Mr. Hodgson, " is quite foreign to the cha- racter of the animal in southern forests." Various attempts have been made to rear the young Gaur, but they have all failed, the young animal never living over his third year. Blyth had a young calf at Calcutta, procured near Singapore, which he shipped for England, but it died on the voyage. An engraving of a photograph of this calf was published in the "Illustrated London News." " It was tame and tractable," says Blyth, " yet full of life and frolic." The natives of Malabar, according to Buchanan Hamilton's MSS., assert that bisons take up stones with their nostrils, and discharge them at their adversaries with the force of a musket-ball, and that the wound is always mortal ! The flesh of the Gaur is excellent if not too old, and the marrow-bones and tongue are delicacies always preserved by the successful sportsman. The Gayal or Miihun, Gavceus frontalis, is found in the hilly tracts to the east of the Burrampooter, and at the head of the valley of Assam, the Mishmi hills and their vicinity, probably extending north and east into the borders of China. It is domesticated extensively and easily, and has bred with the common Indian cattle. It is a heavy, clumsy -looking animal com- pared with the Gaur, the wild animal similarly coloured and with white legs. It browses more than the Gaur, and, unlike that, it has a small but dsitinct dewlap. The domesticated race extends south as far as the Tippera and Chittagong hills, and northwards, has been seen grazing in company with the Yak, close to the snows. It is better adapted for rocky and precipitous ground than the Gaur. Gayals have often been taken alive to Calcutta. The Bos Sylhetanus, figd. by M. F. Cuvier, is a hybrid with the Zebu. BUBALUS ARNI. 307 The Banteng, or Burmese wild cow, Gavceus sondaicus, extends north- wards as far as the interior of the Chittagong hills, where all three species meet, according to the testimony of the Rev. M. Barbe. South it extends through Burmah and the Malayan peninsula to the larger islands. The young and the cow are red in this species, which resembles the Gaur more than the Gayal, and it wants the dewlap. It is the Tsoing of the Burmese, the Gaur being the Pyaung. A young male is now living in the London Zoological Gardens. Lastly, the Buffaloes. Gen. BUBALUS, H. Smith. Char. Horns large, attached to the highest line of the frontals, inclin- ing backwards and upwards, depressed, angular, more or less horizontal ; muffle large and square ; no true dorsal ridge or hump; cranium elongated, narrow, with an excess of facial over the frontal and cerebral portion ; the frontals form a somewhat obtuse angle with the occipital plane. Thirteen pairs of ribs. 239. Bubalus Ami. Bos apud KERR and SHAW. B. Buffelus apud BLYTH, Cat. 508.' B. Bubalus, Auct. wild var. Arna, the male, Ami, the female, H. Jangli bhyns, vulgb, H. Mung, of Bhagulpore. Gera erumi, of Gonds. THE WILD BUFFALO. Descr. Forehead convex, rounded ; horns large, black ; general colour dark blackish-slaty; hair scanty, black. Length 10 J feet and upwards from snout to root of tail, which is short, not extending lower than the hock ; tufts of hair on the forehead, over the eyes, and on the knees. Height at shoulder up to 6-J feet. The horns are of two kinds the one very long, nearly straight, well thrown back, var. Macrocerus of Hodgson the other much shorter and well curved, more directed upwards, var. Spirocerus, Hodgson. Individuals with the longest horns are chiefly found in Assam and the countries to the eastward. A single horn in the British Museum, figured Phil. Trans, for 1727, is 6 feet 6 inches long. The head of another, also in the British Museum, and killed by Colonel Mathie in Assam, measured as follows : Round the outside of both horns and over forehead, 12 feet x 2 308 BOVINE. 2 inches ; circumference of right horn at the base 1 foot 8 J inches ; width of forehead 11 inches ; skull 2 feet 4 inches long. The horns of the spiral race are rarely much more than 3 feet long each. The wild buffalo is found in the swampy Terai at the foot of the hills, from Bhotan to Oude ; also, in the plains of lower Bengal as far west as Tirhoot, but increasing in numbers to the eastwards, on the Burrampooter, and in the Bengal Sunderbuns. It also occurs here and there through the eastern portion of the table-land of Central India, from Midnapore to Raepore, and thence extending south nearly to the Godavery. South and west of this it does not, to my knowledge, occur in India, but a few are found in the north and north-east of Ceylon. " The Arna," says Mr. Hodgson, " inhabits the margin rather than the interior of primaeval forests. They never ascend the mountains, and ad- here, like the Hhinoceros, to the most swampy sites of the districts they inhabit. It ruts in autumn, the female gestating 10 months, and produces one or two young in summer. It lives in large herds, but in the season of love, the most lusty males lead off and appropriate several females, with which they form small herds for the time. The bull is of such power and vigour as by his charge frequently to prostrate a good-sized elephant. They are uniformly in high condition, so unlike the leanness and angu- larity of the domestic buffalo, even at its best." Mr. Blyth states it as his opinion that, except in the valley of the Ganges and Burrampooter, it has been introduced and become feral. With this view I cannot agree, and had Mr. Blyth seen the huge buffaloes I saw on the Indrawutty river (in 1857), he would, I think, have changed his opinion. They have hitherto not been recorded south of Raepore, but where I saw them is nearly 200 miles south. I doubt if they cross the Godavery river. I have seen them repeatedly, and killed several in the Purneah district. Here they frequent the immense tracts of long grass abounding in dense, swampy thickets, bristling with canes and wild roses; and in these spots, or in the long elephant-grass on the bank of j heels, the buffaloes lie during the heat of the day. They feed chiefly at night or early in the morning, often making sad havoc in the fields, and retire in general before the sun is high. They are by no means shy (unless they have been much hunted), and even on an elephant, without which they could not be successfully hunted, may often be approached within good shooting distance. A wound- ed one will occasionally charge the elephant, and as I have heard from BUBALUS ARNI. 309 many sportsmen will sometimes overthrow the elephant. I have been charged by a small herd, but a shot or two as they are advancing will usually scatter them. Hodgson remarks that " there is no animal upon which ages of domes- tication have made so small an impression as upon the Buffalo, the tame species being still most clearly referrible to the wild ones." He also states that the tame buffaloes when driven to the forests to be depastured have intercourse with the wild bulls, and the breed is thus improved. In Purneah I was informed, however, that the wild buffalo dislike the presence of tame ones exceedingly, and will even retire from the spot where the tame ones are feeding. The domestic buffalo is extensively used in India both for draught and as milch cattle, and its milk is richer than that of the cow of India. Some of the hill races, such as those on the ISTeelgherries, are very fine animals, resembling the wild buffalo ; and many along the crests of the Western Ghats, and elsewhere, are seen with white legs like the Gaur. The Cape buffalo, B. cafer, has very large horns, which nearly cover the forehead. Another African species is B. brachyceros, Gray. 310 SIRENIA. SUB-ORD. SIRENIA. Herbivorous Cetacea. Nostrils opening in the upper lip. Teeth of two kinds ; incisors pre- ceded by milk-teeth, and molars with flat crowns. Two pectoral mammae. Body slightly hairy, and bristly moustachios on the lips. No hind limbs. Posterior part of body ending in a horizontal cartilaginous fin ; anterior limbs in the form of fins or flappers. The bones of the skull are dense and massive, aud the intermaxillaries large. They are only loosely connected together, and this, with the generally dense nature of the other bones, and their not having medullary cavities, shows a reptile-like condition. There are traces of pelvic bones in all. The bony nostrils open near the summit of the cranium. There is a short but distinct neck. The number of ribs is large nineteen pairs in some. The stomach is divided into four sacs, of which two are lateral ; they possess a large caecum, and the intestinal canal is long. The herbivorous Cetacea approach in structure perhaps nearest to some of the pachydermatous Ungulata, near which they might have been placed, but I have thought it more advisable to bring them in here at the con- clusion of the order Ungulata. They feed entirely on plants, either plucked at the bottom of the sea, or on rocks laid bare by the retreat of the tide, and they do not venture far out to sea, but keep near the shore and the mouths of large rivers. Their pectoral mammae, and the peculiar physiognomy of these animals as observed when they raise their bodies partially out of water, have pro- bably led to the fabulous accounts by mariners of Tritons, Sirens, and Mermaids. One species has been observed on the southern coasts of India. Gen. HALICORE, Illiger. Syn. Dugongus, Tiedimann. Char. Two large upper incisors in the adult; none in the lower jaw. g j No canines. Molars in the young, fewer in the adult, flat; body o o elongated ; pectoral fin without claws; caudal fin lunate, broad. The incisive teeth assume the form of pointed tusks, but are nearly covered by the thick fleshy lipp, which are bristled with moustaches. The milk incisors are stated by Kelaart to be , and in the adult HALICORE DUGONG. 311 2 o the molars are only The grinding surface has a ring of enamel 2 2 at the circumference, and a slightly excavated centre of ivory. The tongue is spiny in front, and has a curious horny process on each side of its base. The stomach is double, the cardiac portion large, the pyloric narrower, with two tubiform csecal prolongations : it is divided into distinct compartments. The caecum is simple and cordiform. The heart is deeply cleft, separating the ventricles. The superficial air- vessels of the lungs are large and turtle-like; and the lungs and bronchi generally are like those of the Turtles. The organs of generation resemble those of Muminantia. There is a nyctitating membrane. 240. Halicore Dugong. Trichechus apud ERXLEBEN. BLYTH, Cat. 472. Fig. F. CUVIER, Mamm. II. 120. H. cetacea, ILLIGER. H. indica, DESMAREST, figd HARDWICKE, 111. Ind. Zool. THE DUGONG OR DUYANG. Descr. Skin uniform bluish, sometimes blotched with white beneath, or pale fulvous with white upper parts ; eyes very small ; incisors nearly concealed ; a few scattered bristles on the body. With eighteen pairs of ribs (Kelaart). Up to 9 or 10 feet in length and upwards; usually 5 to 7 feet. The Dugong has been taken on the Andaman Islands, in Ceylon, and on the west coast of India as high, it is stated, as the Concan; i. e., the coast of Canara. It appears that they are known as Seals, and found along the shore, and in the salt-water inlets of the Concan and south Malabar. It is said to feed on the vegetable matter found about the rocks, and also to bask and sleep in the morning sun. The Seal of Forbes (Oriental Memoirs) appears to be the Otter. The flesh of the Dugong is highly esteemed. It is tolerably abundant in Ceylon, where called Talla maha ; and in the Malayan regions at Singapore, &c. The female gives birth to one young only at a time, and is said to show strong affection for her young, Sir J. Tennent, in his Natural History of Ceylon, figures a Dugong holding her young. Another species recorded is Halicore tabernaculi, Eiippell, from the Red Sea, so named by him because he considers it to be the animal with whose skin the tabernacle was veiled. 312 SIREN1A. Another species numerous on the coasts of Australia is Halicore australis. It is stated to be bluish on the back, with a white breast and belly. It -grows to 18 or 20 feet in length. The oil obtained from the fat is highly prized. The other herbivorous Cetacea are the Manatis (Manatus, Cuvier). There are two or three species, from the mouths of rivers in Africa and America. They have vestiges of nails on their swimming-paws, and the adults have no incisors. The Stellerines (Rytina, Illiger) are now extinct. EDENTATA. 313 ORD. EDENTATA. Bruta in part, Linnaeus. No teeth in the front of the jaws in any, and altogether wanting in some. Toes with large, curved, and often compressed claws. The Edentata are not uniformly toothless, except the Ant-eaters and the Pangolins, but they never have any incisors or teeth in the front of their jaws, and the molars, when present, are mono-phyodont, i.e., are never displaced by a second series, but are without enamel or distin<$ roots, having a hollo w base, and growing continually. Their huge claws are some- thing of the nature of hoofs. Mr. Fry considers that the Edentata are in many points of their structure nearly related to Reptiles, in opposition to Owen, who stated that they offered several relations to Birds.* They are divided into two groups, the Tardigrada, or Sloths ; and the EJfodientia, or Burrowers. The former consists of a single family, the BRADYPODIDJE, or Sloths. These are peculiar to America, and live entirely on vegetable matter. They have a short face, sharp canines, and cylindrical molars. Their toes are completely joined by the skin, their fore limbs longer than their hind ex tremities, the pelvis large, and the thighs directed outwards. They have huge claws. They have two pectoral mammae. They are evidently made for hanging on the branches of trees, and their long arms are of use to gather the leaves on which they browse. They have long and shaggy hair. Some have three claws on their fore-feet, others only two. Their stomach is enormous and divided into four compartments ; the intestines are short, and there is no caecum. They are only found in the forests of the warmer regions of South America. The Effodientia have the muzzle long and narrow. They are divided into the folio wing families : Dasypodidce, or Armadillos; and Orycteropo- didce, or Cape Ant-eaters, both with molar teeth j and the Myrmecophagidce and Manididce, or the Ant-eaters of the new and old world, respectively, without any teeth at all. The Armadillos (DASYPODID^E) are covered with a scaly and bony shell divided more or less into compartments ; the muzzle is tolerably long ; the molars cylindrical, 7 or 8 on each side in both jaws ; large ears, and great claws, 4 or 5 on the fore-feet, always 5 posteriorly. The tongue is but * Proceedings Zoo., Soc., 1846. 314 MANIDID^E. little extensile ; their stomach is simple, and they have no caecum. They all inhabit South America, and live chiefly on insects. There are some twenty species, divided into several genera. The Cape ant-eaters, Orycteropidce, have molars, and flat claws, but otherwise are similar to the true ant-eaters, and have a somewhat extensile tongue. Their teeth are cylindrical and solid, but traversed by numerous little longitudinal canals. The stomach is simple and the caecum small. They comprise only one genus. The next two families are totally unprovided with teeth. Fam. MANIDID^, Pangolins. No teeth. Body and tail covered with large, imbricate, horny scales; tail long. Tongue round, exsertile. Ears small, mostly indistinct. Two pectoral mammae. All feet with five toes. The scales are evidently, from their structure, a congeries of agglu- tinated hairs. They have the power of rolling themselves into a ball. The stomach is slightly divided in the middle, and they have no caecum. They are found in India and Africa. Gen. MANIS, Linnaeus. Char. Those of the order, of which it is the only genus. 241. Manis pentadactyla. LINNAEUS. BLYTH, Cat. 553. Manis crassicaudata, GRIFFITHS, apud ELLIOT, Cat. 47. M. macroura, DESMAREST. M. brachyura, ERXLE- BEN. M. laticaudata, ILLIGER. M. inaurita, HODGSON. Pangolinua typus, LESSON. ajar-kit, Sansc. and H. Bajra kapta, in some parts. tiillu, H., in other parts ; also Sukunkhtir. Sal Sdlu, H., in the south. Shdlmd, of the Bauris. Armoi, of the Coles. Kauli mah, or Kowli manjra, and Kassoli manjur, Mahr. Alawa, Tel. A langu, Mai. Vulg6 Banrohu, in the Deccan, i.e., the jungle carp. Keyot-mach, in Rungpore, i.e., the fish of the Keyots. Kat-pohu, or timber animal, in other parts of Bengal. THE INDIAN SCALY ANT-EATER. Descr. Tail shorter than the body, very broad at the base, with 16 or MANIS PENTADACTYLA. 315 17 scales in each longitudinal line; 16 scales on the dorsal series in 10 or 1 1 rows ; middle nail of the fore-feet much stronger than the others. Scales thick, striated at the base, pale yellowish -brown or horny clay-colour; the lower side of the head, body, and feet nude, brownish- white ; nose fleshy ; soles of the hind-feet blackish ; auricles indistinct. Length of one, head and body 26 inches; tail 18. A female measuring 40 inches weighed 21 Ib. The common Pangolin, or Scaly Ant-eater, is found throughout the whole of India, most common perhaps in somewhat hilly districts, but no- where abundant. It appears to extend into the lower Himalayas, for both this and the next species were found by Hodgson in Nepal. It is strictly nocturnal, and feeds almost exclusively on ants, especially the white ants (termites). Its gait in walking is very peculiar, the back arched, the fore-feet with their anterior surface bent over and brought into contact with the ground, on which it progresses very slowly. Tickell has given (Journ. As. Soc., xi. 221) a very good account of this animal, with characteristic figures. Mr. Elliot says : " The Manis burrows in the ground in a slanting direction to a depth of from 8 to 12 feet from the surface, at the end of which is a large chamber about 6 feet in circumference, in which they live in pairs, and where they may be found with one or two young ones about the months of January, February, and March. They close up the entrance of the burrow with earth when in it, so that it would be difficult to find them but for the peculiar track they leave. A female I kept alive for some time slept during the day, but was restless all night. It would not eat the termites or white ants put into its box, nor even the large black ants (Myrmica indefessa, Sykes), though its excrement was at first full of them. But it would lap the water that was offered to it by rapidly dart- ing out its long, extensile tongue, which it repeated so quickly as to fill the water with froth. When first it came, it made a sort of hissing noise if disturbed, and rolled itself up, the head between the fore-legs, and the tail round the whole." The name of Bajar-kit means stone or hard reptile, from its scales. It is popularly believed to eat stones, and these are sometimes found in its stomach. Dr. Burt, in a paper in the 2nd vol. of the Asiatic Researches, gravely propounds the question whether it cannot live entirely on mineral substances. Its flesh is considered aphrodisiac by the natives ; and it is much infested by a blue tick. 316 MANIDID.fi. I add a few anatomical observations taken from Tickell and others. The tongue is 12 inches long, flattish or subcylindric, extensile, gene- rally covered with a slightly viscid saliva. There is a strong, opaque nycti- tating membrane. The right or pyloric side of the stomach is immensely muscular, almost cartilaginous in structure, like the gizzard of a bird j the left side is thin and membranous. The cardiac and pyloric orifices are approximate. The gall-bladder is very large, as are the kidneys. The penis is not apparent externally ; and the faeces are long, black, truncated cylinders. 242. Manis aurita. HODGSON. BLYTH, Cat. 554, olim M. Javanica. THE SIKIM SCALY ANT-EATER. Descr. Tail a little shorter than head and body, not quite so thick at the base as the last, with five rows of scales about 20 in number in each row ; 15 to 17 rows of scales in a line on the back, most of them with a few whitish hairs or bristles beneath them, especially in young individuals. Muzzle very acute ; ears conspicuous, large ; all the anterior claws large, especially the middle one, and the next outer; posterior claws small. There is a less-marked difference in the size of the scales of the head and neck and body than in pentad acty la, in which the scales of the head are very much smaller. Length of one, head and body 19 inches ; tail 15. This species of Manis was described by Hodgson in one of his earliest papers, but it is not enumerated in either edition of the Catalogue of Hodgson's Collections, whilst M. pentadactyla is given, a decision which that gentleman appears to accept in the annotated copy of the new edi- tion of his Catalogue, kindly forwarded to nie. I suspect that it is rare in Nepal, and that probably he did not procure it latterly, but he evidently had both species before him when he named them respectively aurita and inaurita, on the more or less prominence of the auricle, which character is very evident in fresh specimens.* Blyth too had considered the few specimens he had seen from other localities than the Himalayas, as the M. Javanica of authors. I procured one fine specimen near Darjeeling, as well as other smaller ones, on examining which, in company with Mr. * Probably some at least of Hodgson's specimens at the British Museum, or elsewhere, will turn out to be this species. MANIS AURITA. 317 Blyth, we perceived that they were Hodgson's species, and identical with Blyth's Javanica, and that his leucura was true Javanica. This Manis appears to be the only species in Sikim, and thence extends through the Indo-Chinese countries to China itself. My specimens were procured about the level of 3,000 feet above the sea. In China it is called Ling-li, or the Hill -carp, which I mention to show how similar resem- blances appear to strike different races, the common Manis being called the jungle-carp in the south of India. Dr. Adams* states that this Pangolin is sold in the markets at Canton, its scales being considered medicinal, and the flesh is said to be excellent. The same observer gives a few anatomical notices of a female procured by him. This had the small intestines 10 feet 10 inches long, the large intestines 10 inches ; the uterus two-horned, and the vagina long and muscular. It was furnished with a sac close to the anus, opening by a transverse, linear slit, studded with papillae, and with the scent of the peculiar odour of the animal, which is alliaceous. Manis javanica, Desmarest (leucura, Blyth), inhabits Burmah, and the Malayan peninsula and islands. M. leptura, Blyth, is probably African, and there are several other species from that continent. The Ant-eaters of America, Myrmecophagidce, are clad with long hair, and have long tails, with a very elongated, slender muzzle. The largest species, the Maned Ant-eater, Myrmecophaga jubata, is terrestrial. The Tamandua, M. tetradactyla, L., has the tail naked at the tip and pre- hensile, and it ascends trees, hanging from the branches. M. didactyla, L., is only the size of a rat, and is stated to have undoubted affinities for the Sloths. The only group of Mammals not previously referred to, is that most re- markable tribe, the Marsupials, MARSUPIALIA, which, with some, constitute a class of nearly equal value with the previous orders, viz., the Implacentals. In most of these animals the young are expelled from the uterus at a very early period of their development. Incapable of motion and barely exhi- biting the rudiments of limbs and other external organs, these minute offspring attach themselves to the teats of their mother, and remain fixed there until they have acquired a degree of development analogous to that in which other animals are born. The skin of the abdomen is almost * Proceedings Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 132. * 318 MARSUPIALTA. always so disposed round the mammae as to form a pouch, in which these imperfect young are preserved as in a second uterus ; and into which, long after they can walk, they retire for shelter, on the apprehension of danger. Two peculiar bones attached to the pubis, and interposed between the muscles of the abdomen, support the pouch and prevent inconvenient pres- sure of the young, when grown, upon the bowels. These bones are also found in the male, and even in those species in which the fold that forms the pouch is scarcely visible. The matrix of the animals of this order does not open by a single orifice into the extremity of the vagina, but communicates with this canal by two bent lateral tubes. The premature birth of the young appears to depend on this singular organization. The scrotum of the male, contrary to what obtains in other quadrupeds, hangs before the penis, which at rest is directed backwards. The members of this group are lower in their organization than any other mammiferous animals, approximating the oviparous type, and par- ticularly reptiles in sundry details of their conformation. The hemispheres of the brain, which is small, are not united by a corpus callosum ; and they are observed to be very defective in intelligence, as is indicated by their physiognomy ; the blood is returned to their heart by two prin- cipal veins, as in Birds and Reptiles; and the sutures of the skull never become united. In short, they hold an analogous relation towards other Mammalia to that which the Batrachia present to all other reptiles. Their incisor teeth frequently exceed six in number, which is the maxi- mum throughout the rest of their class, another indication of their inferiority.* Although they all show a general resemblance to each other in this peculiar structure and organization, yet they differ so much in the teeth, digestive organs, feet, and external form, that they subdivide into several distinct families, or sub-orders, which by some are ranged parallel to the orders of Placental Mammals ; and they are, by a few, looked on as degraded types of these last, or rather, that their inferiority of type is a sign of their earlier introduction, and that Nature has advanced in organi- zation since the earlier types were formed. The earliest fossil Mammals belong to this order. All are from the Australian region except one group, the Opossums, found in South America, and Central America as far north as Yirginia. * Cuvier's Animal Kingdom, English translation. MARSUPIALIA. 319 Many are exceedingly like the Insectivora in the structure of their teeth, but possess a much greater number, and the incisors especially are more numerous than in true placental mammals, being in some cases ten above and eight below. They possess canines also, and sharply tubercled molars. Such are the Opossums, PERAMELID.E, Perameles, Didelphis, Myrmecobius, &c. They mostly possess a small caecum. Others with fewer and more powerful teeth represent the Carnivora, and these want the caecum. Such are the DASYURID^E, Dasyurus, Thylacinus, Sarcophilus, and others, popularly called Wild Cats, Wolves, or Hyaenas, and native Devils. Others have two large and long incisors in the lower jaw, with pointed and trenchant edges sloping forwards, and six corresponding teeth in their upper jaw. The upper canines are long and pointed. Their diet is chiefly frugivorous, and their intestines long, with a large caecum. Such are the Phalangers and Petaurists, PHALANGISTID^E, Phalangista and Petaurus, &c., which, in spite of their numerous teeth, would, in many ways, really appear to represent the Rodents. The Wombat indeed, Phascolomys, fam. PHASCOLOMYIDJE, is a true Rodent as to its teeth. It has a caecum with a vermiform appendage. Some of large size, the Kangaroos, MACROPODID^E, Macropus, Halma- turus, and others, have the stomach complicated, formed of two elongated sacs inflated in places, and the caecum also large and inflated. They want the upper canines, and the middle incisors are short. Their fore-feet are diminutive, but the hind limbs are much developed, and with a nail like a hoof. They are gentle herbivorous animals, living in troops, and making enormous leaps. They would appear to faintly shadow forth the Ruminants. Lastly, some want teeth altogether, and were included by Cuvier among the Edentata, but are now, by universal consent, placed among Marsupials, as they possess the marsupial bones, though without a pouch. Such are the celebrated Duck-bill, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, and the curious Spiny Echidna, sometimes placed in a distinct sub-class from Marsupials, viz , Monotremata, as they possess only one external opening for all their excretions. In this and other points they somewhat resemble birds, and at one time were thought to be oviparous, but that is of course erroneous. APPENDIX. PAGE 56, No. 74. SOREX TYTLERI. This is a well-marked species. It is the common Musk-rat of Deyra, with a very strong musky odour. Page 69, No. 89. URSUS ISABELLINUS. I see that Dr. Gray, in a revision of the species of this family in the Proc. Zool. Soc., keeps isabel- linus of the Himalayas distinct from U. syriacus, as well as from U. arctos. Page 83. Gen. MUSTELA. Dr. Gray, in a late revision of the family, classes the Indian species of Mustela under the genera Vison and Gym- nopus. In the former group, he places 97, M. hemachalana and M. Hors- fieldii ; and under Gymnopus, M. Jcathiah and M. strigidorsa. I may mention here that the first-named species, M. hemachalana, is called Kran or Gran in Kashmir. Page 88, No. 101. LUTRA VULGARIS. Dr. Gray makes L. monticola, Hodgson, distinct from vulgaris, but states that the British Museum specimen, on which he founds this opinion, is in a bad state. He has also another species, BARANGIA NIPALENSIS, founded on a skull sent as that of Hodgson's L. monticola. His genus Barangia comprises Otters with hairy muzzle, rather long toes, and rudimentary claws, and is founded on L. Barang of the Malayan isles. Gray also indicates, but without any description, Lutra Kutab, Hugel, from Kashmir, which I regret to say I have not been able to procure, and there is no specimen of it in the British Museum. Page 89, No. 102. LUTRA LEPTONYX is given by Gray as Aonyx indi- gitata, Hodgson ; but he allows that the British Museum specimen is very imperfect. Page 92. The Lion has quite recently been killed as far east as the Allahabad and Jubbulpore road. Page 102, No. 107. FELIS DIARDI. Blyth has recently changed his opinion about this leopard, and now states that he considers the Hima- layan race distinct from F. Diardi vel macrocelis of Malayana. It will probably stand as F. NEBULOSA, 322 APPENDIX. Page 104. F. MABMOBATA. Blyth now is inclined to consider the Himalayan and Assamese race as distinct, but " not strongly specialized apart from marmorata ; " in this case, I presume, it will stand either as F. ChSbltoni, Gray, or F. Ogilbyi, Hodgson. Page 112, No. 115. The dimensions of a fine jungle-cat, F, chaus, killed lately at Amballa, are, total length 39 inches ; height 18 inches weight 18 Ib. Page 113, No. 116. F. CABACAL. I am assured that the red lynx occurs in the N. W. Provinces and the Punjab, and that it has been killed near Delhi, Lahore, and other places. Page 125, No. 123. PABADOXUBUS MUSANGA. Dr. Gray has an elaborate synopsis of this genus and its allies, in the Proc. Zool, Society, He makes the Indian race distinct from the Malayan one, and places it P. hermaphroditus, Pallas. He even places P. y^rehensilis, Buch. Hamilton, as distinct, though he allows that he has not seen a specimen. Of the other synonyms, he places P. Pallasii and P. musangoides as synonyms of the Malayan race, which, on very slight grounds, he classes as P. fasciatus, Desmarest. He considers P. Crossii, from India, and P. dubius, from Java, as distinct species; and referring to P. quadriscriptus of Hodgson, states that is very like P. musanga. I am still inclined to keep my nomenclature. Page 128, No. 125. P. BONDAB. Gray gives this as a true Para- doxurus. He remarks that it may be known from P. Grayi by the rigid harshness of the fur, and the dark colour of the outside of the limbs. Page 128, No. 124. P. Grayi. This is a Paguma, and P, auratus, Blainville, is a synonym. The genus Paguma is stated to differ from Paradoxurus in the form of the flesh-tooth, which is short in Paguma^ elongate in Paradoxurus. The Herpestince are placed by Gray quite distinct from the Paradoxuri, being more digitigrade, and more nearly related to the Viverridce. He divides them (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1864) into several genera, Herpestes Calogale Calictis Tcenioyale and Onychogale. HEBPESTES has the q q tail conical, with long hairs throughout, and the false molars To this 4 4 group belong No. 127, HEBPESTES GBISEUS; No. 128, HEBPESTES MONTI- COLUS ; and No. 132, H. FUSCUS. In this paper, Gray describes my H. monticolus as H. JEBDONI, and this name will have the priority. He states that it closely resembles H. Ichneumon of Egypt. The dimensions of one in the British Museum are, head and body 19 inches ; tail 17 APPENDIX. 323 H. fulvescens of Ceylon, with which I had compared it, belongs to another group, Onychogale, distinguished by its long curved claws, and stands now as 0. .Maccartkice, Gray. CALOGALE has the tail long, slender, and cylindric, with short hair, o 9 long only at the tip, and the false molars . -. To this belong j O Nos. 128 and 131, H. malaccensis and nipalensis. Gray places the former of these as CALOGALE NYULA, making it distinct from the Malacca Mungoos ; but he states that there is no specimen from Malayana in the British Museum ; so the distinction of the species is still doubtful, I think. These two forms, viz. Uerpestes and Calogale, have the flesh- tooth long and narrow. The next two forms have the flesh-tooth broad and triangular, o O CALICTIS has the false molars as in Herpestes, viz. , and the tail 4 4 thick and tapering. To this belongs No. 130, CALICTIS SMITHII, which I see is figured in the Illustrated Proceedings of the Zool. Society for 1851, pi. 31. T^ENIOGALE is described as having the whiskers small and slender j the soles of the hind feet bald ; the orbit complete ; and 42 teeth. To this belongs No. 133, T^ENIOGALE VITTICOLLIS apud Gray. Should not T^ENIOGALE give place to Mungos, previously proposed for this species ? With reference to H. thysanurus, "Wagner, from Kashmir, I may state that I have recently again procured a niongoos from the valley of Kash- mir, which is decidedly H. nipalensis. Page 141. A black wolf is occasionally seen in Tibet by sportsmen, and it is considered by the natives to be a distinct species. Two young ones, male and female, were brought from Tibet last year by Messrs. Kinloch, Rifle Brigade, and Biddulph, 19th Hussars, and are now on their way home to the Zoological Gardens. They are called Halcpo chanko by the Tibetans, *. e. the Black Wolf. Page 185, No. 171. GERBILLUS ERYTHROURUS. I forwarded a skin of this rat to Dr. Gray, British Museum, and he writes me that it is most undoubtedly his G. erythrourus, and that the skin I forwarded was the fac-simile of the type specimen'in the British Museum. Page 199, No. 180. M. RUFESCEUS. This rat is also M. decum a noides, T., apud Horsfield. Page 314, No. 241. MANIS PENTADACTYLA. This species is classed by- Pr. Gray, in a late synopsis of the family, as PHOLIDOTUS INDICUS, Gray. Y 2 324 APPENDIX. The genus Pholidotus is stated to differ from Manis in having the upper part of the fore and hind feet covered with scales to the toes, whilst in Manis, as restricted, the fore feet are hairy, without scales. The scales of the body too are said to be shorter and broader than in Manis. Page 316. M. aurita is placed as PHOLIDOTUS DALMANNI, Manis Dalmanni, Sundevall, described from China. Gray states that the skull is stouter and more solid than in the last species, and that the nasal bones are more rounded. He also considers that le Pangolin, figured by Buffon, vol. x. t. 34, is intended to represent this species, and not the common one. The following species of Cetacea have been described by Owen from collections made by Walter Elliot on the East coast, mostly near Viza- gapatam. DELPHINUS GODAMA. D. LENTIGINOSUS. D. MACULIVENTER. D. FUSIFORMIS. D. POMEEGRA. PHOCLENA BREVIROSTRIS. PHYSETER (EUPHYSETES) SIMUS. I regret not to be able to furnish descriptions of these. ENGLISH INDEX. PAGE Ant-eater, Scaly 314 Antelope 271 Common do 276 Four-horned do 274 Ass, wild 236 Badger 79 Hog-badger 77 Barasingha 250 Bats 16 Bears 69 Cat-bear 74 Bison 302 Boar, wild 241 Buck, black 276 Buffalo, wild 307 Bull, wild 302 Burhel sheep 296 Cats 103 Bear-cat 330 Civet-cat 120 Tree-cat 126 Cattle 300 Chamois, Himalayan 285 Cheeta 114 Chikara 280 Civets 120 Deer 248 Barasingha deer 250 Barking do 264 Hog do 263 Mouse do 269 Musk do 266 Samberdo 256 Spotted do 261 Swamp do 254 Dog, wild 145 PAGE Dolphins 157 Dugong 341 Elephant 229 Foxes 149 Flying do 18 Gaur 302 Gazelle 280 Goats 282 Forest goat 283 Himalayan do 286 Neelgherry do 288 Markhordo 291 Gooral 285 Hares 223 Hedgehogs 62 Hysena 118 Ibex 292 Jackal 142 Jerboa rat 185 Lemur 14 Leopard 97 Hunting do 114 Snow do 101 Lion 91 Lynx 113 Markhor 291 Marmot 181 Marten 82 Mice 202 Mole 50 Monkeys 3 Mungoos 132 326 INDEX. Musk-rat .. 53 Nil-gai 272 Oorial 295 Otters 86 Ounce 101 Pangolin 314 Pig, wild 241 Porcupine 218 Porpoise 144 Rats 184 Bamboo do 214 Bandicoot do 193 Bush do 212 Field do 213 Mole do 187 Treedo 198 Rhinoceros ., .. 232 PAGE Samber 256 Serow 284 Sheep, wild 294 Oorial do 295 Blue do 296 Shrews 52 Tree Shrews 64 Squirrels 165 Flyingdo 174 Tehr 286 Tiger 92 Voles 215 Weasel 83 Whales 161 Wolf 140 Wolverine 80 INDEX. SYNONYMS ARE IN ITALICS. PAGE Acanthionjavanicum 221 Ailurus fulgens... 74 ochraceus ib, Antilope 275 A. arabica 280 Bennetii , ib. bezoartica 275 bubalina 283 cervicapra .-.. 275 chickara 274 Christii 280 dorcas ib. Duvancelii 285 yoral ib. hazenna 280 picta 272 quadricornis 274 sub-quadricornutus ib. thar 283 tragocamelus 272 Antilopinse 271 Aonyx Horsfieldii 89 A. indigitata 321 siJcimensis 89 Arctictis 130 A. binturong ib. Arctomydinae 181 Arctomys ib. A. bobac ib. caudatus , ib. himachalanus 182 tibetanus , ib. Arctonyx 77 A. collaris , ib. PAGE A. isonyx .............................. . ..... 77 Arvicola .................................... 216 A. indica .................................... 187 Roylei .................................... 216 thricotis ................................. ib. Arvicolinse ................................. 215 Asinus indicus .............................. 236 Axis .......................................... 260 A. maculatus .............................. i6. major ........ . ............ . ...... ....... ib. minor .................................... ib. porcinus ................................. 262 B. 161 Baleenoptera ................................. ib. B. indica .................................... ib. Barangia nipalensis ..................... 321 Barbastellus .... ............ . ................. 47 B. communis .............................. 48 Bibos cavifrons .............................. 301 Bos Ami .................................... 307 B. asseel .................................... 301 buffelus ................................. 307 gaur ....................................... 301 BOVID.E .................................... 270 Bovinse ....................................... 300 Bradypus ursinus ............ . .............. 72 Bubalus ....................................... 307 B. Arni..,, ............. ib. C. Calictia 323 328 IXDEX. PAGE Calogale 323 CANID^ 138 Canis 139 C. aureus ,, 142 corsac .-. 149 dukhunensis 145 familiaris il>. JcoJcree 149 laniger 141 lupus 139 pallipes ib. rufescens 149 rutilans 145 xanthurus 149 Capra 290 C. Falconeri 291 jemlaica 286 jharal ib. megaceros 291 Pallasii 292 < sakeen ib. sibirica,. ib. ' warryato 288 CARNIVORA 67 CERVID^E 248 Cervulus % 264 C. aureus ib. Cervus 249 C. affinis 251 albipes 264 Aristotelis 256 axis 260 bahraiya 254 cashmiriensis 250 caspianus ib. dodur 262 elaphus 250 equinus 256 eurycerus 254 heterocercus 256 hippelaphus ib. *jarai ib. Lechenaultii ib. moschatus ,. 264 munjac ib. nareyanus 250 niger 262 nudipalpebra 260 oryzeus 262 PAGE C. pygargus 250 ratwa 264 saumur 256 styloceros 264 vaginalis ib. Wallichii 250 CETACEA 155 Chaus lybicus Ill C. servalinus 105 CHEIROPTERA 16 Cladobates 64 Coelops 29 C. Frithii ib. Corsira 61 C. alpina ib. nigrescens 59 Crossopus 60 C. himalaicus ib. Cuon 144 C. primcevus 145 rutilans ib. Cynopterus 20 C. marginatus ib. D. Damalis risia 272 DELPHINID,E 156 Delphinus ib. D. fusiformis 324 gangeticus 158 godama 324 lentiginosus ib. maculiventer ib. pomeegra ib. perniger 157 plumbeus ib. restrains 158 DlGITIGRADA 89 Dipus indicus 184 E. EDENTATA 313 ELEPHANTID.E 228 Elephas 229 E. asiaticus ib. indicus..., ib. INDEX. 329 PAGE 235 Equus 236 E. hemionis id. onager ib. ERINACEID^E 61 Erinaceus 62 E. collaris ib. Grayi 62 micropus 63 nudiventris ... , ib. F. FELID^E 90 Felis 91 F.affinis Ill asiaticus 91 aurata 107 bengalensis 105 caracal 113 celidogaster 103 Charltoni 104 chaus Ill Diardi 102 Duvancelli 104 erythrotis ... Ill gujratensis 91 himalayana 103 Huttoni 110 irbis 101 Jacquemontii Ill javanensis 105 Jerdoni 107 jubata 114 Jcutas Ill leo 91 leopardus 97 macrocelis 102 macroceloides ib. marmorata 104 minuta 105 moormensis 107 nebulosa 102, 321 nigrescens 107 nipalensis 105 Ogilbii 104 ornata 110 pardichrous 105 PAGE F. pardus 97 rubiginosa 108 servalina 110 sumatrana 105 Temminckii 107 tigris 92 torquata 110 uncia 101 uncioides ib. undulata 105 venatica 114 viverriceps 103 viverrina ,., , ib. G. Gazella 279 G. Bennettii 280 Gavseus 301 G. gaurus ib. Gerbillus 184 G. Cuvierii ib. erythrourus 185 Hardwickii 184 indicus ib. Globicephalus 159 G. indicus 160 Golunda 211 G. Elliotti 212 meltada 213 Gulo nipalensis 80 urva... ,. 138 H. Halicore 310 H. cetacea 311 dugong ib. indica ib. Helictis 80 H. nipalensis ib. Hemitragus 286 H. hylocrius 288 jemlaicus 286 quadrimammis ib. Herpestes 131 H. auro-punctatus 136 Elliotti 135 fuscus 136 330 INDEX. PAGE H. griseus , 132 Jerdoni 322 malaccensis 134 monticolus 135 nipalensis 136 nyula 134 pallidus 132 pallipes 136 rubigiuosus 135 Smithii ib. vitticollis 137 Hipposideros 27 H. apiculatus ib. anniger ib. cineraceus 28 murinus ib. nobilis 27 penicillalus ib. speoris ib. Hysena 118 H. striata ib. vulgaris ib. Hyseninse 117 Hylogale 64 HYSTRICID^E 218 Hystrix ib. H. alophus 221 -- bengalensis 220 hirsutirostris 218 Hodgsoni 221 indica 218 leucura ib. longicauda 221 malabarica 220 zeylanensis 219 I. Ibex himalayanus 292 Ictides ater 130 INSECTIVORA 49 Inuus 9 I. Pelops 11 Rhesus ib. ^ Silenus 10 K. Kemas 283 hylocrius 288 Kerivoula 42 K. pallida 43 papillosa ib. picta ib- SyJcesii 35 L. Lagomys 226 L. Hodgsoni ib. nipalensis ib. Roylei ib. Lasiurus 40 L. Pearsoni , ib. Leggada 207 L. Jerdoni 209 lepida ib. -platythrix 207 spinulosa 208 Lemur ceylonicus 15 L. gracilis *& tardigradus 14 LEMURID^E 13 Leopardus dosul 104 L.Elliotti 105 inconspicuus HO Reevesii 105 varius 97 LEPORID^E 223 Lepus ib. L. hispidus 226 indicus 224 macrotus ib. melanauchen 225 nigricollis ib. ruficaudatus 224 Lori s 15 L. gracilis ib. Lutra 86 L. aurobrunnea 89 chinensis 86 indica ib. indigitata 89 kutab ,. 321 leptonyx < . ; * 89 monticola 88 nair 86 tarayensis ib. vulgaris 88 IXDE1. 331 M. PAGE Macacus 12 M. assamensis 11 erythr&us ib. pelops ib' radiatus 12 rhesus 11 MANIDID^E 314 Manis ib. M. aurita 316 brachyura 314 crassicaudata ib. Dalmanni 324 inaurita 314 javanica 316 laticaudata 314 macroura ib. pentadactyla ib. Martes 81 M. flavigula 82 Gwatkinsii ib. Megaderma 21 M. carnatica 22 lyra ib. schistacea ib. spectrum ib, MELIDID^E 76 Mellivora 78 M. indica. ib. ratel ib. Melursus lybicug 72 Memimna 269 M. indica ib. Mesobema 137 Moschiola mimenoides 269 Moschus 266 M. chrysogaster , ib. leucogaster 267 memimna 269 moschiferus 266 saturatus ib. Muntjacus vaginalis 264 MURID.E 183 Murina 41 M. formosa 42 suillus 41 Murinse . ,.184 PAGE Mus 192 M. elbidiventris 206 cequicaudalii 198 arboretts 199 bactrianus 205 bandicota 193 brunneus 198 brunneusculus 199 caudatior 201 cervicolor 206 cinnamomeus 201 coffaus 212 crassipes 204 darjeelingensis 205 decumanus 195 decumanoides ib. dubius 203 dumeticola 202 Elliotti 197 flavescens 199 fulvescens 197 gerbillinus 205 hirsutus 212 homourus 204 infralineatus 197 lanuginosus 213 malabaricus 193 Manei 203 musculus ib> nemorali* 198 nemorivagus 193 nilagiricus 203 nipalensis 204 nitidus 201 niviventer 200 norvegicus 195 oleraceus 202 perchal 193 platythrix 207 plurimammis 196 povensis 202 providens 187 pyctoris ibt rattoides 194 rattus ib. rufescens 199 setifer 193 terricolor . .. 206 332 INDEX. PAGE M. Theobaldi 205 Tytleri id. urbanus 203 Mustela 83 M. Hardwickii 82 Horsfieldii 85 humeralis 83 kathiah 84 sub-hemachalana 83 strigidorsa 85 Mustelidse 81 N. Nemorhoedus 283 N. bubalina ib. goral 285 proclivus 283 Neodon 216 N. sikimensis 217 Nesokia 187 N. Hardwickii 190 Huttoni ib. indica 187 Noctilioninee 32 Noctulinia 36 N. noctula ib. Nycticebus 14 N. bengalensis ib. tardigradus ib. Nycticejus , 37 N. atratus 38 camis ib. castaneus ib. flaveolus 37 Heathii ib. isabellinus 42 luteus 37 nivicolus 39 ornatus ib. Temminckii 38 Tickelli 42 Nyctinomus 32 N. bengalensis 33 dilatatus ib. plicatus ib. tenuis ib. Nyctophilus 48 N. Geoffroyi ib. O. PAGE Onychogale 322 Osmetictisfusca 138 Ovis 294 O. Ammon 298 burhel 296 cycloceros 294 nahoor 296 nahura id. Polii 299 Vignei 295 P. Pachysoma 20 Paguma laniger < 129 Pangolinus typus 314 Papioninse 9 Paradoxurus 125 P. albifrons 130 auratus 322 bondar 128 Crossii 125 dubius a ib. Grayi 128 hermaphroditus 125 hirsutus 128 musanga 125 musangoides ib. Pennantii 128 Pallasii 125 prehensilis ib. quadriscriptus 127 typus 125 Phocsena brevirostris 324 Pholidotus Dalmanni ib. P. indicus ib. Physeter simus ib. PLANTIGRADA 68 Platacanthomys 210 P. lasiurus ib. Platanista 157 P. gangetica 158 Indi... ,. 159 Plecotus 47 P. auritus ib. darjilingensis *'# INDEX. 333 PAGE P. homochrous 47 Porcula 243 P. salvania 244 Portax 272 P. pictus ib. Presbytis 3 P. Entellus 4 Johnii 7 jubatus .. 8 Priamus 7 schistaceus 6 PRIMATES 1 Prionodon 123 P. pardicolor ib. pardochrous , id. PROBOSCIDEA 228 Pteromys 174 Y. albiventer 176 chrysothrix 177 inornatus 176 -Leachii 178 magnificus 177 petaurista 174 Philippensis ib. senex 178 Pteropus 18 P. assamensis ib. Dussumierii 20 Edwardsi 18 Leschenaultii 19 leucocephalus 18 medius ib. pyrivorus 20 seminudus 19 tittacheilus 20 Q. QUADRUMANA. R. Ratelus indicus ........................... 78 Rhinoceros ........................... ..... 232 R, asiaticus ................................. 233 indicus .................................... 232 nerms javanicus .............................. 234 sondaicus ...... . ib. PAGE R. unicorn-is 232 RHINOCEROTID.E ib. Rhinolophus 23 R. affinis 25 cinerascens ib. duJckanensis 27 lepidus 25 luctus 23 macrotis 26 mitratus 24 murinus 28 Pearsoni 25 perniger 23 Rouxi 25 rubidus ib. speoris 27 sub-badius 26 tragatus 24 Rhinopoma 29 R.Hardwickii ib. *Rhizomys 214 R. badius ib. minor ib. RODENTIA ... 163 Rucervus 284 R. Duvancelli ib. Rusa 256 R. Aristotelis ib. RUMINANTI A 245 Rusinae 253 S. SCIURID^E 165 Sciuropterus 177 S. alboniger 179 caniceps 178 fimbriatus ib. fuscocapillus 180 nobilis 177 sagitta 179 Tuviibulli ib. villosus ib. Sciurus 165 S. bicolor 168 bombayanus 167 Brodiei 167 ceylonensis 168 Delesserti . ,.173 334 INDEX, PAGE S. Elphinstonei 167 Kelaarti ]71 Layardi 172 lokriah 169 lokrioides ib. macrourus 168 macruroides ib. malabaricus 166 maximus ib. McLellandi 173 palmarutn 170 Pembertoni , 173 >*- pencillatug 170 sub-flaviventris 169 sub-lineatus 173 tristriatus 171 Scotophilinse 33 Scotophilus 34 S, cororaandelianus 35 fuliginosus 36 lobatus 35 Leisleri 34 maderaspatanus 38 pachyomus 34 scrotinus ib. Semnopithecus cucullatus 8 S. Dussumierii ib. Jiypoleucos ib. Johnii ib. jubatus ib. Silenus veter 10 Simia Enlellus 4 S.leonina 10 sinica 12 SIMIAD.E 1 SIRENIA 310 SORECTD^E 52 Sorex 53 8. aterrimus 59 caudatus 61 caerulescens 53 giganteus ib. Hodgsoni 57 indicus 53 kandianus 55 leucops 56 melanodon 58 micronyx ib. PAGE S. murinus 54 myosurus 53 nemorivagus 54 niger 56 Perro teti 58 pygmaus 57 saturatior 55 serpentarius ib. sildmensis 59 soccatus 57 Sonneratii 53 Swinhoei 54 Tytleri 56 viridescens 54 Soriculus 59 S. nigrescens ib. Stenops javanicus 14 SUID^ 240 Sus 241 S. cristatus id. indicus , id. scropha ib. vittatus ib, T. Tseniogale 323 Talpa 50 T. cryptura 51 macrura ib. micrura ib. TALPID^E 50 Taphozous 30 T. brevimanus 31 -r- Cantori ib. crassus 32 fulvidus 31 longimanus ib. melanopogon ib. pulcher ib. ' saccolaimus ib. Tetraceros 273 T.iodes 274 paccerois ib. quadricornis ib. striaticornis ib. Tigris regalis 92 Tragelaphus hippelaphus 272 Trichechus dugong 311 INDEX. 335 PAGE Tupaia 64 T. Belangeri 65 Elliott! 64 ferruginea 65 peguana z$. , 64 U. UNGULATA URSID^E ... Ursus U.ferox ... 228 63 89 70 indicus 78 isabellinus 69 labiatus 72 syriacus 69 tibetanus 70 torquatus ib. Ursitaxus inauritus 78 Urva 137 U. cancrivora ... ,.138 V. VAMPYRID^E 21 Vespertilio 44 V. alramus 35 adversus 45 altivolans 36 Belangeri 38 Blythii 45 caliginosus 44 darjilingensis 45 dasycarpus 34 formosa 42 PAGE V. keriv oula , 43 labiata 36 lasiopterus ib. Leisleri 34 marginatus 20 nqctulq 34 and 36 noctulina 38 papillosa ; , . , , 43 plicatus . . 33 siligorensis , 44 Temminckii ...,....!, 38 VESPERTILIONID^E 33 Vespertilioninsp 40 Viverra 120 V. bengalensis ib. civettina 121 civettoides 120 fusca 138 indica 122 malaccensis id. melanwus 120 orientalis ib. pallida 122 rasse ib. undulaja 120 zibetha ib. Viverrinse ib. Vulpes 149 V. bengalensis ib. ferrilatus 152 flavescens 153 himalaicus 152 leucopus 151 montanus 152 nipalensis ib. pusillus 153 WYMAN AND SONS, PKINTEES, GBBAT QTTEEN STREET, LINCOLW'S-INN FIELDS, , W.C. 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