/

■U1

Ofo.EA

THE

JOURNAL

OF THE

Bombay Natural History society

INDEX AND TITLE PAGE

' ' ' • j ’ , ^ 4 ~ F'V

VOL. XL1V

NOS. 1 & 2

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MADRAS

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Title page ... ... \

Contents of Nos. 1 and 2 of Vol. XLIV ...

List of Contributors List of Plates ... Index to Illustrations Errata

To follow frontis- piece in this order.

Index to Species

To go at the end of two numbers.

THk

JOURNAL

OF THE

Bombay Natural History Society

EDITED BY

Rev Fr. J. F. CAlUS, S.J., F.L.S., S. H. PRATER, O.B E M.L.A., J.P. and C. MCCANN, P-L.s.

VOL. XLIV

Nos. 1 & 2

Containing 2 Coloured Plates, 30 Black and White Plates, 28 Text-figures, 1 Map and 2 Graphs

Dates of Publication

Part I. (Pages 1 to 158) ... August 1943

,, 11. ( ,, 159 to 314) ... December 1943

LONDON AGENTS

DAVID NUTT, (A. G. BERRY) 212, Shaftesbury Avenue, LONDON, W.C. 2.

PRINTED AT THE DIOCESAN PRESS^ MADRAS

1944

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XLIV

No. 1

Page

The Game Fishes of India. Part XVI. By Sunder Lai Hora,

D.SC.j F.R.S. E., F.Z.S., F.R.A.S.B., F.N.I. ( With 0716 coloured

plate and three text-figures ) . .«• I

The Birds of Mysore. Part IV. By Salim Ali 9

The Larger Deer of British India. Part III. The

*

Sambar ( Rusa ). By R. I. Pocock, f.r.s. ( With three text-

figures) 27

Circumventing the Mahseer and other Sporting Fish in India and Burma. Part IV. By A. St. J. Macdonald.

( With 07ie plate ’, a map and three text-figures ) 38

On the Birds of the Karen Hills and Karenni found over 3,000 feet. Part II. By H. C. Smith, m.b.o.u.,

P. F. Garth waite and B. E. Smythies 60

Some Beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs. Part XIV.

By N. L. Bor, M.A., d.s.c., f.l.s., i.f.s., and M. B. Raizada, m.sc. ( With one coloured , two black and white

plates a7id three text-figures ) 73

The Early Stages of Indian Lepidoptera. Part XI.

By D. G. Sevastopulo, f.r.e.s.... 78

Fish Survey of Hyderabad State. Part II. By M.

Rahimuliah, m.sc., f.z.s 88

The Medicinal and Poisonous Lindenblooms of India.

By J. F. Caius, S.J., f.l.s 92

Tiger SnkRK—Galeocerdo tigrinus Muller and Henle, By

P. N. Sarangdhar, m.sc. ( With three plates) 102

Review *

Report of the Game and Game Fishes Preservation Committee on the existing species of Game in

Bengal. S.L.H Ill

Obituary: Mr. Hugh Whistler 112

Miscellaneous Notes : —

I. The record skull of an Indian Clouded Leopard (. Neofelis nebulosa Griffith). By R. I. Pocock,

F.R.S 113

II. Elephant and Bison on Roadways. By Lt.-Col.

R. C. Morris 113

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XL IV

Page

III. Occurrence of the Himalayan Tahr {Hemi tragus

jemlahicus)\n Sikkim. By Capt. C. J. T. Wrenicke 114

IV, Life span of some wild animals in captivity. By

E. S. Simon, Curator, Government Zoological

Gardens, Trivandrum 117

V. Breeding season of the Indian Sambar ( Rusa

unicolor , Kerr) 118

VI. Small Game shooting in the Salem District. By

Capt. Aubrey Buxton 119

VII. Woodpeckers feeding on fruit. By E. A. Storrs

Fox... .o 122

VIII. The eggs of the Indian Bay-Banded Cuckoo

(. Penthoceryx sonneratii). By Humayun Abdulali 12 2

IX. Green Pigeons in a Swamp. By Major E. G.

Phythian Adams, i. a 122

X. Some notes on the common Sandgrouse ( Pterocles exustus Temminck) in Kaira District. By Herschel C. Aldrich, m.d. {With a plate) 123

XI. Occurrence of the Close-barred Sandgrouse

{Pterocles lichtenstemi aiabicus Neum.) in the N.-W. F. P. By Major J. O. S. Donald 126

XII. Late stay of Snipe and weight of Pintail. By J.

Beckett, i.p....... 126

XIII. The White-fronted Goose {Anser albiirons Scop.)

in Assam. By D. J. Monta^non 126

XIV. Gynandromorphism in the Common Teal {Anas

crecca Linn.) By Salim Ali 127

XV. Occurrence of Comb Duck {Sarkidiornis melanotus

Penn.) in Mysore. By Major E. G. Phythian Adams, i.a., f.z.s 130

XVI. Red Crested Pochard {Net la ruiina Pallas) in the

Madras Presidency. By Major E. G. Phythian

Adams, i. a., f.z.s 130

XVII. Notes on the viviparity of the Common Indian Skink {Mabuya carinata Schneider). By J. L.

Bhaduri 130

XVIII. The anatomy of the duodenal region of some genera of Apoda {Amphibia). By L.S. Rama*

swami. {With two plates') 134

XIX. A note on fish mortality in the Sohan River. By

K. R. Bagchi, d.sc..„ 137

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XL1V v

Page

XX. Papilio ardurus in the Himalayas. By William

Harcourt-Bath 137

XXI. Control of Aedes egyptns (Slegomyia fasciata) or

tiger mosquito, (the carrier of yellow fever) in the Bombay Harbour by a patent mosquito proof cap and tap. By Dr. J. D. Bana, m.b., m.r.

C.S., D.P.H., d t.m. & h., i.p 139

XXII. Observations on a few cases of larval Ecdysis of the Indian Glow-Worm, Lamprophorus tene-

brosus Wlk. By J. Samuel Raj 142

XXIII. The flowering of Strobilanthes callosus Nees. By

C. McCann 143

Proceeding of the Annual General Meeting 145

No. 2

Some Beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs. Part XV.

By N. L. Bor, m a.,d.sc., f.l.s., i.f.s., and M. B. Raizada, m.sc. ( With one coloured , two black and zvhite plates and

two text-figures) 159

The Game Fishes of India. Part XVII. By Sunder Lai Hora, d.sc., f.r.s.e., f.z.s., f.r.a.s.b., f.n.i. ( With one

black and white plate and one text-figure) 164

The Larger Dear of British India. Part IV. The Chital (Axis) and the Hog-Deer (Hyelaphus). By R. J. Pocock,

f.r.s. (With 4-8 text-figures) 169

A Note on the Feeding Habits of the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus ). By Lt.-Col. R. S. P. Bates, m.b.o.u.

( With two plates) 179

‘ Light-Win Dows’ in Certain Flowers (Asclepiadaceae and

Araceae). By Charles McCann, f.l.s. (With a plate) 182

Circumventing the Masheer and other Sporting Fish in India and Burma. Part V. By A. St. J. Macdonald

( With five plates arid one text- figure) 185

The Birds of Mysore, Part V. By Salim Ali. (With one

plate) 206

On the Birds of the Karen Hills and Karenni found over 3,000 feet. Part III. By H. C. Smith, m.b.o.u.,

P. F. Garthwaite, and B. E. Smythies 221

Breeding Habits and Early Stages of the Gourami (Osphronemus goramy Lacepede). By C. V. Kulkarni, b.a.

(Hons.), M.sc,, ph.D. (With seven text-figures) 233

vi

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XLIV

Page

Some Common Indian Herbs with Notes on Their Ana- tomical Characters. Part XL By M. Sayeedud-Din.

( With three plates ) 244

Some More New Lepidoptera from S.-W. Iran, with Their Life Histories. By E. P. Wiltshire, f.r.e.s.

( With a plate ) 247

The Papaya, its Botany, Culture and Uses. By L. S. S.

Kumar and A. Abraham. ( With four plates') 252

A Few Notes about the Five Rhinoceros of the

World. By W. S. Thom 257

Effect of Different Foods on the Larval and Post- Larval Development of the Moth Prodenia litura Fab. ( Lepidoptera , Noctuidae). By A. C. Basil, m.sc.

( With two graphs) 275

Obituary : Hugh Whistler 289

Miscellaneous Notes : —

I. An interesting Tiger shoot. By Thakore Sahib

of Palitana 291

II. A Black Panther shot in Sind. By K. R. Eates,

f.z.s., m.b.o.u 291

III. On the occurrence of the Yellow-headed Fantail

Warbler (Cisticola exilis tytleri Jerdon) in the Kumaon Tarai. U.P. By B.E. Smythies 292

IV. Occurrence of the Golden Oriole and Common

Cuckoo in Sind. By N. H. Menesse, i.S.e 296

V. The distribution of the Grey Hornbill ( Tockus birostris) and Tickell’s Flower-Pecker ( Pipri - soma agile?). By Capt. R. G. Hutchinson...... 296

VI. The European Common Partridge ( Perdix perdix)

in Persia. By J. A. Cergh.. 297

VII. Description of chick, in down, of the Simla Hill Patridge {Arbor ophila torqueola miliar di). By

A. E. Jones 298

VIII. Local movements of the Painted Patridge {Fran- colinus pictus) around Bombay. By F. C. D.

Ogden 299

IX. Banding of the Lesser Florican {Sypheotides indica) in Bhavnagar State, Kathiawar. By K. S.

Dharmakumar Sinhji , 299

X. Whimbrel and Fiddler Crabs. By M. R. Raut 300

XL The moulting of Duck after arrival in India. By

Humayun Abdulali..., 300

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XL1V vii

Page

XII. Ducks of Kaira District. By Herschel C. Aldrich,

M.D 301

XIII. The Arabian Large-crested Sea Tern ( Sterna

bergii velox ) breeding off the Sind Coast. By K. R. Eates, f.z.s., m.b.o.u 302

XIV. The hatching of a Mugger, ( Crocodilus palustris).

By C. Bone 303

XV. Specific identity of the ‘ Record mahseer.’ By

S. L. Hora, d.sc.... 303

XVI. Strange breeding habits of the Cichlid Fish

/ ( Etroplus maculatus). By Lt.-Col. H. J. Rice... 304

XVII. A note on the transmission of Malaria at Ketti,

Nilgiris, 6,300 feet. By M. A. Wynter-Blyth,

m.a 307

XVIII. Butterfly migration. ( Danais melissa dravidarum

and Euplxra c. core). By W. L. French- 310

XIX. Insects in fruit eaten by birds. By J. C. M.

Gardner 311

XX. A trip to the Yala Sanctuary. By Lt.-Col. H. G.

Rossel... 311

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

VOLUME XUV Nos, 1 and 2

Page

Abdulali, Humayun ; The eggs of the Indian Bay* Banded Cuckoo ( Penthoceryx

sonneratii) 122

— — — ; The moulting of

Duck after arrival in India ... 300

Abraham, A. ; See Kumar,

L.S.S 252

Adams, Major E. G. Phy- thian, i. a., f. z. s. ; Green

Pigeon in a swamp 122

— — - ; Occurrence of Comb Duck ( Sarkidiornis melanotus

Penn.) in Mysore 130

• Red Crested

Pochard ( Netta riifina Pallas) in the Madras Presidency ... 130

Aldrich, Herschel, C., m.d. ;

Some notes on the Common Sandgrouse ( Pterocles exustus (Temminck) in Kaira District.

( With a plate ) 123

— - ; Ducks of Kaira

District 301

Ali, Salim ; The Birds of My- sore. Part IV. 9

— - — — ; Gynandromorphism in the Common Teel ( Anas

crecca Linn.) 127

— ; The Birds of My-

sore. Part V. ( With one

plate) ... ... 206

BaGchi, K. N., d.sc. ; A note on fish mortality in the Sohan

River 137

Bana, Dr. F. D., m.s.,m.r.c.s.,

D.P.H., D.T.M. & H., I.P. ;

Control of Aedes egyptus (Stegomya fasciata) or tiger mosquito, (the carrier of yel- low fever) in the Bombay

Page

Harbour by a patent mos- quito-proof cap and tap ... 139

Basu, A. C., m.sc. ; Effect of different foods on the larval and post-larval development of the moth Prodenia litura Fab. (Lepidoptera, Noctui- dce ) ( With two graphs) ... 275

Bates, Lt-Col. R. S. P., m.b.o.u. ; A note on the feed- ing habits of the Little Bittern {Ixobrychus minutus) . (With

two plates). 179

Beckett, J., i.p., ; Late stay of Snipe and weight of Pintail. 126 Bhaduri, J. L. ; Notes on the viviparity of the Common Indian Skink, (Mabuya cari -

nata Schneider) 130

Bone, C. ; The hatching of a Mugger ( Crocodilus palustris) 303 Bor, N. L., m.a., d.sc., f.l.s., i.f.s., and Raizada, m.b., m.sc. ; Some beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs. Part XIV. ( With one coloured , two black and white plates and three text-figures) 73

Part XV. With one coloured , two black and white plates and two text-Hgures) ... 159

Buxton; Capt. Aubrey; Small Game Shooting in the Salem

District 119

Caius, J. F., s.j., f.l.s. ; The Medicinal and Poisonous Lin-

denblooms of India 92

Cergh, J. A. ; The European common Partridge ( Perdix perdix) in Persia 297

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

IX

Page

Dharmakumar SiNHji, K. vS. ; Banding of the Lesser Flori- can ( Sypheotides indica) in

Bhavnagar State 299

Donald, Major J. O. S. ; Oc- currence of the Close-barred Sandgrouse ( Pterocles lich- tenstenii arabicus, Neum.) in

the N.-W.F.P. 126

Eates, K. R., f.z.s. , m.b.o.u. ;

A black Panther shot in Sind 291

; The

Arabian Large-crested Sea Tern ( Sterna bergii velox ) breeding off the Sind Coast ... 302

Fox, E. A. Storrs ; Wood- peckers feeding on Fruit ... 122

French, W. L., ; Butterfly

migration 310

Gardner, J. C. M. ; Insects in

fruit eaten by birds 311

Garth waite, P. F. ; See Smith, H.C., m.b.o.u., and Smythies, B. E. ... 60, 55, 221

Harcourt-Bath, W. ; Papilio arcturus in the Himalayas ... 137

Hora, Sunder Lal, d. sc.,

F.R.S.E., E.Z.S., F.R.A.S.B.,

f.n.i. ; The Game Fishes of India. Part XVI. {With one coloured plate and three text- figures) 1

Part XVII. {With one black and white plate and one text-

figure) 164

— ; Specific

identity of the 4 Record Mah-

seer * 303

Hutchinson, Capt. R. G. ;

The distribution of the Grey Hornbill ( Tockus birostris) and TickelPs Flower-Pecker

{Piprisoma agile) 296 * 1

Jones, A. E. ; Description of Chick, in down, of the Simla Hill Partridge {Arborophila

torqueola miliar di) 298

Kulkarni, C. V., B.A.,

(Hons.), M. sc., ph. d. ; Breeding Habits and Early

Page

Stages of the Gourami {Osph- ronemus goramy Lacepede).

{With seven text-figures)- ... 233

Kumar, L.S. S., and Abraham,

A. ; The Papaya, its Botany, Culture and Uses. ( With four

plates 252

McCann, Charles, f.l.s. ; The flowering of Strobilanthes cal-

losus Nees 143

— ‘ Light

Windows in certain flowers {Asclepidaceae and Araceae).

( With a plate) . 182

Macdonald, A. St. J. ; Cir- cumventing the Mahseer and other Sporting Fish in India and Burma. Part IV. ( With one plate , a map and three text-figures) 38

Part V. ( With five plates and one text-figure ... ... 185

Menesse, N. H., i.s.e. ; Oc- currence of the Golden Oriole _and Common Cuckoo in Sind 296

I Montagnon, D. J.; The White- fronted Goose {Anser albi- frons Scop.) in Assam ... 126

Morris, Lt.-Col. R. C. ; Ele- j phant and Bison on Roadways 313

j Ogden, F. C. D.; Local move- ments of the Painted Par- tridge {Franco linns pictus)

around Bombay 299

Pocock, R. I., f r.s. ; The Larger Deer of British India.

Part III. The Sambar (Rusa) .

{With three texU figures ... 27

— — — - - ■ ■ ; The record

skull of an Indian Clouded Leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa

Griffith) 113

; The Larger

Deer of British India, Part IV. The Chital {Axis) and the Hog Deer {Hyelaphus).

{ With 4-S text-figures) ... 169

Rahimullah, M., m.sc., f.z.s. ;

Fish Survey of Hyderabad State ... ... ... ... 88

X

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Page

Raizada, M. B., m.sc. ; See Bor, N.L., m.a., d.sc.,f.l.s.,

i.f.s 73, 359

Raj, J. Samuel; Observations on a few cases of larval Ecdy- sis of the Indian Glow-worm,

Lam prophorus t ene brosus

Wlk 142

Ramaswami, L. S. ; The ana- tomy of the duodenal region of some' genera of Apoda {Amphibia) . {With two

plates) 134

Raut, M. R. ; Whimbrel and

Fiddler Crabs 300

Rice, Lt.-Col. H. J. ; Strange breeding habits of the Cichlid Fish (Etroplus maculatus) ... 3‘) 4

Rossel, Lt.-Col. H. G. ; A trip to the Yala Sanctuary ... 311

Sarangdhar, P. N., m.sc. ;

Tiger Shark —Galeocer do tigrinus Muller and Henle.

( With three plates) 102

Sayeedud-Din, M. ; Some Common Indian Herbs with notes on their anatomical characters. {With three

• plates) 244

Sevastopulo, D. G., f.r.e.s.;

The Early Stages of Indian Lepidoptera . Part XI. ... 78

Simon, E. S., Curator, Govern- ment Zoological Gardens, Trivandrum ; Life span of some wild animals in capti- vity 117

Page

Sambar ( R u s a unicolor

Kerr) 118

S. L. H. Report of the Game and Game Fishes Preserva- tion Committee on the exist- ing species of game in Bengal 111

Smith, H.C., m.b.o.u., Garth- waite, P. F,, and SmythiEvS,

B E. ; On the Birds of the Karen Hills and Karenni found over 3,000 feet. Part II. 60

; Part III ... 221

Smythies, B. E. ; See Smith,

H.C., m.b.o.u. and Garth-

waite, P. F 60, 221

; On the

occurrence of the Yellow- headed Fantail Warbler Cisti- cola exilis tytleri Jerdon) in the Kumaon Tarai, U.P. ... 292

Thakore Sahib of Palitana ;

An interesting Tiger shoot ... 291

Thom, W. S. ; A few notes about the five Rhinoceros of

the world ... 257

Wiltshire, E. P., f.r.e.s. ;

Some more new Lepidoptera from S.-W. Iran, with then- life histories. ( With a plate) 247 Wrenicke, Capt. C. J. T. ; Occurrence of the Himalayan Tahr {Hemitragus jemlahi-

| cus) in Sikkim 114

i Wynter-BlYth, M.A., m.a. ;

A note on the transmission of ; Malaria at Ketti, Nilgiris,

| 6,300 feet. ... ... ... 307

Breeding season of the Indian

LIST OF PLATES

VOLUME XLIV

Nos. 1 and 2

PAGji

The Game Fishes of India

Plate

Circumventing

Burma

Plate

Barbus {Tor) klmdree Sykes (upper) ... ... 1

Barbus ( Tor) musullah Sykes (lower) the Mahseer and other Sporting Fish in India and

(1) A typical ‘ Golden Mahseer’ , 50 lbs. Barbus {Tor)

putitora (Hamilton).

(2) Thick-lipped ‘mahseer’, 52 lbs. Barbus ( Tor ) putitora

(Hamilton). With hyper-trophied lips,

(3) The ‘ Black mahseer’. 26 lbs. Barbus ( Tor) putitora

( Hamilton ) . Melanie form .

(4) Short gilled, deep-bodied type, 25 lbs. Barbus { Tor)

tor (Hamilton) ... ... ... 38

Plate ‘ White water ’ where large fish are usually taken.

Part of a bag taken in the rapid shown above. Two

best 30 and 25 lbs. ... ... ... 48

Plate Sketch map of water likely to be met with in most

hill rivers ... ... ... ... 49

Some Beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs

Plate XXV. The Trumpet Iioney-suckle {Lonicera sempervirens

Linn.) ... ... ... ... 73

Plate Lonicera sempervirens Linn. New Forest, Dehra

Dun ... ... ... ... 76

Plate Lonicera japonica Thunb. New Forest, Dehra

Dun ... ... ... ... 77

Tiger Shark— Galeocerdo tigrinus Muller and Henle

Plate I. A, female, 13 ft. 1 in. long, landed at Sassoon Dock,

Bombay; B, under surface of head; C, typ cal teeth of same ... ... ... ... 102

Plate II. A, uterus partly opened to show arrangement of

compartments ; B, spindle shaped, unfertilized egg within shell membrane ; C, compartment showing embryo within the water-filled sac in the shell membrane; D, embryo, 6*8 cms. long, with its umbilical cord and large yolk-sac. Note fila- ments in gill slits and spiracles ... ... 104

Plate III. A, embryo with yolk-sac and umbilical cord (advanc- ed stage). Note conspicuous tiger-like markings ;

B, 42 embryos each weighing 1 lb. are seen spread out along the mother’s body. The white bag on the left is the shark’s stomach from which were taken several basketsfull of miscellaneous and quite fresh fish. (Inset top right.) ..,

107

LIST OF PLATES

Xll

Some notes on the Common Sandgrouse ( Pterocles exustus Temminck) in Kaira District

Plate 1. Female with one chick under her wing and two

standing in front of her.

2. Male, female and three chicks attempting to es- cape by slowly creeping away

The Anatomy of the Duodenal Region of some genera of Apoda (Am- phibia)

Plate I. Anatomy of duodenal region of Apoda

Plate II. Do.

Some Beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs

Plate XV. The Cape Plumbago (Plumbago capensis Thu nb)...

Plumbago capensis Thunb. New Forest, Dehra Dun Do. Do.

India

Barbus (Tor) khudree Sykes. From Canara, Malabar

A Note on the Feeding Habits of the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) Plate 1. Ixobrychus minutus ( Linn.)

Plate II. Do.

‘ Light-Windows ’ in Certain Flowers

Plate

The Game Fishes of Plate

Plate

Circumventing

Burma

Plate

‘ Light- Windows ’ the Mahseer and other

1.

Sporting Fish in India and

Plate

A panoramic view of the famous confluence look- ing down from the bungalow.

2. Famous rocks 22 miles north of Myitkyina

3. Mali Rapid into confluence F — G is excellent

water

1. Golden or Himalayan Mahseer, Barbus (Tor)

pntitora Hamilton, 25 lbs. Because of its long

body referred to in Assam as the Greyhound type.

2. Black Mahseer. A colour variety of the Pulitor

or Golden Mahseer.

3. Chocolate Mahseer, Barbus ( Lissochilus ) hexa-

gonolepis.

4. Red Mahseer. Another colour variety of Barbus

(L) hexagonolepis

Chocolate Mahseer, Barbus ( Lissochilus ) hexagono- lepis , 16 lbs. (Left.) Golden Mahseer, Barbus tor putitora, 23 lbs. (Right.)

Thick-lipped Mahseer, Barbus tor putitora Hamil- ton (Left.)

Copper Mahseer, Barbus tor mosal Hamilton, (Right.) Note the pronounced adipose extension of the lips in the larger fish. It is a peculiarity not yet fully investigated

The Sahman Chaung. 1. View through Finlay Fleming’s estate ; 2. Hill section, holding fish from 8-10 lbs. 3. Another view of Hill section. Typical B. bola. water

Page

124

134

135

159

162

163

164

180

181

183

186

189

190

193

LIST OF PLATES

xtii

The Birds of Mysore

Plate V. 1. Little Cormorants ( Phalacvocorax niger) and

Small Egrets ( Egretta g. garzetta) on rocks in the Cauvery near Palahally Island (Seringapa- tam), the newly created Bird Sanctuary.

2. Nest and eggs (c/11) of the Spot-billed Duck {Anas poecilorhyncha) on a islet in Vanivilas Sagar (Marikanive). 6-1-1940 ... ... 216

Some Common Indian. Herbs with Notes on their Anatomical Characters Plate I. Fig. 1. — An association of Heliotropium zeylanicum

Laruk.

Fig. 2. — Heliolr opium zeylanicum Lamk ... 242

Plate II. Heliotropium zeylanicum Lawk ... ... 243

Plate III. Do. ... 244

Some more new Lcpidoptera from S.-W. Iran

Plate Figs. I. — 14. New Lepidoptera from S.-W. Iran ... 247

The Papaya, its Botany, Culture and Uses.

Plate I. Drawing showing female, hermaphrodite and male

flowers ... ... .. ... 253

Plate II. A female papaya plant nearly one year old. Due to

poor soil fertility and effect of seasonal variation the upper part is without fruit ... ... 254

Plate III. Female plant, ten months old, growing in good soil

and bearing fruits right up to the apex, and from less than two feet from the ground. (Left.)

A male plant also of the same age. Note the long pendulous inflorescences bearing numerous small flowers. (Right). ... ... ... 254

Plate IV. A male plant bearing a few female flowers and fruits at the terminal portion of infloresences pre- dominantly bearing male flowers. (Left.)

A plant with inflorescences exactly similar to the male inflorescence in appearance, but with all flowers female. (Right.)

254

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS

VOLUME XLIV Nos, 1 and 2

Page

Anas poecilorhyncha

PL V	216
Anatomy of duodenal region of
Apoda
Pl. I	134
Pl. 11	135
Axis axis
Text-fig. 4	169
Text-fig. 5	170
Text-fig. 6	173
Text-fig. 7	175
Barbus {Lisso chillis) hexagonole-
pis
Pis 189,	, 190

— mussullah

Text-fig- 1 3

tor

Text- fig. 1

- — — - mosal PI

{tor) khudree PI.

Text-fig. 3 Pl.

Text-fig. 1

_. mussullah

PL

r- r- ■ » putitora PL Pis.

3

... 191

1

7

... 164 ... 166

1

... 38

189, 191

- — — - tor Pl.

Bawanny mahseer Text*fig 2 Black mahseer Pis. ... Cervus wallichii

Text-fig. 5 Xretta g. garzetta Pl. V

... 38

4

...186, 189, 193

170

216

	Page
Fishing for mahseer
Text-fig. 1	... 47
Pis.	48, 49
Galescerdo tigrinus
PL I	... 102
Pl. II	... 105
PL III	... 107
Heliotrop ium zeylan icum
PL I	... 244
PL II	... 244
Pl. Ill	... 245
Hyelaphus porcinus
Text-fig. 7	... 175
Text-fig. 8	... 176
Ixobrychus minutus
Pl. I	... 180
Pl. II	... 181
Larger Deer antlers
Text-fig. 2	... 31
‘ Light-Windows 1
Pl.	... 183
Lonicera confusa
Text-fig. 2	... 76
- — japonica
Pl.	... . 77
Text-fig. 3	... 77
periclymenurn
Text-fig. 1	... 74
sempervirens
Pl. XIV	... 73
Pl.	... 76
New Lepidoptera from S.W.	Iran
Pl	... 247
Osphronemus goramy
Text-figs. 1-7	238,-242
Panolia eldi
Text-fig. 1	... 28
Phalacrocorax niger
Pl. V ... ...	... 216

INDEX To ILLUSTRATIONS

XV

Page i Page

Plumbago capensis

PL XV	... 159
— capensis Pis.	162, 163
— rosea Text-fig. 2	... 163
— • zeylanica Text-fig. 1	... 161
Prodenia litura Graph A	... 280
Graph B	... 282
Pterocles exustus PL	... 124
Rucervus duvaucelii Text-fig. 1	... 28

Rusa unicolor

Text-fig. 4	... 169
Text-fig. 5	... .170
— nigra
Text -fig. 1	... 28
Text-fig, 3	... 33
Silundia gangetica
Pig.	... 192
Thaocervus sehomburgki
Text-fig. 5	... 170
The Papaya
Pl. I	... 253
PL 11	... 254
PI. Ill	... 254
Pl. IV	... 254

ERRATA

VOL. XLIV— Nos. 1 & 2.

I, The Early Stages of Indian Lepidoptera~—Pt. XL Page 80, line 3, insert ‘ Soc .’ after ‘ Hist*

,, line 10, read ‘ Crocale L.’ for ‘ Crocale Cr.’

„ 82, line 25, insert * 452 ’ after ‘...Moths, v,’

,, 84) line 19, read ‘ Boerhavia ’ for ‘ Boerhaavia ’

„ 85, line 2, from bottom read ‘ somites ’ /<?r f somite

bottom line read ‘ spiracle ’ for * spiracles’

„ 86, line 39, ‘ darker, pruinosed Spiracles ’ for

‘ ...darker. Pruinosed spiracles.’

II. Misc. Note XIX. — A Note on Fish Mortality in the Sohan River . Page 137, line 5, for 1 p ’ read ‘ pH ,, 9, for ‘ p ’ read ‘ pH

„ 18, for ‘ p ’ read ’ pH ’.

III. Few Notes about the Five Rhinoceros of the World.

Page 258, line 6, from bottom of the page for ‘ 1936 ’ read ‘ 1836 \

,, 260, line 23, from bottom of the page for ‘Peter Spicer or ’

read ‘ Peter Spicer of

„ 261, line 18, from the bottom of the page, for f Ah ’

read ‘ At \

„ 262, line 2, from the top of the page for « Messrs. Hursh

& Blackett.’ read‘ Messrs. Hurst & Blackett.’

263, line 18, from the top of the page for the word ‘ needed ’ read * indeed ’.

n 265, line 3, from the bottom of the page for ‘ re bark ’ read ‘ remark ’.

„ 267, line 12, from the top of the page for ‘ Kyautpyu ’

read ‘ Kyaukpyu ’.

„ 272, line 2, from the bottom of the page for ‘ wisting ’

read ‘ twisting

„ 274, line 14, from the top of the page for i male ’ read

‘ males ’.

IV. Misc. Note No. 1. — A Black Jungle Cat from Karachi and the

Panther of Sind.

Page 585, line 10, from the top of the page for ‘ sivler-fox ’ read ‘ silver-fox ’.

590, line 4, from the bottom of the page for ‘Mutjac ’ read ‘ Muntjac ’.

591, line 3, from the top of the page for ‘ Bisson’ read ‘ Bison

I

INDEX OE SPECIES

Abroscopus

superciliaris superciliaris

Accipiter trivirgatus indicus

virgatus besra

Aceros nipalensis Acrocephalus agricola stevensi

— arundinaceus

Actitis hypoleucos

Aedes egyptus

Aegle marmelos

Aethiopsar griseus grandis Aethopyga gouldiae dabryi

nipalensis karenensis

sanguinipectus sanguini-

pectus

siparaja subsp

Page

65 64

229

23

226

62

63

214

139

79

66

69

70

69

Alcedo atthis bengalensis 225

taprobana .. 14

Alcemerops athertoni 225

Aleucis 249

Alseodaphne semicarpifolia 81

Amanda va amandava flavidiventris ... 66

Amaurornis bicolor ... 231

— _ phoenicurus phonicurus ... 210

Ambhypharyngodon mola 90

Amygdalus 249

Anas crecca 127

crecca ... 219

penelope ... 219

platyrhynclia 301

poecilorhyncha 302

— poecilorhyncha ... 218

strepera 219

- — — querquedula ... ... ... 219

Anastomus oscitans 216

Anguis fragilis ... 132

Anhinga melanogaster 216

Anona squamosa 278

Anopheles aitkeni 308

culicifacies 308, 309

— — — fluviatilis ... 308

• gigas ... 308

— jeyporensis 308

— — maculatus 308

2

Anopheles splendidus Anser albifr:ns

anser

indicus

Anthocincla phayrei Anthropoides virgo Anthus hodgsoni hodgsoni — richardi subsp . ...

Page ... 308

... 126 ... 301 ... 218 ... 71

... 211 ... 69

... 69

134, 135 ... 278

Anura

Apium graveolens

Aquila rapax vindhiana 20

Arachnothera longirostra longirostra 70

magna aurata 70

. magna 70

Arborophila brunneopectus brunneo-

pectus

rufogularis tickelli

torqueola millardi... ardea cinerea purpurea

Ardeola grayii — *P-.

Arenga saccharifera Arnebia hispidissim; Aroideae Artamus fuscus Artocarpus integrifolia Asio flammeus flammeus Astur badius dussumieri

■ poliopsis

Athene brama brama Attatha ino Axis

axis

* maculata

maculalus

or>zus

Aythya f erica ferina

luligula fuligula

- — — — rufa rufa Bagarius yarcplii

Bapta ...

(Aleuci^) distincta...

... 231 ... 231

... 298 ... 217 ... 217

... 217 ... 232

... 236 ... 245

... 84

... 61 ... 278 ... 17

... 22

229

18

85

169, 171, 172 117, 169, 170, 171, 173 ... 178

171

177

220

198

249

XV111

INDEX OF SPECIES

Bapta (Aleucis) distinctata

— — — ( -) orientalis

— _____ — —) pictaria

Barbus bola curmuca

— — dobsoni

— hamiltonii.

— khudree 2, 3, 6, 7, 164,

— — kolus

- — (Labeobarbus) hamiltonii

(Lissochilus) hexagonolepis

malabaricus 164,

. ■ megalepis 4, 5, 164,

— — — - mussullah 2, 5,

— — — — - progeneius

— — (Puntius) dorsalis

— ) kolus

—) sarana

— ) sophore

- ( - (•

-) terio -) ticto

1, 6-8,

tor

— — mosal

— — putitora

- - — - khudree

— — mussullah

Barilius barna

— — — bendelisis

Batrachostomus hodgsoni Bhriaga remifer tectirostris Bibos frontalis gaurus

Bindabara phocides moorei Blythipicus pyrrhotis pyrrhotis

Boarmia ...

Boerhaavia

Bombax malabaricum

Botaurus stellaris stellaris

Boulengerula

boulengeri

Brachydanio rerio

Brassica oleracea

Bubo bubo bengalensis ... Bubulcus ibis coromandus

Bucia athertoni ...

Burhinus cedicnemus indicus ...

Butastur teesa

Buteo sp.

Byblia ilithyia

Page ... 249

... 249 ... 249

192, 193 2 2

164, 166

165, 166 1, 150

164, 165

166, 190

165, 166

166, 304

164, 166 ... 164

... 90

89, 90 89, 90 89, 90 ... 90

89, 90 188, 202 ... 190

... 190

166, 304 1, 8, 304 189 89 89 198 227 62 272 271 309 222 250 84 293 217 136 135, 136 90, 91 278 18 217 13 211 21 229 309

Cacomantis merulinus passerinus

querulus

Callichrous biinaculatus malabaricus

Page

9

. 223 . 89

Calliphora erythrocephala	... 287 \|
Capella gallinago gallinago	... 215
media	215
megala	... 215
nemoricola	... 214
• stenura	... 215
Capricornis sumatrensis	... 115

Caprimulgus asiaticus asiaticus

— indicus

■ indicus

— jotaka

macrourus ambiguus

* — atripennis

monticolus monticolus

Caragola ochripes

Carduelis spinus

Careya arborea

Carica papaya

Carissa carandas

Carpodacus erythrinus roseatus

Casarca ferruginea

Cassia fistula

Catla catla

Catopsilia crocale

pomona

Cemus goral

Centropus bengalensis bengalensis

- sinensis intermedia

________ parroti

Ceratophyllum Ceropegia

Cervidae

Cervulus cambojensis Cervus affinis — — = albicornis • — — — aristotelis

- axis

— major

- — uni color

eldi

- - — elephus

— equinus — — hanglu

— hippelaphus _ — — jarai

— leschenaultii

. ~ malaccensis

17 227 17 227 227 17 17 ... 80 ... 128 ... 84

252, 278 ... 278 ... 66 218, 301 80, 86, 87 ... 40

... 80 ... 80 ... 260 ... 224

... 224 10

235, 241 183, 184 119 35 32 29 30, 35 171 29

29 260

30 35 32 30 30

30, 35 35, 36

INDEX OF SPECIES

xix

	Page
Cervus niger	30
nudipalpebra	... 171
— — porcinus	... 174
pumilio	... 175
- unicolor	27, 260
equinus	35
■ wallichii	32, 170
Ceryle lugubris guttulata	... 225
— - — - rudis	14
Cestrum nocturnum	... 278
Ceyx erithaca erithaca	14
Chaetura gigantea indica	... 227
giganteus indicus ...	16
Chalcites maculatus maculatus	... 224
xanthorhynchus	... 224
Cbalcophaps indica indica	24, 230
Chamseleo pumilus	... 132
Chaptia senea senea	61
Charadrius dubius curonicus ...	... 212
— jerdoni	... 212
Charana jalindra macarita	... 309
Chaulelasmus streperns	... 302
Chela clupeoides	... 89, 90
Chelone mydas ...	103, 104
Chibia hottentotta hottentotta	62
Chilasa clytia clytia	78
Chilena	... 247
Chirocentrus dorab	.. 104
Choriotes nigriceps	... 211
Chrysophlegma flavinucha flavinucha 221
Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus
— — guttacristatus	... 221
Ciconia ciconia ciconia...	... 216
Cinnyris asiatica intermedia ...	70
Circaetus ferox	21
Circus seruginosus seruginosus	22
— - — — macrourus	22
melanoleucus	... 229
Cirrhina mrigala	40
reba	89
Cisticola exilis	294, 295
equicaudata	... 293
tytleri	292, 294
— juncidis	... 295
Citrus medica	... 278
spp	79
Clamator coromandus	... 224
jacobinus	... 224
jacobinus	9
Clarias batrachus	89
Clitoria ternatea ...	... 278

	Page
Clupea ilisha	104
Coilia dussumieri	104
Collocalia fuciphaga	16
Colocasia antiquorum ...	84
Columba agricola	25
— — elphinstonii ...	25
livia	24
Coracias benghalensis affinis	225
— indica	12
Corchorus acutangulus	92, 93
... , . . asplenifolius	92
capsularis ...	92, 93
- — — depressus	93, 94
fascicularis ...	93, 94
__ olitorius	92, 93, 94
serraefolius ...	92
— - trilocularis ...	93, 95
Coronella	... 132
Corydon sumatranus ...	71
Coryllis rubropygialis ...	12
— — — vernalis	12
— — — — vernalis	... 2 25
Cosmophila sabulifera	85
Coturnix coromandelica	... 208
— - coturnix coturnix	208
Grocallis ...	247
Crocodilus palustris	303
Crocopus phoenicopterus chlorogaster 23
Cryptocoryne	183, 184
Cryptoplectron erythrorhynchum
— — — ■ - erythrorhynchum ... 209
Cucullia anceps	248
barthse	... 248
— — — faucicola	... 247
lychnitis	248
notodontina ...	... 248
osthelderi	248
— — — stigmatophora	248
strigicosta	249
— verbasci	248
xylophana	... 248
Cuculus canorus	296
— — bakeri	223
— _ telephonus	... 223
micropterus micropterus ... 223
— poliocephalus polioceph-
alus ...	223
Cursorius coromandelicus	... 212
Cyanops asiatica asiatica	222
duvauceli cyanotis	... 223
— franklinu ramsayi	223

XX

INDEX OF SPECIES

	PAGE
Cynodon dactyl on	... 101
Cynopithecus niger	... 118
Cyprinus tor	164
Cypsiurus parvus infumatus ...	... 227
Dafila acuta	219, 302
Dalbergia sissoo	... 293
Danais melissa ...	... 310
— — — - — — — dravidarum	... 310
septentrionis	... 310
Dendrocygna fulva	.. 218
■ javanica	218, 301
Dendronanthus indicus	68
Dendrophassa pompadora affinis	23
Dermophis	.. 135
— gregorii	135, 136
Dicaeum chrysorrheum chrysochlore	70
concolor olivaceum ...	71
— : cruentatura subsp	70
ignipectus ignipectus	71
trigonostigma rubropyginra 70
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis	257-274
Dichoceros bicornis ... 118,	267, 270
— bicornis ...	.. 226
Dicrurus leucophaeus mohouti	61
■ — macrocercus cathoecus	61
Dinopium javanensis intermedia	.. 222
Dissemurus paradiceus rangoonensis	62
Dissoura episcopa episcopa ...	.. 216
Dolichos lablab	11
Drepanoscelus gardneri	.. 311
Drosophila melanogaster	.. 287
Dryobates analis longipennis ...	.. 221
■ — macei atratus	.. 222
— - nanus canicapillus	.. 222
— — pistaciae	.. 250
Ducula badia cuprea	24
— — - griseicapilla	,. 230
Dupetor flavicollis flavicollis ...	. 232
Egretta alba	217
garzetta garzetta	. 217
intermedia intermedia	. 217
Eichhornia	236
Elaeocarpus ganitrus	95
— madepolatus	95
— — oblongus	. 95, 96
photiniaefolia	95
serratus	. 95, 96
— — tuberculatus	. 95, 96
Elanus caeruleus vociferus	22
Emberiza aureola	67
— — —7 — fpcata fucata	66

	Page
Emberiza pusilla	67
— — rutila...	67
Entomothera coromanda coromanda 226
Eogenes alcides	... 251
Epitherina	... 249
pistaciae	... 250
Erannis bahmana	249, 250
— bajaria...	... 251
Erannus rhodopoleos	249, 250
Ericeia (Polydesma) inangulata	86
Eriolaena hookeriana	86
Erolia minuta minuta	... 214
Erranis	... 249
Erythrina	12
Esacus recurvirostris	... 211
Etroplus	... 241
maculatus	... 304
Eudynamis scolopaceus scolopaceus 10
Eugenia jambolana	84
malaccensis ...	... 278
Eumenes	19
Euploea core core	... 310
Eupterote geminata	81
— undata	81
. Eurylaimus javanicus	71
Eurystomus orientalis orientalis	... 225
Eutropiichthys vacha ...	198
Falco peregrinus peregrinator	20
— subsp .	... 229
■ -tinnunculus objurgatus ...	20
— — subsp .	... 229'
tinnunculus	20
Felis pardus	... 260
tigris	... 260
Ficus	24
religiosa	85, 278
Francolinus pictus	209, 299
pintadeanus phayrei	... 231
— pondicerianus pondi-
cerianus	... 209
Franklinia gracilis hodgsoni ...	62
— rufescens rufescens	62
Fringilla coelebs	... 128
Fulica atra atra	... 210
Galeocerdo tigrinus ... ...102	, 109, 130
Ga’linula chloropus indicus ...	... 210
Galloperdix spadicea spadicea	... 207
Gallus gallns subsp	... 231
sonneratii	... 206
Gecinulus grantia viridis	... 221
Gecinus occipitalis	... 12?

INDEX OF SPECIES

xf i

135,

Gecinus squamatus

Gegenophis ...

carnosus

Gelasimus sp

Gennseus lineatus subsp.

Glareola lactea ...

Glaucidium brodiei subsp.

cuculoides rufescens

subsp.

. radiatum radiatum

Glossogobius giuris

Glottis nebularia

Glycosmis pentaphylla

Goniozus indicus

Gorsakius melanolophus melanolophus

Gracula intermedia religiosa

Graucalus macei siamensis

Grevillea

Grewia asiatica...

carpinifolia

- hirsuta

— — laevigata

microcos

mollis

- occidentalis

. — paniculata

populifolia

— sclerophylla

tenax

tiliaefolia

- — — villosa

— — — umbellata

Gyps fulvus fulvescens

indicus

Habrobracon juglandis Haematornis cheela burmanicus

cheela

_____ — — melanotis...

96

Halcyon pileata ... smyrnensis

smyrnensis

subsp.

Haliastur indus indus

Harpactes erythrocephalus erythroce-

phalus

fasciatus malabaricus

— oreskios uniformis ...

Heliopais personata

Heliotropium linifolium

paniculatum

supinum

— zejdanicum

Page 122 136 136 300

231 212 228 228 228

19 89, 90 214 278 151

232 65 61 12

86, 97 96, 97

96, 98 86

97, 98

.. 96

96-98 ,98,99 97, 99 97, 99 , 97, 99 96, 100 96, 100 19 19 287 . 229

21 21 14 14

, 226 21

226 15 227 232 244 . 245 .. 245

244, 246

244,

Hemerophila (Megalycinia) engys Hemicercus canete canete

Hemiprocne caronata

Hemipus picatus picatus Hemitragus jemlahicus

Herpele

ochrocephala

Heterobapta — — — plumellata Heteropnestes fossils Hibiscus cannabinus

esculentis...

Hierococcyx fugax nisicolor

— sparveriodes

— varius

Himantopus himantopus himantopus

16,

Page 251 221 . 227 60

.. 114

.. 136

135, 136 .. 249

249, 250 89

.. 278

.. 223

9, 223 9

213

Hirundo arctivitta 68

daurica japonica 68

• striolata 68

* rustica gutturalis ... 68

— _ — — — tytleri 68

Hodgsonia 151

Homochlamys fortipes ... 64

______________ pallidipes pallidipes ... 65

Huhua nipalensis . 228

Hydrilla 235

Hydrocissa coronata 15

Hydrophasianus chirurgus 211

Hyelaphus 169, 174

pumilio 175

■ . porcinus 175-177

_____ oryzus 177

Hypacanthis spinoides ambiguus ... 66

Hystrix leucura H8

Ibis leucocephalus ... 216

Ichthyophis 136

glutinosus 155-137

monochrous ... 135-137

Ictinaetus malayensis perniger ... 21

Indicapus sylvaticus 16

I ole virescens ... 223

Ipomea 235

Irena puella sikkimensis 65

Ixobrychus minutus 179

Jussisea repens 84

Jussieua 84

Jynx torquilla 222

Ketupa zeylonensis leschenaulti ... 18

Labeo boggut .. 89

calbasu ... — fimbriata

2, 40, 89, 90, 198 89, 90

INDEX OF SPECIES

xxii

	Page			Page
Labeo fimbriatus	2	Macaca sinica sinica		147
musundi	3	Macacus sinicus		118
- — — porcellns	2	Machilus duthiei		311
— - potail	89	Macropicus javensis		221
rohita	40	Macropodus cupanus	...	241
■ tor	3	Macropygia ruficeps assimilis ...		230
Lacedo pulchellus amabilis	... 226	— uncball tnsalia		230
Lacerta vivipara	... 132	Malvaceae		151
Lactuca scariola	... 278	Mangifera indica		278
Lagerstroemia indica	82, 84	Mareca penelope		302
Lalage melaschistos melanoptera	61	Martula dasypus cashmeriensis		67
Lanius colluroides colluroides	60	— — — urbica whiteleyi		67
- cristatus cristatus	60	Mastacembelus armatus		89, 90
— nasutus tricolor	60	. — pancalus		90
schach nipalensis	60	Megalaima virens virens		222
Lantana	... 207	Megametopon		249
— — — — camara	81	Melocanna bambusoides		268
sellowiana	87	Melophus lathami subcristata		67
Lamprophorus tenebrosus	... 142	Merops leschenaulti leschenaulti	...13, 225
Larus sp. ...	... 212	= orientals birmanus		225
Lasiotampa quercifolia	... 287	— — — — orientalis		13
Leiolopisma himalayanum	132	— superciliosus javanicus		13
Lemnaceae	... 151	— — . phillippinus		225
Leptoptilus dubius	... 118	Metanastria hyrtaca		81
Leptosia nina nina	... 309	Metopidius indicus		211
Limnanthemum	... 236	Microdesmis puberula		101
Limonium	... 160	Micropus affinis		16
Litsea chinensis	80	— melba bakeri		15
— — — - polyantha	80	paci ficus subsp.		227
Lobipluvia malabarica	... 212	Milvus migrans govinda		22
Lobivanellus indicus indicus ...	... 212	Moringa pterygosperma		278
Lonicera	... 73	Motaciila alba subsp. ...		68
	75 76	- AitlQTOn molotifmo		68
japonica	75, 76,’ 77	' LUJitit'Cl llit-ICVlIvUt « o • flava subsp		68
— - periclymenum	74	Mulleripicus pulverulentus harterli		222
sempervirens	75	Muscadivora aenea pusilla		24
Lophotriorchis kieneri...	...20, 229	Muscicapa parva		64
Loris tardigradus nycticeboides	... 147	Mystus cavasius	...	90
Lusciniola melanopogon mimica	... 295	— — - vittatus		90
Lutra vulgaris	... 118	Nacaduba dana dana		309
Lygosoma indicum indicum ...	... 132	Nelumbium sp.		235
Lymantria monacha	... 286	Neofelis nebulosa	...	113
Lymnocryptes minima	... 215	Neophron percnopterus ginginianus ...	20
Mabuya aurata	132, 133	Netta rufina	130, 302
carinata 130	, 132, 133	Nettapus coromandelianus	218, 301
dissimilis	... 132	Nettion crecca	...	302
— . mabuya multifasciata ...	132, 133	Ninox scutulata hirsuta		19
— — macularia	... 132	Nisaetus cirrhatus limnaetus ...		229
Macaca sinica	... 147	Notopterus chitala		90
_ oiirifrnno	147	kopirat		on
— — , . opisthomelas ...	... 147	notopterus	...89, 90

INDEX OF SPECIES

xxiii

	Page
Notopterus sp. nov	...89,	, 90
Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax	...	217
Nyroca ferina		302
rufa		302
Oenopopelia tranquebarica humilis		230
tranquebarica		26
Ophicephalus gachua		90
— marulius	...89,	, 90
punctatus	... 89, 90
striatus	89	,90
Oriolus chinensis tenuirostris ...		65
— oriolus kundoo		296
trailii trailii		65
— xanthornus xanthornus	...	65
Orthotomus atrogularis nitidus	...	62
sutorius patia	... 62, 65
Osphronemus goramy ...	233,	243
— _____ olfax	...	233
Otus bakkomoena	...	18
- — — lettia		228
— spilocephalus latouchii ...	...	228
sunia modestus		228
Pachyzancla aegrotalis		87
Pandion haliaetus haliaetus ...	...	19
Panicum jumentorum		235
— miliaceum		99
Panolia	172,	173
— — — eldi		28
Papilio arcturus	137,	138
demoleus mini		79
ganesa		138
krishna		138
paris	...	137
— - polyctof	...	138
polytes romulus		78
Papio hamadryas		118
Parhamatospiculum bubicola		18
— sp.	...	19
Passer domesdcus	...	66
— flaveolus	...	66
* montanus	...	66
— rutilans subsp.		66
Pa vo cristatus		206
Pelecanus sp.		215
Pelecituss^. ..		23
Penthoceryx sonnerati	...	9
— — sonneraii		122
— — — — subsp.	...	223
Perdicula argoondah salimalii		208
— asiatica asiatica		208
— - — — * — vidali	...	209

Perdix perdix ...

Pericrocotus brevirostris

cinnamomeus \ividus

roseus roseus

Solaris Solaris

~ speciosus elegans

Pernis ptilorhynchus ruficollis

— . — subsp.

Phragmaticola sedon

Phalacrocorax caibo

fuscicollis

niger

Pbasianus colchicus

Phodilus badius subsp.

Phoebe lanceolata ...

Phyllergates cucullatus coronatus

Phylloscopus cantator...

davisoni davisoni

_ fuscatus

— inornatus inornatus

— - — maculipennis maculi-

pennis ...

— — magnirostris

proregulus ehloronotus

— pulcher pulcher

reguloides assamensis

claudias

-- schwarzi ....

— tenellipes

— trochiloides plumbei- tarsus ...

— trochiloides

Page .. 297

61 61 61 61 61 23 229 63

.. 215

118, 216 .. 128

Picus canus hessei

— chlorolophus chlorolophoides ...

228

80

65

64

62

63

64 64

63

64

63

221

— erythropygius	...		... 221
viridanus...			... 221
xanthopygaeus	...		... 221
Pieris brassicae ...	...	• ••	... 276
Piprisoma agile ...	...	...	296, 297
— modestum	modestum	71
Pistacia khinjuk	...	...	... 250
Pistia	...	...	... 235
Pithecanthropus indicus	...	... 199
Pitta cucullata cucullata	...	71
— cyanea cyanea	...	...	71
— — ~ moluccensis		...	71
oatesi		...	71
Platalea leucorodia		...	... 216
Plumbago		...	... 159
capensis		...	160, 162
europaea	...	...	... 159

.

xxU INDEX OF SPECIES

	Page
Plumbago rosea	160, 162, 163
zeylanica	160, 16!, 163
Pluvialis dominicus fulvus	... 212
Podiceps ruficollis capensi	... 220
Porpliyrio poliocephalus poliocephalus 210
Porthelria dispar	... 287
Porzana pusilla pusilla	... 210
Potamogeton	... 235
Prodenia litura ...	275-288
Prunus	... 249
1 rzewalskinm albirostris	... 147
Psammopbis condanarus	21
Psarisomus dalhousise ...	72
Psoudibis papillosus	... 216
Pseudogyps bengalensis	20
Pseuddis nahoor	... 114
Psittacula columbo.des	11
cyanocephala	... 11 , 12
rosea	... 224
eupatria	11
himalayana finschii	... 225
— — krameri borealis	... 224
— — — - manillensis	11
Pterocles exustus	... 123
— — - ellioti	... 206
indie us	... 206
— * lichtenstenii arabicus	... 126
Pyrrhula pyrrhula	... 128
Pyrus malus	... 278
• — — -- sinensis	... 278
Querquedula querquedula	... 302
Quisqualis indica	81
Rallina fasciata ..	... 231
Rallus eurizonoides amuroptera	... 210
Rhamphalcyon capensis	14
— burmanica	... 226
Raphanus sativus	... 278
Rasbora buchanani	90
— — daniconius	... 89, 90
Rauwolfia serpentina	... 160
Rhinoceros bicornis	257-274
indicus	257-274
— simus	257-274
— __ sondaicus	257-274
— unicornis	257-274
Rhopodytes tristis subsp.	... 224
— — viridirostris	10
Rhyticeros spp	... 226
Riparia concolor sintaungensis	68
Rohtee belangeri	... 89, 91

			Page
Rohtee cotio var. ennma		...	89
Rostratula benghalensis benghalensis	211
Rucervus	... 27,	172, 173
duvaucelii	...		28
Rusa dejeani		...	35
unicolor ...27, 28, 32,	35, 118	, 169, 170
equina ...	... 28,	35, 36
nigra ...	28, 30,	33, 36
unicolor	• ••	...	27, 29
Saccharum glumeosum			192
Salamandra		...	135
Sarcogyps calvus		...	19
Sarkidiornis melanotus...	130,	218, 301
Sarogiossa spiloptera spiloptera	...	66
Sasia ochracea subsp. ...		...	222
Sciaenoides brunneus ...	...	...	104
Scirophaga rhodoproctalis	...	..	151
vScolecomorphus		135, 136
uluguruensis		135, 136
Scolopax rusticola	...	...	211
— rusticola		...	232
Scopula cleoraria	...		86
Scrophularia		...	249
Seicercus burkii tephrocephalus	...	64
Selepa celtis	...	...	84
Serilophus iunatus lunatus		...	72
Shorea robusta ..	...	...	84
Silundia gangetica	...	192, 198
Simia satyrus	...	...	118
Solanaceae	...		151
Spatula clypeata	...	„ 220, 302
Sphenocercus apicauda apicauda		230
__ — — . sphenurus sphenurus	...	230
Spinacia oleracea		...	278
Stachyris chrysaea		...	64
Statice	...	...	160
Stegomyia fasciata	...	...	139
Sterna anaetheta	...	...	148
- - ■ aurantia	...	...	212
■ bergii			148
— velox ...	...	...	302
dougalli	...	...	148
—— — fuscata	...		148
melanogaster	...	...	212
repressa ...	...		148
Streptopelia chinensis suratensis		26
— — — decaocto decaocto	...	26
orientalis	...		26
• — agricola	...	...	230
erythrocephala	...	25
— — — - — - - orientalis		...	25

INDEX OF SPECIES

XXV

Streptopelia orientalis meena ...		Page 25	Trichodesma indicum ...		Page ... 245
— — senegalensis cambayensis Strix indranee indranee	26 18	Trichosanthes Tringa glareola ...		... 151 ... 214
ocellata		18	— — — ochropus...		... 213
— — orientalis orientalis	...	228	stagnatilis	...	... 214
Strobilanthes callosus Stromateus cinereus	143, 144 ... 104	• — — — totanus Triumfetta lappula	...	... 214 100
- niger Surniculus lugubris subsp.	:::	104 224	— ___ rhomboidea — — - — - semitriloba	...	100 100, 101

Suya superciliaris superciliaris

Sypheotides indica

Syrmaticus humiae-burmanicus

Taccocua leschenaulti

Tapirus indicus

Tephrodornis gularis pelvica

pondiceriana pondiceriana

65

211, 299 .. 231

10

273, 274 60

Terminalia tomentosa ... Thaocervus schomburgki

Thera

Thereiceryx viridis Theretra pinastrina pinastrina Threskiornis melanocephalus Thuya orientalis Thynnichthys sandkhol Tinola bisellella Tockus birostiis

griseus

Tor hamiltonii

Trachylepidia fructicassiella

Tribura sp.

Trichirurus savala

15,

60 84

... 170

... 249

23

82

... 216 .. 278

89, 91 .. 287

296, 297 15

.. 164

87 62, 63 ... 104

Tropidophorus

Turnix dussumieri

— suscitator taijoor

- — — — sylvatica dussumieri ...

tanki blanfordi

Turtur erythrocephalus Upupa epops ceylonensis

— subsp

Ureotyphlus

— — — — narayani

Urodela

Uroloncha striata acuticauda ...

Verbenaceae

Vipera

Vivia innominata malayorum

Wallago attu

Wallagonia attu

Xantholaema haemacephala indica Zosterops ery thro pleura

— palpebrosa subsp.

— — siamensis

- ~ - simplex

... 132

... 231

... 210 ... 210 ... 231

26 15

... 226 135, 136 135, 136 ... 135

66

... 151

... 132

== 222 ... 199

89, 90 ... 223

69 69 69 69

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CONTENTS OF VOLUME XLIV , No. /

0

Page.

The Game Fishes of India. Part XVI. By Sunder Lai Hora, d.sc., f.r.s.e., f.z.s., f.r.a.s.b., f.n.i, ( With one coloured plate and three text-figures ) ... ... ... ... ... ... i

The Birds of Mysore. Part IV. By Salim Ali ... ... ... 9

The Larger Deer of British India. Part III. The Sambar ( Rusa )

By R. I. Pocock, f.r.s. (With three text-figures ) ... ... 27

Circumventing the Mahseer and other Sporting Fish in India and Burma. Part IV. By A. St. J. Macdonald. (With one plate, a map and three text-figures ) ... ... ... ... ... 38

On the Birds of the Karen Hills and Karenni found over 3,000 feet.

Part II. By H. C. Smith, m.b.o.u., P. F. Garthwaite and B. E. Smythies ... ... ... ... ... ... 60

Some Beautiful Indian Climbers and Shrubs. Part XIV. By N. L. Bor, m.a., d.sc., f.l.s., i.f.s., and M. B. Raizada, m.sc. (With one coloured, two black and white 'plates and three text-figures) ... ... 73

The Early Stages of Indian Lepipoptera. Part XI. By D. G. Sevasto-

pulo, f.r.e.s. ... . . ... ... ... ... 78

Fish Survey of Hyderabad State. Part II. By M. Rahimullah, m.sc.,

f.z.s. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 88

The Medicinal and Poisonous Lindenblooms of India. By J. F. Caius,

s.j., f.l.s. ... ... ... ... ... ... 92

Tiger Shark — Galeocerdo tigrinus Muller and Henle. By P. N. Sarang-

dhar, m.sc. (With three plates) ... ... ... ... ... 102

REVIEW : —

Report of the Game and Game Fishes Preservation Committee on the

existing species of Game in Bengal. S. L. H.... ... ... 111

OBITUARY: . ... ... 112

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

I. The record skull of an Indian Clouded Leopard (Neofelis

nebulosa Griffith). By R. I. Pocock, f.r.s. ... ... 113

II. Elephant and Bison on Road ways. By Lt.-Col. R. C. Morris 113

III. Occurrence of the Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus)

in Sikkim. By Capt. C. J. T. Wrenicke ... ... ... 114

IV. Life span of some wild animals in captivity. By E. S. Simon,

Curator, Government Zoological Gardens, Trivandrum ... 117

V. Breeding season of tt|f Indian Sambar (Rusa unicolor, Kerr) 118

VI. Small Game shooting in the Salem District. By Capt. Aubrey

Buxton ... ... •• ... ... iiQ

ii CONTENTS OF Vol. XLIV, No. 1

Page

VII. Woodpeckers feeding on fruit. By E. A. Storrs Fox ... ... 122

VIII. The eggs of the Indian Bay-Banded Cuckoo ( Penthoceryx

sonneratii). By Humayun Abdulali ... ... ... 122

IX. Green Pigeons in a Swamp. By Major E. G. Phythian Adams,

i*a. ... ... ... ... ... ... 122

X. Some notes on the Common Sandgrouse ( Pterocles exustus

Temminck) in Kaira District. By Herschel C. Aldrich, m.d.

(With a plate) ... ... ... ... ... I23

XI. Occurrence of the Close-barred Sandgrouse (Pterocles lichten- stenii arabicus, Neum.) in the N.-W.F.P By Major J. O. S.

Donald ... ... ... ... ... ... 126

XII. Late stay of Snipe and weight of Pintail. By J. Beckett, i.p. 126

XIII. The White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons Scop.) in Assam.

By D. J. Montagnon ... ... ... ... 126

XIV. Gynandromorphism in the Common Teal (Anas crecca Linn.).

By Salim Ali ... ... ... ... ... 127

XV. Occurrence of Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotus Penn.) in

Mysore. By Major E. G. Phythian Adams, i.a., f.z.s. ... 130

XVI. Red Crested Pochard (Netta rufina Pallas) in the Madras

Presidency. By Major E. G. Phythian Adams, i.a., f.z.s. 130

XVII. Notes on the viviparity of the Common Indian Skink (Mabuya

carinata Schneider). By J. L. Bhaduri ... ... ... 130

XVIII. The anatomy of the duodenal region of some genera of Apoda

(Amphibia). By L. S. Ramaswami. (With two plates) ... 134

XIX. A note on fish mortality in the Sohan River. By K. N. Bagchi,

D. SC. ... ... ... ... ... ... 137

XX. Papilio arcturus in the Himalayas. By William Harcourt-Bath 137

XXL Control of Aedes egyptus (Stegomyia fas data or tiger mosquito, the carrier of yellow fever) in the Bombay Harbour by a patent Mosquito-proof cap and tap. By Dr. F. D. Bana,

M.B., M.R.C.S., D.P.H., D.T.M. & H., I.P. ... ... ... I39

XXII. Observations on a few cases of larval Ecdysis of the Indian Glow-Worm, Lamprophorus tenebrosus Wlk. By J. Samuel

Raj ... ... ... ... ... ... 142

XXIII. The flowering of Strobilanthes callosus Nees. by C. McCann ... 143

Proceedings of the Annual General Meeting ... ... 145

TWO TYPES OF MAHSEER FROM THE POONA WATERWAYS.

I

!

Upper : BARBUS (TOR) KHUDRHE Sykes. * ca i/2.

Lower : BARBUS (TOR) MUSSULLAH Sykes. * ca 1/4.

The drawings were made from specimens and colour sketches supplied by Dr. M. Suter.

.JOURNAL

OF THE

Bombay Natural History Society.

1943. Vol. XLIV No. 1.

THE GAME FISHES OF INDIA.

BY

Sunder Lal Hora, Disc., f.r.s.e., f.z.s., f.r.a.s.b., f.n.i.,

Director of Fisheries, Bengal.

( With one coloured plate and three text-figures.)

( Continued from page 169 of . Vol. xliii, No. 2)

XVI. — The Mahseers or the Large-scaled Barbels of India.

9. Further observations on Mahseers from the Deccan.

Contents.

Page

Introduction

Barbus (Tor) inussullah Sykes Table of Measurements ...

Barbus (Tor) khudree Sykes ... ...

Acknowledgments ... ... ...

List of References Explanation of Plate ...

Introduction.

In the last article of this series (4)1, attention was directed to the specific identity of Sykes’s three species of Barbus from the Deccan, and it was shown that while B. kolas and B. khudree could be recognised as valid, doubts still existed about the identity of

1 Numerals in thick type within brackets refer to the serial numbers of the various publications listed in the bibliography at the end of the paper.

d£c y

2

JOURNAL, bomRAy NAtUrAl hJst. society, Uol. kUf

B. mussullah. From the evidence then available, it seemed possible that B. mussullah might be the same fish which Hamilton (3) had previously described from Mysore as B. curmuca and which was later recorded from the Deccan also. However, a detailed con- sideration of the systematic position of this species was deferred till Dr. M. Suter had an occasion to carry out further investigations at Sirur, the type-locality of B. mussullah. He has now completed his studies and favoured me with the following report ip his letter dated December 8, 1942. He writes : — -

‘I have now been to Sirur, Sykes’s type-locality for his Barbus mussullah mainly in order to ascertain as definitely as possible whether Barbus curmuca occurs in the Ghod river and whether it is known to the local fishermen.

‘The information elicited on hand of a preserved specimen and with the help of the excellent coloured picture from tne pamphlet of the Bombay Nat. Hist. Society “Game Fishes oi Bombay” proved entirely negative, i*e., neither the specimens nor the illustration were recognised as representing a fish of local occurrence, or at all known to local fishermen. A resemblance to B. holus was indeed remarked upon and 1 was asked whether this (B. kolus) was the fish 1 wanted to know about.

‘As you relate in your article in the August number of B. N. H. Society’s Journal, the same men, on a former occasion, picked a picture of B. curmuca ^out of the illustrated volume of Day’s Fishes of India) as representing “ mussullah ” out, when later on they showed me a catcli of very large higfi-backed mafiseer, iney assured me that tfiis was “ mussullah ” and admitted that their identification 01 Day's picture nad been an error caused mainly by tne fact tfiat tliey thougtit me snape of the head in tfie picture seemed to tnem a good likeness ot me head 01 “ mussullah ”, being somewfiat “roman nosed”.

‘They also criticised Syices’s drawing of “ mussullah ” as being correct for the head, but wrong lor tne body, tfie scaies being too small and 100 many.

‘Tfie position is now as follows :

1. Barbus curmuca is not known to the professional fishermen at Sykes’s type-locality for B. mussullah ;

2. Hie sturdy and high-backed species of mafiseer of the Deccan is the only fish known to these men by the name of “ mussullah ” and most of the men differentiate it clearly from the slenderer species oi mahseer ( Barbus khudree Sykes).

3. Sykes expressly relates having been given a specimen of “ mussullah ” weighing 42 lbs. at Sirur, and tfie local nsfiermen repeatedly stated to me that the high-backed mahseer was the only fish with large scales known to them, whicnever reached such a size, or exceeded it. .

The only other big fish with prominent scales known to the men are, B. khudree, B. dobsoni {=jerdoni), Labeo calbasu, L. porcellus, and L. fimb riatus.

4. The designation “ mussullah ” is also used by the fishermen of the Bfiima and Idrayani rivers for large mahseer only, and many of the men use it for the high-backed species only, expressly differentiating it from the slenderer' B. khudree Sykes, for which they have other designation, such as khudchee, barsa, etc.

Others, whilst quite aware of the difference between the two types of mafiseer, will apply the name of “ mussullah ” to large specimens of both types. The more observant ones, however, will not do so.

‘Faced by the above result of my investigations at Sykes’s locality I cannot but arrive at the conclusion, that the fish to which Sykes applied the name of B. mussullah, was none other than the stockily-built and high-backed mahseer of the Deccan.

‘The uncertainty prevailing for so long in respect of the identity of Sykes’s species was caused by his incomplete description in respect of scale counts, and by the undoubted incorrectness of the drawing prepared by his employee, in which the scales were filled in haphazardly without any count having been taken.

‘I have no doubt that you will arrive at the same conclusion and that thereby, the question will have arrived at its final elucidatipn.’

THE GAME FISHES OF INDIA

3

All ichthyologists and lovers of sport will ever remain grateful to Dr. M. Suter for the great trouble taken by him in elucidating the taxonomic position of Sykes’s B. mussullah as there seems no doubt now that in describing this fish he intended to portray the high-backed mahseer of the Deccan waters. The difference in form between the two species of Deccan mahseers is clearly shown in the drawings on the coloured plate.

Dr* Suter has found both species of the Deccan mahseer pretty foul feeders at times. During the rains, he found them at such unsavoury spots as the place of discharge of surplus municipal sew^ age and has repeatedly seen them consume fresh buffalo dung;

Though the young of the various kinds of mahseer generally look alike, and the differences pointed out by Annandale (1) between the two species of Deccan mahseer are not very distinctive, it is quite possible that his musundi of the Upper Kistna may represent

f vieWS of ^ung specimens of Annandale ’s two species

of Mahseer from the Deccan.

(a) Barbus tor (Hamilton), known near Satara as Kudis. x ca. 4. this is probably a young of B. khudree Sykes.

(b) Barbus mussullah Sykes, known near Satara as Masundi , x ca.

Bavbus mussullah and his B. tor , locally known as Kudis , may be B. khudree. To facilitate reference in future, I give here drawings of Annandale’ s young specimens of the two species.

4 Journal Bombay natural hist, society , Voi. xt'iv

The remarkable shape of Sykes’s B. mussullah did attract the attention of later ichthyologists, but owing to his defective des- cription and figure they could not identify it correctly. For instance, in recording Barbus megalepis McClelland from South India, Jerdon (5) stated : —

‘I obtained a single small specimen of what I consider may be this fish in the Cauvery at Seringapatam. It was only a few inches long, but the fisher- men, who call it Kilche, said it grew to an enormous size.’

The fish that grows to an enormous size in the Cauvery and its tributary streams, such as the Bhavani River, is figured and des- cribed by Thomas (6, pp. 22, 23) under the composite name Barbus

Text-fig. 2. — The Bawanny Mahseer of Thomas (Reproduced from Rod in

India).

tor in accordance with Day’s (2, p. 573) nomenclature, though he seemed to have been aware of the fact that ‘there are more Mahseers than have been named’. Thomas called it ‘The Bawanny Mahseer’ and noted that it is much deeper and more high backed than the other Mahseers. From his figure, reproduced here, it can be seen that the fish is pointed towards both ends. According to Thomas, it has a rich golden hue which shines on the gill-cover and forms predominant colour of every scale'. It is known as ‘Bom-min’.

Some years ago, Mr. S. H. Prater of the Bombay Natural History Society sent me a colour sketch of a baby Mahseer, 16^ inches long and 1^ lbs, in weight, caught by Messrs Van Ingen and Van Ingen of Mysore in the Bhavani River. The local name of the fish was given as Kargolchi. Though the colouration of this specimen, as shown in the sketch* is different from that of the Poona examples of B. mussullah, there seems hardly any doubt about its identity. It would thus appear that Sykes’s mussullah is fairly widely distributed

THE GAME FISHES OF INDIA

5

in the rivers of the Western Ghats. This remarkable mahseer may be redescribed as follows: — -

Barbus (Tor) mussullah Sykes.

1838. Barbus mussullah, Sykes, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 159.

1840. Barbus mussullah, Sykes, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., IV, p. 56.

1841. Barbus mussullah, Sykes, Trans. Zool. Soc., London, II, p. 356.

1849. Barbus megalepis, Jerdon ( nec McClelland), Madras Journ. Lift. &

Set. XV, p. 31 1.

1897. The Bawanny Mahseer, Thomas, Rod in India, 3rd Edition, pp. 22, 23.

D- 4/9; .4.3/5/-; P l6; v-9; C- 19 ; L.1.25-26; L.tr.^/sh

Whereas the Khudree Mahseer corresponds with the Mosal Mah- seer of the Himalayan waters, Mussullah is similar in certain respects to the Tor Mahseer. In the Tor Mahseer, however, the head is always smooth, while in Sykes’s species there are series of small tubercles, sometimes indistinct, on the sides below the eyes. The head is considerably shorter than the depth of the body, more parti- cularly in older individuals, and the general build is stocky and heavy. The form is more or less spindle-shaped as both the profiles are considerably arched ; the dorsal profile rises considerably from the tip of the snout to the base of the dorsal fin and then sharply slopes down to the base of the caudal fin. The ventral profile is com- paratively gently arched. The head is pointed anteriorly ; in mature specimens its length is contained about 5 times in the total length and 4 times in the length without the caudal. The depth of the body is contained from 3^ to 3f times in the total length and little over 3 times in the length without the caudal. The eye is small and is situated in the anterior half of the hea:d ; its diameter is contained about 6 times in the length of the head. The mouth is small and slightly slanting; the maxillary barbels are longer than the rostrals. The relative proportions of different parts vary considerably with age as can be readily made out from the table of measurements. The dorsal fin is situated in the middle of the back and possesses a strong, bony dorsal spine. All the fins are more or less pointed. The scales are large and well set; there are about 26-27 scales along the lateral line and 3^ rows below it to the base of the pelvic fin.

The colouration varies considerably. The young ones are rather silvery on the sides with pink reflexes, a creamy belly and slaty back and fins. In some large specimens the colour is very dark with bronzy reflexes. The bases of the scales below the lateral line are bluish gray while their margins are creamy. Generally the ven- tral surface is reddish cream. The dorsal surface is dark bronze. The bases of the scales in the upper half are mauvish gray while the bodies are reddish bronze with darker margin. The fin rays of the dorsal and caudal fins are reddish gray, while the interspinous membranes are bluish gray. The other fins are reddish gray, and all the fins are shot with bright blue streaks which are very pro- minent in the caudal.

The colours are more golden and reddish orange in the specimens from the Bhavani River. It would thus appear that whereas the predominant colour of the two Mahseers of the Deccan is bluish in

6 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol.'XLIV

the Poona waterways, it is reddish in the specimens found in the Cauvery and Bhavani Rivers much further south,

Table of Measurements.

Measurements in millimetres and scale counts of Barbus (Tor) mussullah Sykes

Total length .r.	148*0	270-0	275-0	622-0	750-0
Standard length ...	115-0	215-0	225-0	494-0	600-0
Length of head ...	33-0	580	60-0	125-0	149-0
Width of head	17-0	32-0	35-5	85-0	1020
Diameter of eye ...	8-0	9-0	10-5	17-0	28-0
Length of snout ...	100	21-0	22-0	46-0	45-5
Interorbital distance	100	23-0	22-0	51-0	61-0
Width of body	16-0	35-0	Evisc	era ted	710
Depth of body	38-0	73-0	81*5	166-0	231-0
Length of caudal peduncle ...	16-0	35-0	33-0	91-0	106-0
Least height of caudal ped- uncle	15-0	29-5	! 30-0	63-0	82-0
Length of dorsal fin	29-0	52-0	52-0	99-0	120-0
Length of pectoral fin	23-0	43-0	42-0	96-0	125-0
Length of pelvic fin	21-0	39-0	38-0	880	104-0
Length of anal fin	25-0	44-0	45-0	95-0	109-0
Length of rostral barbel	6-5	12*0	12-0	27-0	30-0
Length of maxillary barbel ...	9-0	15-0	16-0	37-0	42*0
No. of predorsal scales	10	10	10	10	11
No. of scales along L. 1.	26	26	26	27	27
No. of scales between L..1 and V.			3§	3£	3*
Scales round caudal peduncle.	13	12	13	12	12

Barbus (Tor) khudree Sykes.

In the preceding article of this series (4), it was stated that the sketches and, specimens of B. khudree received from Dr. Suter would be dealt with later, but the transfer of the Zoological Survey of India to Benares for the duration of the war has made it impossible for me to comment in detail on them. It can, however, be stated with certainty that the material is similar to that collected by Dr, Fraser at Deolali and Poona,

THE GAME FISHES OF INDIA

7

A female mahseer, 5^ lbs. in weight, taken by Dr. Rishwortb on the 20th December, 1942, in the Uhlas, a small river about 40

Text-fig. 3. — Head and anterior part of body of Barbus (Tor) khudree Sykes, showing hypertrophied lips; The specimen was collected by Dr. Rishworth in the Uhlas River, 40 miles north of Bombay. x|.

(a) Lips and mouth closed; ( b ) Lips and mouth protruded.

In the fresh condition, Dr. Rish worth found that the lips could be extended much further than shown in the drawings made from preserved specimens.

miles north of Bombay flowing into the Arabian Sea from the west- ern slopes of the Ghats, has been identified as B. khudree. It is one of the few specimens of mahseer which have been collected from the cis-Ghat area and is characterized by greatly hypertrophied lips. The accompanying sketches show the lips and mouth protruded and closed. The colour of the specimen was similar to that found in the Deccan examples of this species, but the fins were tipped with

8 JOURNAL , BOMBAY -NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY , Vol. XLIV

yellowish pink. Its stomach contained green vegetable matter. The following further particulars about this specimen were supplied by Dr, Rishworth: — -

Measurements in inches and number of fin rays.

Total length	... 25*0
Standard length	... 20-0
Length of head	... 6-25
Depth of body v.	... 5-5
Height of caudal peduncle	... 2-25
Girth of caudal peduncle ...	... 5- 25
Dorsal	... 9
Anal	... 7
Pelvic	... 15
Ventral	... 9

From the observations on the colouration of the species made by Dr. Suter, it appears that in the Poona Waterways the colour is silvery bluish gray below the median line and almost creamy yellowish white on the ventral surface. The colour is darker above the lateral line, the bases of the scales being gray and their margin reddish gray. The colour of the back is dark olive. The head is dark olive above and creamy yellowish white below. The fins are bluish gray. The colour drawing of B. khudree reproduced here shows the general colouration of the species in the Poona Waterways as noted by Dr. Suter. Living fish as seen in clear water look reddish bronze in the back.

Acknowledgments .

I am indebted to Dr. M. Suter for specimens, colour sketches and observations on the Mahseers of the Deccan, and to the authorities of the Bombay Natural History Society for bearing the entire cost of the illustrations. I am also thankful to Babu B. Bagchi for the skill and care with which he prepared the illustrations under my supervision.

List of References.

1. Annandale, N. — ‘The Fauna of certain small streams in the Bombay Presidency. V. Notes on Freshwater fish mostly from the Satara and Poona Districts.’ Rec. Ind. Mus. vol. xvi, pp. 134-137 (1919).

2. Day, F. — Fishes of India, p. 573 (London, 1878).

3. Hamilton, F. — An Account of the Fishes found in the\ River Ganges and its branches, pp. 303-307 (Edinburgh, 1822).

4. Hora, S. L. — ‘The Game Fishes of India, XV. The Mahseers or the large-scaled Barbels of India. 7. On the specific identity of Sykes’s species of Barbus from the Deccan’. Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. xliii, pp. 163-169 (I942)*

5. Jerdon, T. C. — ‘On the fresh-water fishes of Southern India. ’ Madras Journ. Litt & Sci., vol. xv, pt. 2, pp. 302-346 (1849).

6. Thomas, H. S. — Rod in India, pp. 22, 23 (London, 1897).

Explanation of Plate.

Two types of Mahseer from the Poona Waterways.

Upper : Barbus (Tor) khudree Sykes. X ca. L

Lower : Barbus (Tor) mussullah Sykes, x ca. J.

The drawings were made from specimens and colour sketches supplied by

Dr. M. Suter.

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE.

BY

Salim Alt.

With notes by Hugh Whistler.

Part IV.

( Continued from Vol. xliii. No. 4, p. 595).

Hierococcyx sparverioides (Vigors). The Large Hawk-Cuckoo.

Specimens collected : Biligirirangans : Mq(H) J 10-3-34, M48(G) d 29-10-34 (5,000' — Honnametti).

Not met with by the Survey.

[Measurements :

		Bill	Wing	Tail
1 6	ad.	30	224	— mm.
1 6	imm.	29	223 .	— mm.— H. W

Status? Evidently rare.

Hierococcyx varius Vahl. The Common Hawk-Cuckoo.

Specimens collected: 162 $ 24-11-39 Maddur (2,500'); 184 d 28-11-39

Antarsante (2,500') ; 263 4-12-39 Karapur (2,500') ; 460 $ 26-12-39 Dodballa-

pur (2,900'); 641 $ 15-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000'); 682 9 20-1-40 Bababudan

Hills (5,000' — Kemmangundi). Biliginrangan Hills : 21-12-32, M37(H)

5'4‘34 (4,ooo'-5,ooor — Honnametti).

Elsewhere not noted.

[Measurements :	Bill	Wing	Tail
3 6 6 ad.	25-28	193-199	168 mm.
1 9 ad.	—	194	156 mm.
3 rfd imm.	25-27-5	183-189	1 60- 16 1 mm.
1 9 imm.	28	188	(missing) — H. W.]

Evidently resident. Not common but frequent. Met with singly in both deciduous and evergreen biotopes and throughout the intermediate zone. Between November and March the birds were silent and no ‘ Brain-fever' calls were heard.

Cacomantis merulinus passerinus (Vahl.). The Plaintive Cuckoo.

Specimens collected : 383 9 (hepatic) 19-12-39 Maklidrug (2,800' — Bangalore Dist.).

Elsewhere noted : Settihalli. (This or Penthoceryx sonnerati? Unconfirmed).

[Measurements: 1 9 Bill 22, Wing 1 18, Tail 105.5 mm.

This is an adult female of the ‘hepatic type.’ It is moulting the wings and body, and it is important to note that it is moulting from ‘hepatic’ to ‘hepatic’ plumage. — H. W.]

Status? The specimen was a solitary in dry, deciduous, broken scrub-and- bush country.

Clamator jacobinus jacobinus (B'odd.). The Pied Crested Cuckoo.

Specimens collected: 91 17-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 298 9 8-12-39 (2,000'

— Seringapatam) .

Elsewhere noted : Kolar Gold Fields.

10 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

[Measurements :

	Bill	Wing	Tail
I 6	25	148	160 (worn) mm.
I 9	26.5	137-5	164 mm.

No. 91 3 is slightly larger than any other male of this race which I have examined. (Wing 138.5-146), but I think there is no doubt that it belongs to this race as there is no authentic record of the larger race below Bombay and the Central Provinces. — H. W.]

Status? Met with in deciduous biotope — lightly wooded country about villages and cultivation.

No. 91 was excessively fat, a circumstance which — in view of Mr. Whistler’s remarks above — suggests that it may possibly belong to the northern race pica (believed to winter in Africa) preparing, rather late, for emigration.

Eudynamis scolopaceus scolopaceos (Linn.); The Koel.

Specimens collected: 96 o? 18-11-39, 158 3 24-11-39 Bandipur (3,300');

244 ? 3-12-39 Antarsante (2,500'); 506 3 29-12-39 Thondebhavi (2,500'); 635 3 15-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000') ; Biligirirangan Hills : Mi4(G) 3 I5_9~34> M28(G)

9 21-9-34, M49(G) 9 25-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala).

Elsewhere noted : Namadachilume (3,000' — Tumkur Dist.).

[Measurements :

Bill

4 3 3 ad. 30-33-5

3 9 9 ad. 30-34

1 9 juv- —

Wing Tail

188-202 I77-5-I95 mm.

192-203 192-193 mm.

188 188 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects lightly wooded country about villages and cultivation with large leafy green trees as of banyan and tamarind, interspersed.

No. 96 (18 November) was very fat. Major Phythian-Adams has an egg taken from a crow’s nest at Gundlupet, 25-8-1929.

Rhopodytes viridirostris (Jerdon). The Small Green-billed Malkoha.

Specimens collected : 93 3> 94 3 18-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 228 3 1-12-39 Antarsante (2,500'); 345 9 I5-I2"39 Satnur (2,500'); Biligirirangan Hills :

M4o(H) 3 5-4-34 (4,000' — Honnametti) ; Mi2(G) 9 8-8-34, M2i(G) 9 IO-7-34> M 60(G) 3 1 9-7-34 (3,000' — Gdahatti, Eastern base).

Elsewhere noted: Jogimaradi (3,400' — Chitaldrug town environs); Hiriyur.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing

4 ^ 29-31.5 I3I-H3

3 9 9 28-32.5 131-135

1 3 juv. 29.5 133

Tail

202-246 mm. 220-225 mm.

213 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects thin secondary, and scrub-and-bush jungle.

The ovary of No. 345 (15 December) was maturing ; largest follicle over 2 mm. Major Phythian-Adams has a c/2 taken near Gundlupet, 12-6-1935.

Taccocua leschenaultii subsp. The Sirkeer Cuckoo.

No specimen.

Noted : Satnur. A pair in deciduous heavily thorn-scrubbed ravine, 15-12-39.

Cenlropus sinensis parroti Stres. The Southern Crow-Pheasant.

Specimens collected: 194 9 29-11-39 Antarsante (2,500'); 562 3 8-1-40

Marikanive (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills : M2(H) 9 juv. 7~5-34, My6(M) 9 16-5-34 (4,000-5,000' — B'ellaji).

'Elsewhere noted : Edbuthi (Biligiris), Bandipur, Namadachilume, Settihalli. [Measurements :

	Bill	Wing	Tail
2 9 9 ad.	38-42	180-203	247-260 mm.
1 3 juv.	38.5	181	248 mm.
1 $ juv.	35	170	18^ mm-

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

11

Both these juveniles are exactly like the adults in colouration whereas most if not all adults of C. sinensis sinensis in N.-W. India have a conspicuously different barred plumage. It will probably prove to be a racial characteristic. —H. W.]

Resident. Not common ; occasional solos. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects lightly wooded and scrub-and-bush country, usually about cultivation.

No. 562 was infested with the cestodes Railiettina ( Skrjabinia ) centropi

(Southwell, 1922) in the body cavity (or intestine?).

Psittacula eupatria subsp. The Alexandrine Parakeet.

No specimens.

Noted : Settihalli ( — A flock of 8 in teak and bamboo forest on 27 January, and again a small flock on" 2 February),; Kolar Gold Fields (Solo, 21=2-40).

Psittacula krameri manillensis Bechst. The Rose-ringed Parakeet.

Specimens collected: 438 24-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'); 511 c? 31-12-39

Namadachilume (3,000').

Elsewhere noted : Heggadedavankote, Karapur, Kolar Gold Fields.

[Measurements: 2 Bill from cere 23-25, Wing 167-172, Tail 218-238 mm.

It is interesting to note that from the size of the organs (testes 12x6 and 12x5 mm.) both these males were about to breed in immature and female-like dress— H. W.]

Resident. Not common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Found in fairly wooded country, usually around cultivation.

The specimens, with testes 12x6 and 12x5 mm- respectively were either breeding or about to breed.

Psittacula cyanocephala cyanocephala (Linn.). The Western Blossom-headed Parakeet.

Specimens collected: 114 9 1 9-1 1-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 538 S 4-1-40 Namadachilume (3,000'); Biligirirangan Hills : 20 <$ 8-11-39 (3,500' — Bedaguli) ; Mi7(G) 9 IO-7-34 Mi 11(G) $ 3-8-34 (3,000' — Cdahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere noted : Devarbetta Hill, Jagar Valley (Bababudans), Settihalli.

[Measurements :

Bill (from cere) Wing Tail

2 cf $ ad. 18-19 138-142 191-215 mm.

1 9 ad. 17 132 —

1 9 imm 16 133 H. W\ ]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope, but it also extends far into the intermediate zone. In the Biligirirangans it was a notice- able feature that this species occurred in the deciduous and semi-evergreen forest (in the last coincident with columboides ) up to about 3,500 ft. elevation, but that it was entirely replaced by columboides higher up as the vegetation took on an increasingly evergreen aspect.

Along with the next species this parakeet is very destructive to crops of jowari and the vetch Dolichos lablab (Linn.) (Canarese : aore-khai)1 cultivated in forest clearings.

In specimen No. 538 (4 January) the testes measured 6x4 mm. and were evidently maturing.

Psittacula columboides (Vigors). The Blue-winged Parakeet.

Specimens collected: 350 <$ 15-12-39 Devarbetta Hill (3,000'); 61 1 S

13-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000') ; 769 9 29-1-40 Settihalli (2,500') ; 849 $ 8-2-40

Agumbe (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills : 34 c? 10-11-39 (4,000' — Bedaguli);

6 18-12-32, Mn(H) (5 16-3-34, Mi7(H) s 24-2-34, M6i(H) 24-4-34,

1 The Forest Guard when asked whether this was used as food explained thgt ‘if is only used for putting intol bag and tying to nose of horse’ J

12 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY , Vol. XLIV

Mi3-i4(H) c? $ 8-5-34, M40-41 $0? n-5-34 (4,000-5,000' Honnametti) ; M82

(H) $ 18-5-34 (5,000' — Bellaji) ; M36(G) 14-7-34 (3,000' — Odahatti, Eastern

base).

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Antarsante, Karapur, Bababudan Hills (Jagar Valley 2,500' ; Kemmangundi 4,500').

[Measurements :

9 6 d ad.

1 9 ad.

4 6 6 juv.

i 9 juv.

Bill (from cere)

22.5- 24

23

21.5- 23 20

Wing 1 43 • 5- 1 56 144-5 I4°-5"I52 H3.5

Tail

204.5-246 mm. 167 mm. 148-164 mm. 163 mm.

This species has not been recorded before so far east as the Biligirirangan Hills and Devarbetta Hill.— H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to evergreen biotope, but freely entering the intermediate zone to about the same limit as cyanocephala does from the deciduous end. The distribution of the 2 species overlaps at its seam.

It is the only parakeet found in the coffee estates and may invariably be seen eating the nectar from the Greville'a and Erythrina flowers of the shade trees planted here.

This species, prized by fanciers as the ‘Bababudan Parrot’ has acquired an almost universal reputation in Mysore State (and doubtless beyond) as a talking paragon. It is accredited with being an exceptional linguist and believed to address human beings in Arabic ! The foundation for this widespread belief appears to be that one Babuddin, a pilgrim from Mecca (and incidentally the originator of coffee-planting in South India) who settled on the hills that now bear a semblance of his name (Bababudan), kept a local parakeet (or several parakeets?) whom he taught to call to Allah and recite verses from the Koran. Whether some of his trained parrots escaped or were artfully released after completing their novitiate is not clear. But they were regularly fed and so kept near the abode of this holy man. To his glorification they caused open- mouthed wonderment amongst the devout who pilgrimaged to the saint periodically and who helped afterwards to broadcast the magical piety of Babuddin and the spell it had cast upon the parakeets of the locality.

Coryllis vernalis (Sparrm.). The Indian Loriquet.

Specimens collected: 113 9 19-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 250 <5* 3-12-39 Karapur (2,500'); 643 9 16-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000') ; 687 20-1-40 Bababudan

Hills (Jagar Valley 2,500'); 791 11 31-1-40 Settihalli (2,500'); 858 <$ 11-2-39

Jog (2,000'). Biligirirangan Hills: ^55-56(0) 9 i9~7-34> M91 -92(G) $ <$

25-7-34 (3,000'— Odahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere noted : Bedaguli (3,500' Biligiris) ; Antarsante, Agumibe.

[Measurements :

Bill (from cere) Wing Tail

5 3 $ . 11-12 91-96 38.5-43.5 mm.

299 11 96.5-99.5 45-47 mm-

In the Eastern Ghats Survey (J.B.N .H.S., xxxvii, 754) I expressed my hesitation at keeping up the race rubropygialis for birds of the southern distribu- tion of this species. The examination of this series and some new skins from Assam has satisfied me that the race cannot be maintained. The supposed differences on which it is based do not appear to hold good, being either individual or due to wear. — H. -W.J

Resident. Common. Essentially an inhabitant of the intermediate zone, but wandering a good way into either extreme as prospects of food tempt it.

The specimens of 26 "and 31 January and 11 February had mature testes : 6x4 (2), 5x3 (1) mm.

Coracias fcenghalensis indica Linn. The South Indian Roller.

Specimens collected: 333-335 S 6' 9 *5* — -3Q Satnur (2,500'); 459 $ 26-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'); 779 $ 30-1-40 Settihalli (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills: Mf 08(G) rT 1-8-34 (3.000' — Odahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere noted : Hiinsur, Mandya, Namadachilume, Kolar Gold Fields,

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE 13

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

5 6 6 4x-45 180-184 119-128.5 mm.

i? -41.5 174 117 mm. — H. W.J

Resident. Not common and sparsely and patchily distributed. Confined to deciduous biotope. Frequents open, lightly wooded country and cultivated areas. Curiously enough not a single example was observed between 10 Nov- ember and 5 December at Bandipur, Antarsante, Mysore City environs, Kaken- kote or Karapur although appropriate facies were not wanting.

The noisy, aerial pre-nuptial display was first observed on 15 December (Satnur). Specimens 459 (26 January) and 779 (30 January) both had maturing testes — 6x4 mm.

Major Phythian-Adams has a c/2 in his collection from Nanjangud 2-1930,

and another c/2 Gundlupet 7-4-1938.

Merops orientalis orientalis Latham. The Common Indian Bee-eater.

Specimens collected: Biligirirangan Hills : 41 9 io-ix-39 (3,500' — Bedaguli) ; M26(G) 9 12-7-34, M87(G) <3 25-7-34 (3,000' — Udahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Antarsante, Satnur, Marikanive, Settihalli,

Agumbe, Kolar Gold Fields, Mysore and Bangalore City environs. [Measurements: 1 9 Bill 33, Wing 91.5, Tail 107 mm.

Both the July birds are in moult. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope, extending partly through the dry-inter belt. Affects open scrub-and-bush and cultivated country. Also found in forest taungya clearings.

Merops superciliosus javanicus Horsf.	The Blue-tailed	Bee-eater.
Specimens collected: 819 cf, 820 Elsewhere not noted.	( 3 4-2-40 Agumbe	(2,500').
[Measurements :
Bill	Wing	Tail
1 $ ad. 46.5	135	130.5 mm.
1 ^ juv. 44.5	127	85.5 mm— H.

Status? Apparently rare. The specimens were out of a small party seen near the Travellers’ Bungalow in open village outskirts on the edge of ever- green forest.

Merops leschenaulti leschenaulti Vieillot. The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.

Specimens collected : 326 9 13-12-39 Shimsha (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills : 30 9 9-1 1-39 (4,000' — Edbuthi).

Elsewhere noted : Settihalli.

[Measurements 129$ Bill 38.5, Wing 106, Tail 80-80.5 mm.— -H. W.J Status? Uncommon; occurring sparingly and sporadically. Apparently con- fined to deciduous biotope, principally to the dry-inter belt, but extending in small numbers throughout the intermediate zone. Affects well wooded country.

Bucia athertoni (Jardine & Selby). The Blue-bearded Bee-eater. *

Specimens collected : 309 3 1 9-1:2-39 Hunsur (2,000'). Biligirirangan Hills : Mi 6(G) 9 16-10-34 (5,000' — Honnametti) ; M39(G) 9 i3“9'34> M43IG) 9

24-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala).

Elsewhere noted : Manchgowdanhalli, Namadachilume.

[Measurements :

Bill

1 6. 50-5

2 $ 9 50-57

Wing

I43-5

138

Tail

137 mm. 128-137 mm.

One of the Biligiri specimens is in heavy moult hence not measured. — H. W.] Resident. Uncommon and patchy. I believe this is really a bird of the dry-inter belt, but it wanders across into either of the terminal biotopes for some distance.

It affects fairly well-wooded country with a sprinkling of large trees.

14 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

Ceryle rudis subsp. The Pied Kingfisher.

No specimens.

Noted : Karapiir (at tanks and Kabani river) ; Kolar Gold Fields (at Betmangala tank and Palar river). Not common.

Major Phythian-Adams has a e/8, Gundliipet, 20-1-1929.

Alcedo afthis taprobana Kleinschmidt. The Common Ceylon Kingfisher.

Specimens collected : 327 9 13-12-39 Shimsha (2,900') ; 558 9 7-1-40

Marikanive (2,500'); 654 9 16-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000') ; 844 $ 7-2-40 Agumbe (2,000'); Biligirir angans : M 10(G) $ 8-8-34 (3,000— Odahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere not noted.

[Measurements :

1 6

3 9 9

Bill

44

43-44-5

Wing Tail

70 30-5

72-5 -73 33-33-5 mm-

While these are not quite pure taprobanus they are .certainly closer to that race than to bengalenis. — H. W.]

Resident. Not common. Seen singly on rivers and streams chiefly in deciduous biotope, but extending into the intermediate zone.

Geyx erithaca erithaca (Linn.) The Indian Three-toed Kingfisher.

Specimen collected : 283 c? 6-12-39 Manchgowdanhalli (2,500').

Elsewhere not noted.

[Measurements : 1 Bill 36, Wing 58, Tail 24.5 mm.

A very welcome record in view of my remarks in the Eastern Ghats Survey (J.B.N.H.S., xkxii, 761) about the paucity of records for South India. Mr. C. G. Webb-Peploe kindly informs me that about 1936 he found one of these beautiful kingfishers dead in a stream bed at 2,000' at Naraikkadu on the east slope of the Ashambu Hills in Travancore. — H. W.]

The specimen — the only met with in Mysore — was solitary in dense deciduous bamboo jungle on the banks of the Kabani river.

Ramphakyon capensis [gurial (Pearson)]. The B'rown-headed Stork-billed King- fisher.

No specimens.

Noted : Manchgowdanhalli (deciduous biotope. On Kabani river) ; Settihalli.

Major Phythian-Adams has a c/3, Moyar river (Mysore-Nilgiris boundary) 31-3-38.

Halcyon smyrnensis smyrnensis (Linn.). The White-breasted Kingfisher.

Specimens collected: 341 $ 15-12-39 Satnur (2,500'); Biligirirangan Hills:

M 10(G) 15-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala), and another without precise data.

Elsewhere noted : Sakleshpur, Settihalli.

[Measu^ments : 1 Bill 62.5, Wing 123.5, Tail 82 mm.

In size and colour I cannot separate this from the typical race. The two birds from the Biligirirangans, however, both in complete moult, are very dark and would seem to be fusca. — H. W.]

Resident. Not common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Frequents tanks and ponds as well as light secondary jungle.

Halcyon pileata (Bodd). The Black-capped Kingfisher.

No specimens.

A solitary example was observed on rocks in the ‘cauldron’ at the foot of Jog (Gersoppa). Falls, 10-2-40.

Humayun Abdulali ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxviii, 830)^ noted a solitary bird in this same spot in December 1935, as curiously enough did also Davidson exactly 42 years earlier ! ( J.B.N.H.S ., xii, 46).

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

15

Hydrocissa coronata (Bodd.). The Malabar Pied Hornbill.

No specimens.

A party of three was observed in deciduous forest with tall trees and bamboo at Manchgowdanhalli (near Antarsante) 3-12-39. This was the only meeting with the species in Mysore.

Tockus birostris (Scopoli). The Common Grey Hornbill.

Specimens collected : 321 9 13-12-39 Satnur (2, goo7). Biligirirangans : M3

(G) 9 14-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala).

Elsewhere noted : Maddur, Gundlupet, Hiriyur.

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects secondary jungle, and wooded country and groves about cultivation.

Tockus griseus (Latham). The Malabar Grey Hornbill.

Specimens collected: 642 9 16-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000'); 675 3 19-1-40

Bababudan Hills (4,500' — Kemmangundi).

[Measurements :

Bill from skull Wing Tail

1 3 100 205 210 mm.

1 9 84 195 2°4 mm- — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to evergreen biotope, being the ecological counterpart here of the Common Grey Hornbill. Affects forest, especially where the various species of Ficus abound.

Upupa epops eeylonensis Reichenbach. The Ceylon Hoope.

Specimens collected : 101 9 18-11-39, 155 9 23-11-39 Bandipur (2,800-

3,300'); 399 <$ 20-12-39, 472 3 27-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'); Biligirirangan

Hills : M49(H) 3 10-4-34 (5>ooo' — Honnametti) ; M2(G) 3 _ 14-9-34 (2,000' —

Satyamangala) ; M32(G) 3 14-7-34, M89(G) 3 25-7-34 (3,000' — Odahatti, E. base). Elsewhere noted : Hiriyur, Kolar Gold Fields.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

6 3 3 52-61.5 120.5-143 83-98 mm.

2 99 SI-55-5 I27 84-88 mm.— H. W.j

Resident. Not common. Confihed to deciduous biotope but extending in diminishing numbers through the intermediate zone up to its evergreen boundary. The December males had maturing testes : 7X4 and 5X3 respectively.

Harpactes fasciatus malabaricus (Gould). The Malabar Trogon.

Specimens collected : 612 9 13-1-40 Sakleshpur (3,000') ; 741 9 26-1-40,

767-768 c? 9 29-1-40, 788 3 31-.1-40 Settihalli (2,500').

[Measurements :

Bill

2 3 6 20-20.5

3 9 9 20-2 I

Wing Tail

123.5- 128 156-162 mm.

122.5- 127 162-167 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to evergreen biotope, extending across the moist-inter zone.

Micropus me!ba bakeri (Hartert). The Indian Alpine Swift.

Specimens collected: 532 9 3-l~40 Devarayadrug (4,000'— Tumkur Dist.);

857 9' 1 1-2-40, 861-864 3 3!3 9 12-2-46, also cT 9 25-12-35 (Humayun Abdulali), Jog (2,000' — Sagar Dist.). Biligirirangan Hills : o? 19-12-32 (5,000' — above

Dodsampagi).

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Nandidrug.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing C. tail O. tail

4 3 3 14-16 204-212 59-62.5 74-77 mm.

5 99 i4-i5.s 200-206 58-61 72-76 mm.

ife JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY , Vol xUV

A very useful contribution to the verification of this interesting race disting- uished both by its small size and by its dark colouration. — H. W.]

Resident and local migrant. Not common. Usually seen in the hills hawking winged insects about and above fissured crags and rock scarps.

On the summit of Devarayadrug Hill I observed that the ibirds circled back and forth almost within gunshot before the sun had set, but that they steadily rose higher and higher after the sun went down. This was evidently due to the fact that their insect prey kept rising higher to remain in the warmth of the sunlight. The ibirds were usually seen flying about the hill until about 10-30 a.m. when some of them at least retired into the fissures of the rock (brooding?). There- after practically none were on the wing in this neighbourhood again before late afternoon, and they continued to feed till well after dusk high up in the heavens.

Several pairs were observed in copula on the wing, the male treading the female in mid-air. During the act both birds whirled round and round as one unit and fell slowly through space parachuteuwise for about 100 feet or so on outstretched but motionless wings. They separated after this and flew off indi- vidually.

All the specimens had maturing or fully mature gonads, and breeding was undoubtedly in progress. Testes 9X4 to 14x6 mm. ; ovaries markedly granular. The largest follicle in No. 532 (3 January) measured 4 mm. and its distended oviduct indicated that it had laid.

Humayun Abdulali collected breeding birds at Jog, where the species is particularly numerous, on 26-12-35 ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxviii, p. 829). Strangely

enough when Mr. C. McCann visited the Falls on 10 June (1938) he found these Swifts completely absent ( J.B.N.H.S ., xli, p. 450). Where they go away during the S.-W. Monsoon still remains to be discovered. Humayun Abdulali tells me that the birds were absent from this locality on 3 August (1939), but some were back by 7 September when the place was revisited by him.

Micropus affinis [aff in is (Gray)]. The Common Indian House-Swift.

No specimens.

Resident. Confined to deciduous biotope. Evidently not common. Small numbers of these swifts were observed about Vanivilas Dam at Marikanive (9 January). Also about the old temples at Halebid (12 January) wherein they were nesting and making a nuisance of themselves. Several disused nests were also seen in the former locality.

Ghaetura giganteus indicus Hume. The Brown-throated Spinetail.

No specimens.

Noted : Maddur (near Gundlupet), Sakleshpur, Bababudafi Hills (Jagar Valley).

Presumably resident. Confined to evergreen biotope. Usually seen in loose flocks flying at terrific speed and hawking insects over grassy hilltops and forest clearings, especially where fired.

tndicapus sylvaticus (Blyth). The White-rumped Spinetail.

No specimens.

Noted : Sakleshpur, Kadamane Estate, Settihalli.

Resident? Sporadic. Confined to evergreen biotope. Like the preceding species it is usually seen in loose ‘flocks’ hawking insects above grassy hilltops and forest clearings ; frequently also in the intermediate zone.

Coltocatia fuciphaga subsp. The Edible Swiftlet.

No specimens.

Noted : Karapur (Deciduous). A gathering of 30-50 birds hawking insects high above Kabani river, 3-12-39. Agumbe : (Evergreen. A few on 2-2-40 1).

Hemiprocne coronata (Tickell). The Indian Crested Swift.

Specimens collected: 120 121 20-11-39 Bafidipflr (3,3000.

Elsewhere noted : Shimsha, Sivasamudram, Namadachilume, Settihalli.

[Measurements : 2 $ ^ Bills damaged. Wing 153-154, C. Tail 44, O. Tail 109.5-117 mm.— H. W.J

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

17

Resident. Not uncommon. Confined to deciduous biotope. Met with in secondary jungle and about forest clearings for cultivation.

Caprimulgus macrourus atripennis Jerdon. Jerdon’s Long-tailed Nightjar. Specimen collected: 147 <$ 23-11-39 Bandipur (3,300').

[Measurements : 1 $ Bill 23.5, Wing 189, Tail 133 mm.— H. W.j The specimen was hawking beetles at dusk on a motor road through decidu- ous and bamboo forest.

Caprimulgus indicus indicus Latham. The Indian Jungle Nightjar.

Specimens collected: 119 $ 20-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 249 9 3-12-39

Antarsante (2,500'); 627 <$ 14-1-40. Sakleshpur (3,000'); 747 cf» 748 27-1-40

Settihalli (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills : Mi3(H) 9, Mi6(H) 4-3-34 (5,000' — Honnametti).

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

4C S d 20-23.5 192-198 129. 5-137 mm.

4 99. 23-24.5 190-195 129-13 1 mm— H. W..]

Resident? Common. Confined to deciduous biotope ; occasionally found in the dry-inter belt. Affects teak plantations and bamboo facies. Perches on branches both lengthwise and across. No. 627 was shot at 10 a>m. perched lengthwise asleep on a branch of a tall shade tree at edge of coffee plantation.

The call of this nightjar, commencing at dusk and continued far into and often throughout the night, (especially if moonlit) is Kruk . . . krii-kroo or Uk . . . krii-kroo repeated monotonously every 2 seconds or so for £ or even 5 hour at a stretch. Elsewhere I have recorded the call also as Chuck-ko, chuck- ko etc. about once every second.

Caprimulgus monticolus monticolus Franklin. Franklin’s Nightjar.

Specimens collected: 134 9 21-11-39 Gudalur Ghat (3,000' — near Kaken-

halla) ; 148 . 9 23-11-39 Bandipur (3,300').

[Measurements: 2 9 $ Bill 19-26, Wing 187-190, Tail 108-113.5 mm. — H. W.]

Usually seen on roads through deciduous forest at dusk. No. 134 was - perched on a telegraph wire (across).

Caprimulgus asiaticus asiaticus Latham. The Common Indian Nightjar.

Specimens collected : 231 $ 2-12-39 Antarsante (2,500') ; Biligirirangans :

Mi 13(G) 9 4-8-34 (3,000' — Udahatti, E. base).

Elsewhere noted : Marikanive.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

1 19 143 — mm,

1 9 — 147 io3 mm- — H. W.j

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects open sparse scrub-and-bush country and fallow land.

Testes of 2 December specimen 7x5 mm.

[Asio flammeus flammeus (Pontoppidan). The Sliort-eared Owl.

Specimens collected : 655-658 9 9 9 9' i 7-1 -40 Hebbale, Coorg (2,500').

[Measurements : 4 9 9 Bill 30-30.5, Wing 300-318, Tail 143.5-.146 mm.— H. W.J iA;

These specimens were obtained actually a few miles beyond the western boundary of Mysore State, but are included here since there, seems no reason to doubt that the species also occurs within our area in the appropriate deciduous facies.

The birds were shot from a loose ‘flock’ of about 20 resting amongst scrub and grass covered stony hillocks. One was observed sunning itself, belly to ground and wings outstretched. On the wing, and seen from behind, the birds were reminiscent of a party of Houbara bustards.

At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when shot, the stomachs of all the specimens were quite empty.]

2

18 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

Strix indranee indranee Sykes. The Brown Wood-Owl.

Specimens collected: 168 $ 25-11-39 Bandipur (3,300').

Elsewhere noted : Satnur.

[Measurements : 1 $ Bill 40, Wing 340, Tail 186 mm.— H. W.]

lhe specimen was one of a pair up in a dense bamboo clump in deciduous forest. Its stomach was empty at 7-30 a.m., when shot, but for a single live Tscam-like nematode worm Seuratum sp., probably a ‘pseudoparasite.’ Testes 13x7 mm.

Strix ocellata (Lesson). The Mottled Wood-Owl.

Specimens collected: 135 $ 22-11-39 Bandipur (2,800' — near Hangala

village).

Elsewhere noted : Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet, Marikanive.

[Measurements : 1 9 Bill 40.5, Wing 339, Tail 177 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects wooded country with large densely foliaged tamarind and similar trees around villages and cultivation. When flushed from its daytime retreat it can fly long distances in bright sunshine without apparent discomfort. As distinct from Bubo, this owl afights on the inside (more or less secluded) branches of a tree after a flight, and not on the outside or peripheral ones.

Bubo bubo bengaiensis (Franklin). The Indian Great Horned Owl.

Specimens collected: 136 ($ 22-11-39 Bandipur (2,800' — near Hangala village); 537 c? 4-1-40 Namadachilume (3,000').

[Measurements : 2 $ Bill 44-47, Wing 364-374, Tail 190 mm.

These specimens are rather dark on the upper plumage, but I have already pointed out (J.B.N .H.S., xxxviii, 234) that this species is very variable in colour and I do not think that northern and southern races should be separated. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects ravines and boulder hillocks in secondary forest and sparsely wooded country, as well as groves of large thickly foliaged trees in the neighbourhood of villages and cultivation.

The specimens were both either breeding or about to breed: testes 18x10 and 15x10 mm. Under the skin of the nape of No. 136 were found embedded several examples of the. Nematode worm Parhamatospiculum bubicola Skrjabin & Petrow, 1935.

A local belief current about the large owls was narrated to me by a Forest Range Officer. It appears that if a large owl (species not stated) is confined without food for 8 days and thereafter well beaten with a stick, it begins to talk fluently like a human (language unspecified !) and can be made to tell your fortune with infallible precision. Here is a tip for those waiting for ships to come home 1

Ketupa zeylonensis leschenaulti (Temminck) The Brown Fish-Owl.

Specimens collected : 9 Biligirirangan Hills (without precise data).

[Measurements : 1 9 Bill 51, Wing 402, Tail 200 mm. — H. W.]

Noted: Antarsante (29-11-39 A pair by forest tank at dusk).

Probably not uncommon in suitable localities — about tanks and streams.

Otus bakkamoena sub-sp. The Scops Owl.

No specimens.

The characteristic call of this little owl ‘ Wut . . . wut’ &c was heard after dusk at Namadachilume and Settihalli, 1 and 30 January. Evidently somewhat uncommon.

Athene brama brama (Temm.) The Southern Spotted Owlet.

Specimens collected: 137 22-11-39 Bandipur (2,800' — Hangala village); 272

cJ 5-12-39 Antarsante (2,500') ; 386 9 I9-I2_39 Maklidrug (2,800') ; 395 9

20-12-39, 461 9 26-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'). Biligirirangan Hills: M28(G) 9 I3-7_34 (3,000'— Odahatti M3o(G) rj 21-9-34 (2,ooo' — Satyamangala).

Elsewhere noted : Chamarajanagar.

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

19

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

4 9 $ 20.5-21 152. 5-154 69-72.5 mm.

' . . Vi

All are dark birds. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects groves of large trees in the neighbourhood of towns, villages and cultivation.

No. 272 (5 December) was very fat.

Glaucidium radiatum radiatum (Tickell) The Malabar Jungle Owlet.

Specimens collected: 173 9> 174 9» 175 d 25-II-39 Bandipur (3,000' — near Kakenhalla) ; 210 9> 211 d 30-11-39 Manchgowdanhalli (2,500'); Biligirirangan Hills : Mi(H) <$ 10-3-34 (4,000'); Mi5(G) d I5-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala) ;

M34(G) d 22-10-34 (5>ooo' — Honnametti).

[Measurements :

Bill

5 d d I7-5_I9

3 9 9 16-18.5

Wing

130-13 3

Tail

68.5-76.5 mm.

66-70.5 mm.— H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope, occasionally entering the dry-inter belt. Its typical habitat is teak and bamboo forest.

The stomach of one example contained a grasshopper and the viscera of a snail.

Ninox scutulata hirsuta Temm. The South Indian Hawk-Owl.

Specimen collected : 736 9 26-1-40 Settihalli (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Edbuthi (4,500' — Biligirirangans).

[Measurements: 1 9 Bill 22, Wing 212.5, Tail 121.5 mm. — H. W.j

The specimen was shot off the roof of the Forest Lodge after dark. Two or three other birds were heard calling in the deciduous bamboo forest in this neighbourhood. The call of this owl is a distinctive, rather pleasant, Oo...uk, 00. ..uk etc. repeated once a second and 4 to 10 times running. A pause of half to one minute follows and then the calls are repeated.

The ovary of the specimen was maturing ; largest follicles over 2 mm. A tangle of 13 round thread-like Nematode worms ( Parhamatospiculum sp. (Fam. Filariidae)], from 25 to 80 mm. long (mostly overdo mm.), were removed from under the skin of the skull above one eye-socket. Otherwise the bird seemed perfectly healthy. Its stomach (at 8 p.m.) was crammed with remains of what were apparently Potter Wasps (Eumenes) — orange brown in colour.

Pandion haliaetus haliaetus (Linn.). The Osprey.

Specimen collected : 287 d 8-12-39 Seringapatam (Palahally Island, Cauvery, 2,000').

Elsewhere noted : Marikanive (Solo on Vanivilas Sagar 7 Jan.). [Measurements: 1 d Bill 41.5, Wing 481, Tail 210 mm. H. W.J Winter visitor. Scarce.

Sarcogyps calvus (Scop.). The Black or Pondicherry Vulture.

No specimens.

Noted : Bandipur, Marikanive.

Occasional solos.

Gyps fulvus fulvescens Hume. The Indian Griffon Vulture.

No specimens.

Noted (unconfirmed) at Jog where several pairs were nesting on ledges of rock scarp a few hundred yards downstream from the Gersoppa Falls (10 Febru- ary).

Gyps iudicus [indicus (Scop.)] The Long-billed Viflture.

Humayun Abdulali records a few pairs nesting on cliffs opposite Jog Falls at end December 1935. ( J.B.N.FI.S ., xxxviii, 830).

20 JOURNAL , £OMEAy iVATi7i?^L HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

Pseudogyps bengalensis (Gmelin). The Indian White-backed Vulture.

No specimens.

Noted : Settihalli, jog and elsewhere.

A single nest with bird brooding was observed on a tall straight tree ca. 60 ft. up, in forest of moist-inter facies at Settihalli. No other nests were in the proximity, but the birds were here numerous, and it was evident from the dcid reek of their droppings and the dirty whitewashed appearance of the ground that they roosted in the adjoining area' at night.

At Jog a number of nests with birds either brooding or perched in their proximity were observed on tall upright trees in evergreen forest. (10-2-40).

Neophron percnopterus gingmianus (Latham). The Smaller White Scavenger Vulture.

No specimens. .

Noted : Biligirirangan Hills (about cattle sheds and coolie lines on coffee estates) ; Bandipur, Satniir, Chitaldrug, Mysore, Bangalore, Dodballapur, Kolar Gold Fields and elsewhere.

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Occasionally met with in the intermediate zone around human habitations.

On 9 January a bird was observed carrying building material, and nesting was in progress on the bare rocky hills in the environs of Chitaldrug town.

Major E. G. Phythian-Adams has one egg each from 2 nests at Nanjangud, 2-2-1939.

Falco peregrinus peregrinator Sundevall. The Shahin Falcon.

No specimens.

Noted : Balmoorie Island (Cauvery river, near Krishnarajsaghr) ; Devaraya- drug (3,500' — Tumkur Dist.) ; Bababudan Hills (5,000' — above Kemmangundi) ; Jog (on cliffs flanking Gersoppa Falls).

Solitaries or a pair were seen about cliffs and rock scarps in the hills. On 22 January a pair had their nest on an inaccessible ledge of rock in the Baba- budans (ca. 5,000' elevation). The owners were observed playfully stooping about the cliffs; at incredible speed, and performing a variety of amazing aerobatics.

Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus Linn. The European Kestrel.

Specimens collected: 144 $.’22-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); 337 S 15-12-39

Satnur (2,500'); 396 $ 20-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'); Biligirirangan Hills :

M35(G) $ 22-10-34 (5,000' — Honnametti).

[Measurements:

Bill . Wing Tail

2 (S (S 21-22 234-253 161-166 mm.

2 $ $ 21.5-22 .249-255 163-170 mm. — H. W.J

Falco tinnunculus objurgatus (Stuart B'aker). The Indian Kestrel.

Specimens collected: 841 $ 7-2-40 Agumbe (2,000'). Biligirirangans : 6 <$

6-11-39 M4o(G) $ 22-10-34 {5,000' — Honnametti) also 1 without precise data.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing

3 6 6 21.5-22 222-232

2 $ $ 22-22.5 242.5-253

Tinnunculus winter visitor ; objurgatus resident.

Usually seen singly about grassy hillslopes and in bare open sparsely scrubbed country and fallow land, mostly in deciduous biotope.

Tail

1 45-1 58, mm.

164-175 mm,— H. W.]

Aquila rapax vindhiana Franklin. The Indian Tawny Eagle.

No specimens.

Noted only at Marikanive 7-1-40. Evidently rare.

Lophotriorchis kieneri (de Sparre). The Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle.

No specimens.

Noted: Settihalli (2,500'— Shimoga Dist.). A solitary -bird perched, bolt upright in a -lofty bare tree on edge of forest clearing for teak plantation ; moist- inter belt.

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

21

Ictinaetus malayensis perniger (Hodgs.). The Indian Black Eagle.

No specimens.

Noted : Biligirirangan Hills 5,000'. Solo 19-12-32.

Circaetus ferox (Gmelin). The Short-toed Eagle.

Specimen collected: 154 $ 23-11-39 Gopalaswami Betta (4,800' — near Gundlu- pet).

Elsewhere noted : Birur (Solo in dry scrub-and-bush country about cultiva- tion).

[Measurements : 1 9 Bill 53.5, Wing 525, Tail 278 mm.

This specimen is considerably darker above and has the markings on the lower surface both heavier and darker than in my series of North Indian birds. Unfortunately there are no other South Indian birds available for com- parison— except 2 unsexed skins marked vaguely ‘Madras’ in the British Museum — so it remains to be ascertained whether there is a dark southern race or whether the difference is due to individual variation. This eagle varies a certain amount in plumage. — H. W.]

Resident. Apparently confined to deciduous biotope. The specimen was ready to breed. Largest ovum 6 mm. Its stomach contained a snake ( Psammophis conda- narus) 9" long, and loose snake scales. Strangely enough this is the first record of this snake from Mysore.

Haeraatornis cheela melanotis (Jerdon). The Crested Serpent-Eagle.

Specimens collected : 724 $ 23-1-40 Bababudan Hills (3,500' — below Kemman- gundi)j 816 9 2-2-40 Settihalli (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Heggadedavankote, Namadachilume.

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

No. 724 9 46-5 497 294 mm.

No. 816 9 43-5 424 260 mm.

No. 816 is a perfectly typical example of melanotis in both size and colour. No. 724 on the other hand would pass both in size and colour as a specimen of H. c. cheela. One can either -consider if therefore as a vagrant wanderer of the typical race which has somehow reached South India, or as an aberrant specimen of the race melanotis varying towards the typical race. I prefer the latter explanation for I have already pointed out ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxviii, 426-427) how very variable this eagle is. — H. W.]

Resident, Affects heavy forest both in evergreen biotope and in the inter- mediate zone.

The ovary of No. 724 (23 Jan.) was maturing with many of the follicles ove.r, 2 ,mm. in diameter. It was very fat. Its stomach contained snake scales.

The call of this eagle is distinctive and usually the first indication of its presence in any locality. It is a shrill kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kde — the final note prolonged and particularly shrill. This call is mostly uttered on the wing.

Butasfur teesa (Franklin). The White-eyed Buzzard-Eagle.

Specimens collected: 138 9 22-11-39 Bandipur (2,800' — near Hangala village) ; 199 9 2Q-11-39 Antarsante (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Settihalli.

[Measurements :

1 .9 ad.	Bill	Wing	Tail
32	3®9	183 mm.
1 9 imm.	3i	278	158 mm.-H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects open light secondary jungle and the vicinity of cultivation.

Haliastur indus indus (Boddaert). The B'rahminy Kite.

Specimen collected: Biligirirangan Hills: M 103(G) 9 29-7-34 (3,000' —

Odahatti).

Elsewhere noted : Antarsante, Jog, Kolar Gold Fields, Satnur,

22 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to deciduous biotope near tanks and rivers, 4>ut met with temporarily elsewhere in search of food. On io February a solitary example was observed flying up and down the Gersoppa Falls, stick- ing to the contours of the flanking crags, using the wind eddies to rise effortlessly without wing beats to the head of the falls. After circling round here in among the spray a couple of times the bird shot down (also along the contours) at great speed almost to the foot of the falls, with wings half pulled in like a Peregrine stooping. The entire performance was repeated again and again, its object remaining a mystery.

At Antarsante a nest was observed, with bird brooding, in the top of a large peepal tree growing in the village (5 December).

Milvus migrans govinda Sykes. The Common Pariah Kite.

if; Specimen collected: 145 3 23-11-39 Bandipur (3,300').

Elsewhere noted: Chamarajanagar, French Rocks, Mysore, Bangalore, Thondebhavi, Marikanive. Almost ubiquitous.

[Measurements: 1 3 Bill 38, Wing 452, C. Tail 221, Outer Tail 284 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Preferentially in deciduous biotope, but small numbers also in the moist-inter belt around human habitations in the low country, and ascending temporarily in search of food to the highest homesteads in the hills. All the time from 4 November to 6 January the breeding season was in progress. Many pairs were observed in copula and numerous nests with birds brooding or under construction were observed.

The testee of the specimen measured 17x6 mm.

Elanus caeruleus vociferus (Latham). The Black-winged Kite.

Specimens collected: 75 9 15-11-39 Bandipur (3,300'); Biligirirangans : M107

(G) 3 1-8-34 (3»ooo-	— Udahatti,	Eastern base).
[ Measurements :	Bill	Wing	Tail
1 c?	23	—	122 mm.
1 9	24	269	1 19 mm. — H. W. j

Resident (presumably). Uncommon Confined . to deciduous biotope. Affects secondary and scrub jungle.

Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin). The Pale Harrier.

Specimen collected: 129 3 20-11-39 Bandipur (3,300').

[Measurements: 1 3 ad. Bill 26.5, Wing 345, Tail 213 mm. — H. W.]

Winter visitor. Not common.

Stomach of the specimen contained remains of a lizard, and a quail chick dbout 1 day old.

Circus aeiUginosus aeruginosus (Linn.). The Marsh Harrier.

No specimens.

Noted : Sakleshpur (solo at swamp 15-1-40) ; Kolar Gold Fields (Betmangala tank 22-2-40.

Winter visitor. Not common.

Astur badius dussumieri Temm. & Laug. The Indian Shikra.

Specimens collected : 288 9 8-12-39 Seringapatam (2,000' — Palahally Island, Cauvery river); 336 9 15-12-39 Satnur (2,500'); 468 $ 27-12-39 Dodballapur (2,900'); 507 3 29-12-39 Thondebhavi (2,500'); 515 3 1-1-40 Devarayadrug (3,500'); 756 d, 757 3 28-1-40, 805 9 2-2-40 Settihalli (2,500'); Biligirirangan Hills : M4o(G) 3 23"9“34 (2,000' — Satyamangala).

[Measurements :

Bill 20-21.5 23

21.5-22

Wing

176-192.5

201

193-200

Tail

r33_I47 mm- 160 mm. 150-165 mm,

3 S3 ad.

1 9 ad.

3 9 9 imm-

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

23

In the Eastern Ghats Survey ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxviii, 432) I discussed the question of the races of this species at some length, and this fine series merely strengthens the views that I arrived at then. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects wooded country and groves frequently in the neighbourhood of villages and cultivation.

No 288 (8 December) was the only one of the Survey specimens that showed any gonadal development : ovarian follicles 2 mm. It was very fat. It

dashed out of its ambush after a Rosy Pastor. No. 805 had all the primaries and some secondaries of one wing, and also the tip of its tail singed for about half their length. Presumably this was caused accidentally while hunting in a fired grass and scrub patch ( taungya clearing).

Accipiter virgatus besra Jerdon. The Southern Besra Sparrow-Hawk.

Specimens collected: Biligirirangan Hills: 35 9. 10-1 1-39 (4,000' — Bedaguli) ; M25(H) J 30-3-34 (5,000' — Honnametti).

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

1 cfimm. 18 155 127 mm.

1 $ ad. 22 183.5 142 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Shot in the moist-inter belt. The stomach of 288 contained remains

of a Green Barbet ( Thereiceryx viridis).

%

Pernis ptilorhynchus ruf icollis Lesson. The Indian Crested Honey-Buzzard.

Specimens collected: 189 9 28-11-39, 269 c? 5-12-39 Antarsante (2,500'):

252 c? 3-12-39 Karapur (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Biligirirangan Hills 4,000-5,800 .

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

2 S3 ad. 41-41. 5 4 1 2-4 *7 ' 252-259 mm.

1 9 imm. 40 403 262 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Particularly plentiful in the neighbourhood of Antarsante. The stomachs, crops and gullets of the specimens were . crammed with wax and honey, and in one instance also some small bees (species?).

No. 189 was very fat. 269 (5 Deer.) had maturing testes — 17x6 mm When incised for removal of tendons, it was noticed that all its 8 toes were infested under the skin with Nematode worms (Pelecitus sp.), especially at the base of the claws.

Crocopus phoenicopterus chlorogaster (Blyth). The Southern Green Pigeon.

Specimens collected : 195 c? 29-11-39, 268 c? 5"I2"39 Antarsante (2,500'). Biligirirangan Hills : M24(H) 9 I8-3-34, My2(G) (j1 22-7-34, M97(G) 27-7-34 (3,000' — Gdahatti Eastern base).

[Measurements :

Bill Wing Tail

4 d'd' 21-23 185-192 116-118 mm.

1 9 ^4 184 — mm. — H. W.J

Resident, but locally migratory (especially altitudinal) depending upon the ripening of the various fruits that comprise their food. Fruits ripen later on the hills than in the plains.

This Green Pigeon is essentially a bird of deciduous biotope Out rt also occurs freely in the dry-inter belt.

At Bandipur their food consisted largely of Ficus figs and gall-nuts (myra- bolans).

Dendrophassa pompadora affinis (Jerdon). The Grey-fronted Green Pigeon.

Specimens collected : 803 <$ 1-2-40 Settihalli (2,500') ; 818 9 4-2-40 Agumbe (2,500') 871 12-2-40 Jog (2,000').

Elsewhere noted : Bababudan Hills 3,000-4,500',

24 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

[Measurements :	Bill	Wing	Tail
2 66	18.5-20	141-5-142.5	85 mm.
1 -9 v	19	M9-5	84 mm. — H. W.J

Resident. Fairly common. Locally migratory as above. Confined to ever- green biotope ; also found in the moist-inter belt. Affects shade trees (Ficus and others) in and about coffee plantations. Its call notes are like Crocopus, but somewhat shriller. I was informed by Mr. H. H. English, a coffee planter in the Bababudans, that on his estate these pigeons frequently dash into the walls of out-houses and get killed. I have recorded a similar case under the Bronze-winged Dove in the Travancore-Cochin Survey ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxix, 339).

Ducula badia cuprea (Jerdon). Jerdon’s Imperial Pigeon.

Specimens collected: Biligirirangan Hills : 9 9 7-1 1-39 (4,000' — Edbuthi) ;

M47(H) 9 9-4-34 (5,000' — Honnametti).

Elsewhere noted : Sakleshpur, Settihalli, Agumbe.

[Measurements: 2 9 9 Bill 30-30.5, Wing 227-231, Tail 166 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common. Confined to evergreen biotope. Extends into the moist-inter belt. Met with in twos and threes on tall thinly foliaged trees. Call : a' deep, rather mournful Uk-ook...ook etc. uttered with tail slightly

depressed, back arched and head lowered. The flight is attained by leisurely wing beats as in the House-Crow.

The specimen of 7 November had a mature ovary with the largest follicle over 6 mm. in diameter.

Muscadivora aenea pusilla (Blyth). The Ceylon Green Imperial Pigeon.

Specimen collected: Biligirirangan Hills : M27(G) 9 2I-9_34 (2,000' —

Satyamangala).

Elsewhere noted : Antarsante.

[Measurements : 1 9 Bill 27.5, Wing 216, Tail 138 mm. — H. W.J

Resident. Uncommon. Confined to deciduous biotope, extending diminish- ihg'ly into the intermediate zone. Affects secondary jungle dotted with large Ficus trees.

Chalcophaps indica indica (Linn.). The Bronze-winged Dove.

Specimen collected : Biligirirangan Hills : M37(G) 9 juv. 23-10-34 (4,000' — Bellaji).

Elsewhere noted : Bababudan Hills (4,500' — Kemmangundi) ; Settihalli.

Resident. Uncommon. Confined to evergreen biotope ; partial to the moist- inter belt. It also extends to the more deciduous but well wooded portions of the intermediate zone. Frequents thick secondary forest and bamboo patches, and outskirts of forest clearings.

Columba livia subsp. The Blue Rock-Pigeon.

No specimens.

Noted : Bhadravati, Jog.

Resident. Patchily distributed and nowhere abundant except at Jog (Ger- soppa Falls). At the Mysore Iron Works, Bhadravati, I noticed (24 Jan.) that while the casting was in progress (8 p.m.) a number of pigeons roosted com- placently on the cross beams and rafters of the corrugated casting-shed roof, regardless of the terrific heat, glare and spluttering ‘fireworks’ from the molten metal, and only a few feet above the sparks from the gigantic blast furnace!

About the scarps of Gersoppa Falls the number of these pigeons has to be seen to be believed. They are there literally in thousands and when flying to and fro across the rock faces, as they do all day long in vast flocks, the birds look like swarms of midges by comparison with their surroundings.

There is a very widely current legend about the storing of grain by ‘birds’ obviously meaning these pigeons, in the holes and fissures of the rock behind and on the flanks of the actual waterfall at Gersoppa. This legend even had the distinction of figuring in a local political speech recently (Bangalore, 17- 1-40) but what its exact significance was in the context is not understood. It is

THE BIRDS OF MYSORE

25

said that the birds hoard — or at least used to hoard in by gone days — paddy in such quantities that the right of collecting this grain was formerly auctioned out by the Bombay Government for as much as Rs. 500 annually. 20 candies (140 cwt.) or more are alleged to have been recovered at a time by a man lowered in a basket. Since the accident which terminated the career of this intrepid exploiter, no one else has ventured to tap the ‘granaries’. Needless to say there seems to be no one living at the moment who has any first hand knowledge of the matter. Enquiries in the relative Mamlatdar’s office, kindly made for me by the Divisional Fore'st Officer of Karwar, revealed that all records over 50 years old have been destroyed and the entries of revenue from the1 auction of the garnering rights cannot now be1 traced.

It has not been explained how the pigeons could have transported such vast quantities of paddy to the granaries, and from where — since at the present time, at any rate, there is no extensive paddy cultivation, such as is implied, within many miles of the Falls. Of course, the legend will not bear scrutiny, but it would be interesting to learn how it originated and managed to gain such wide and ready credence.

Columba elphinstonii (Sykes). The Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon.

Specimens collected : Biligirirangan Hills : M43(H) 9 7-4-34 (4,000' — Bellajil ; M48(H) 9 9-4-34, M36(H) 9 1 0-5-34 (4,000-5,000' — Honnametti) ; Mii6(H) o? 25-5-34 (4,000' — Edbiithi).

Elsewhere noted : Devarbetta Hill (3,000') ; Bababudan Hills (4,500'- — Kem- mangundi).

[Measurements 13 9 9 Bill 27-28, Wing 199-205 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Fairly common but not abundant. Confined to evergreen biotope and partial to the moist-inter belt. Seen singly or in pairs, occasionally small parties, on trees in fruit.

Strepfopelia orientalis erythrocephala (Bonaparte).1 The Indian Rufous Turtle Dove.

Specimens collected: 792 9, 793 9 31-1-40 Settihalli (2,500').

[Measurements : 2 9 9 Bill from feathers 16, Wing 176-178, Tail 118-120 mm.

The sight of these two skins has given me as much pleasure as any birds in the Survey, for at last Mr. S&lim Ali has produced specimens of the Rufous Turtle Dove which breeds in Peninsular India, a bird whose very existence I was almost beginning to doubt. Curiously enough about the same time I received a third specimen from the collection of the late Mr. E. A. D’Abreu2. a female (one of a pair) collected at Mahrajbagh, Nagpur, on 8 June 1938. In the Eastern Ghats Survey ( J.B.N.H.S. , xxxviii, pp. 677-678) I discussed the whole question of these doves, but in the absence of satisfactory proof of the breeding of any form in peninsular India my conclusions were not altogether satisfactory. I am now satisfied that my ‘richly coloured form’ of that account falls into two races. The bird of the Eastern Himalayas and Assam is really an intermediate between S. o. orientalis (Manchuria, Korea, Japan and Tibet) S. o. meena (Western Himalayas) and the breeding bird of peninsular India which is distinguished by the vinous-red crown, nape and mantle and the deeper red of the edges of the scapulars, coverts and tertiaries. The vinous-red of the undersurface is also much richer.

For the East Himalayan intermediate I propose to retain, as in my previous note, the name of Columba agricola Tickell, J.A.S.B. vol. ii (Nov. 1833) p. 581 — jungles of Dholbhum and Borabhum. The description is a poor one but obvi- ously refers to some form of Turtle Dove. There are no specimens available from these 2 localities, but Beavan obtained specimens at Manbhum, now in the British Museum, and these agree with East Himalayan birds.

1 Since this is the resurrection of an old existing name, Koelz’s sylvicola (type locality: Castle Rock, Proc. oj the Biol. Society of Washington, vol. . lii, pp. 61-82 [5 June 1939]) becomes a synonym of it.

2 It may be convenient to record the fact that Mr. D’Abreu ’s private collection of birds from Kumaon, Sikkim, Bihar and the Central Provinces has been very generously presented to me by his son and is now being incorporated in my own collection. The- labelling of these birds is a model to collectors,— H. W,

26 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

Specimens from Raipur, Seoni and North Kanara in the British Museum evidently belong to the same very richly coloured resident form as these Survey birds. For them I propose to use the name Turtuy erythrocephalus Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av. vol. ii (after April 15, 1855) p. 60 of which the type labelled ‘Cape of Good Hope’ is in the British Museum. The type locality is of course an error. — H. W.

The specimens were shot on a cart road through forest in bamboo facies of the dry-inter belt. A number of other examples were observed and the species seemed to be fairly common in this locality.

No. 792 had a soft ovarian egg 17 mm. in diameter, and the distended oviduct indicated that she had laid. The ovary of 793 was mature : largest

follicle 6 mm.

Streptopelia chinensis suratensis (Gmelin). The Indian Spotted Dove.

Specimens collected: 533 534 <$ 3-1-40 Namadachilume (3,000'); 804 $

2-2-40 Settihalli (2,500'); Mi3(G) c? 9-7-34 (3,000' — Cdahatti, Eastern base)

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Begur, Satnur, Sakleshpur.

[Measurements: 4 $ $ Bill 18-19.5, Wing 135-145.5, Tail 118-134 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope, extending into the dry-inter belt. Frequents wooded country around cultivation etc.

All the 3 specimens of January-Februarv had fully mature testes (14x5, 13X5 and 10X5 mm-) and they were certainly breeding. On 27 January a nest with c/2 was found 6 ft. up in a bamboo clump in secondary jungle (Setti- halli). In this locality it was the only dove besides S. orientalis.

Streptopelia senegalensis cambayensis (Gmelin). The Little Brown Dove.

Specimens collected : 553 9 7-1-40 Marikanive (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Begur, Satnur, Thondebhavi, Namadachilume, Hiriyur, Kolar Gold Fields.

[Measurements : 1 9 Bill 16.5, Wing 124, Tail 104 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects dry open country less wooded than that favoured by the Spotted Dove, but sometimes the 2 habitats overlap at the seam. These facies preferences are most noticeable in the dry season when their boundaries are better defined than during or just after the rains.

The specimen had a mature ovary with the largest follicle measuring 3 mm.

Streptopelia decaocto decaocto (Frivalszky). The Indian Ring-Dove.

Specimens collected : 356 $ 16-12-39 Satnur (2,500') ; 425 23-12-39 Makli-

drug (2,800'). Biligirirangan Hills : M25(G) 20-9-34 (2,000' — Satyamangala) ,

M37(G) c? 15-7-34 (3,000' — Udahatti, Eastern base).

[Measurements: 4 ^ Bill 19. 5-21. 5, Wing 169-174, Tail 129. 5-133.5 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Common. Confined to deciduous biotope. Prefers drier and less wooded facies than the Spotted Dove, and often met side by side with the Little Brown Dove.

Elsewhere noted : Bandipur, Begur, Thondebhavi, Marikanive.

Both the December specimens were breeding: testes 17x6 and 17x7 mm. Major Phvthian-Adams took an egg at Gundlupet, 28-7-38.

(Enopopelia tranqnebarica tranquebarica (Hermann). The Red Turtle Dove.

Specimens collected : 366 c5* , 367 ^ 17-12-39 Satnur (2,500'); 554 $ 7-1-40 MarikanivS (2,500').

Elsewhere noted : Kolar Gold Fields.

[Measurements: 3 $ $ Bill 16-5-18, Wing 136-140, Tail 84-89 mm. — H. W.]

Resident. Confined to deciduous biotope. Affects dry, open, secondary and scrub-and-bush jungle, and the neighbourhood of cultivation. The preferential facies of this dove is nearer that of the Ring Dove than of the Spotted Dove.

All the 3 specimens had testes enlarged to breeding size: 13x6, 16x5 and 17x6 mm. Major Phythian-Adams has taken eggs at Gundlupet 28-7-38.

(To be continued .)

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA

BY

R. I. POCOCK, F.R.S.,

Zoological Department , British Museum, Natural History t Part III — The Sambar ( Rusa ),

( With 3 text-figures).

( Continued from Vol. xliii, No. 4 (1943), p. 572).

Genus Rusa H. Smith.

(The Sambar).

Rusa, Hamilton Smith, Griffiths’ An. King., 5, p. 309, 1827, and of most recent authors as a genus or as a subgenus of Cervus.

Type of the genus: — Cervus unicolor.

Distribution from Ceylon and India eastwards to the Philippines and beyond.

British Indian representatives of this genus are the largest of the typically Oriental Deer, approaching the Shou in size, but. differing from Cervus in external characters similar to those of Rucervus, namely the long, bushy tail, absence of rump-patch and more extensive rhinarium, the chief external difference being in the antlers which are much simpler and carry normally only two terminal tines, the anterior or outer of which represents the trez tine of Cervus and may be longer or shorter than the other.

In the skull the auditory bullae are smaller than in Rucervus and closely resemble those of Cervus, (Fig. 1) only very seldom pro- jecting slightly below the level of the basioccipital bone ; but the chief cranial characteristic of typical Rusa lies in the great depth and size of the gland-pit, which far surpasses that of the other genera, and has a protrusible gland p the vacuity also is relatively longer. A further difference from Rucervus, but resemblance to Cervus, is the presence of the upper canine tooth in the female.

Although the Sambars (Rusa unicolor ) of the British Indian Fauna are referred in recent literature to two subspecies, one, Rusa unicolor unicolor, from Ceylon and most of India, the other,

1 In some of the small Sambars from the Far East the gland-pit is relatively smaller and shallower and the gland is not known to be protrusible.

28 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY , Vol. XLIV

Rasa unicolor equina from Burma and Assam, distinguished from the first by its shorter antlers, I find evidence for the admission of three, the Indian form being separable from the typical Ceylonese form, R. unicolor.

Fig. i.

A. The small, flat left auditory bulla ( b ) of young-adult d Sambar ( Rusa unicolor nigra) from South Coorg (Shortridge).

B. The relatively larger, swollen auditory bulla ( b ) of adult d Swamp Deer ( Rucervus duvauceiii) from? Barainga (Earl of Derby).

C. The same of adult d Thamin ( Panolia elcli) from Burma (Zool. Soc.). The light, falling from the right, throws the1 inner half of the swollen bullae

of B and C into heavy shadow, whereas in A the flattish bulla casts no shadow.

They may .be briefly diagnosed as follows : —

a. Tips of the antlers variable, the posterior-inner tine usually

shorter, sometimes longer than the anterior-outer, some- times equal to it, the anterior-outer usually but not al- ways definitely continuing . the line of the beam.

b. Antlers and skull on the average smaller, unicolor. bl Antlers and' skull on the average larger, nigra.

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA

29

a 1 Tips of the antlers less variable, the pos- terior-inner tine always shorter than the anterior-outer, which always de- finitely continues the line of the beam. equina.

Rusa unicolor unicolor, Kerr.

Cervus axis unicolor t Kerr, Anim. Kingd., p. 306, 1792.

Cervus axis major, Kerr, Anim. Kingd., p. 306, 1792.

Cervus albicornis ; Bechstein, Allgemcin. Uebersicht vierfuss. Thiere, 1, 1799.

Rusa unicolor unicolor , Phillips, Man. Mamm. Ceylon, p. 337, 1935. (excluding references to Indian specimens).

Locality of the type: — Ceylon, as restricted by Hamilton Smith.

Distribution : — Ceylon.

Distinguished from the Indian Sambar, with which it has hither- to been united, by its average much shorter antlers which are not known to exceed 34 in. in length, and apparently by its smaller skull, although the evidence on this head is scanty.

This race can be soon dismissed since there are hardly any Ceylonese specimens in the British Museum to describe.

My information about the antlers is derived mainly from Phillips’s volume. He states that their general average length is 26 or 27 in., the longest recently procured being 32^ and 33 7/8 in. In Ward’s Records, 1935, p. 22, several are entered ranging from 27! to 32^ in. As regards the terminal tines Phillips states that they are generally approximately equal in length, but, if unequal, either may be the longer. On plate 35 he figures two heads. In the upper figure the antlers are of the primitive ‘rusine’ type, with the front-outer tine continuing the beam and greatly exceeding in length and thick- ness the hinder-inner tine. In the lower figure the two are short and subequal in size, resembling apparently rather closely the prongs of a hay-fork. On pi. 34 the two tines appear to be nearly inter- mediate between the previous two.

No d skulls are available for description. But a $ skull from Aldie Patmas, C.P. (Phillips) is that of a youngish adult which had apparently attained its full length dimensions. Its total and con- dylobasal lengths are respectively 320 mm., about 12 4/5 in., and 315 mm., about 12 3/5 in., nearly 2 in. shorter than the average of five 9 Indian skulls referred to under nigra. But the second Ceylonese skull, collected for the Survey by Mayor at Durgali C.P., would have been a little longer than Phillips’s. Its condylobasal length is the same, namely 315 mm., and its total length a little greater; but it is a younger skull with the premolars of the first set still in use and its last molar just appearing in the bone. Since it had not quite reached its full length, it may be assumed that the two Ceylonese skulls would be about 1 in. shorter on the average than the Indian skulls, justifying provisionally the conclusion that the Sambar of Ceylon are smaller on the average than those from the mainland.

The technical name of this race was given by Kerr to a Deer described by Pennant (Hist. Nat. Quadr., 1, p. 106, No. 48, 1781)

30 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST . SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

as the ‘Middle-sized Axis’, a species as large as the Red Deer, with the ground-colour like that of the Axis but never spotted, the antlers strong, rough and trifurcated, meaning three-pointed. From hear- say evidence, there being no type, he cited Ceylon, Borneo, Celebes and Java as its localities. The name was restricted to the Ceylonese Sambar by Hamilton Smith in 1827.

I have included the names major and albicornis in the synonyms for the following reasons. Both were given to the ‘Greater Axis’ of Pennant (op. cit., No. 481) ; but in Pennant’s first description (Syn. Quadr. p. 52, No. 41, 1771), the species, based on a pair of antlers in the British Museum without the least trace of locality or history, was described as having the antlers of the same shape as those of the Axis and trifurcated, but large, very thick, strong, rugged and 33 in. long. Since this description fits the antlers of the Ceylonese Sambar as well as any other, the names may be con- veniently disposed of as synonyms of unicolor. In 1881 Pennant repeated this description, quoted by Kerr, but added the suggestion that the specimens probably came from Borneo or Ceylon. Acting on this Kerr definitely stated Borneo and Ceylon to be the homes of major, adding that its colour was ‘reddish brown’, both state- ments being unwarranted inventions.

Gray complicated the question by identifying as the antlers Pennant described, a pair in the British Museum (No. 697 U) ; and this verdict was endorsed in 1915 by Lydekker, who entered them as the type of major and albicornis. This claim cannot be upheld. The antlers in question are those of a Sambar, without history, but are very aberrant and not the least like those of an Axis in shape. One only is trifurcate and in this the tine near the summit of the beam rises on its outer side and projects outwards and up- wards, a most unusual variation. In these respects the antlers entirely disagree with Pennant’s description of those of the Greater Axis.

Rusa unicolor nigra, Blainville.

Cervus niger, Blainville, Bull. Soc. Phil. Paris. 1816, p. 76; Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng., 11, p. 449, 1842.

Cervus aristotelis, Cuvier, Oss. Foss., ed. 3, Vol. 4, p. 503, 1825 and of many subsequent authors either as Cervus or Rusa.

Cervus leschenaultii Cuvier, Oss. Foss., ed. 3, Vol. 4, p. 506, 1825.

Cervus hippelaphus , H. Smith, Griffith’s Anim. Kingd., 4, p. 105, 1827 and of several subsequent authors as Cervus or Rusa; but not Cervus hippelaphus Kerr, 1792 which is a European race of C. elaphus.

Cervus jarai, Hodgson, Gleanings in Sci., 3, p. 321, 1831.

Locality of the type of niger, unstated but probably somewhere in north India; of aristotelis , Nepal; of leschenaultii, Coromandel; of jarai, Nepal.

Distribution: — India apart from the western desert and semi- desert areas, but not perhaps crossing the Brahmaputra in the north- east, the Assamese Sambar belonging apparently to the next race.

Distinguished from the Ceylonese race by its potentially larger antlers and apparently larger skull.

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA

31

In Rowland Ward’s Records, 1935, there is a long list of antler- measurements ranging in length roughly from 37 to 50 in., almost all of the specimens having been procured in parts of Central India.

Variation in the length and direction of the two terminal tines of the antlers of the left side of the Indian Sambar. a the front-outer tine; p. the back-inner tine.

A. Antler, 465 in., from Chanda, C.P. (Hume).

B. Antler, 43 in., from Kh^ndwa, C.I. (Sharmon).

C. Antler, 37 in., from Rohtas, Bihar, (Walker).

D. Antler 42.J in., from Central India (Anderson).

E. Antler, 36 in., from Bhopal.

F. Antler, 27^ in., of the primitive type. Drawn from an example of equina from the Ruby Mines, Upper Burma, (Bruce).

32 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

The antlers vary greatly in the comparative lengths and in the direc- tion of the two terminal tines (fig. 2). As a general rule the front- outer tine is erect, definitely continues the line of the beam and is longer and generally stouter than the back-inner tine which inclines backwards, inwards and upwards. Almost equally commonly the two tines are subequal, forming a fork, and sometimes in this case neither can be said definitely to be a continuation of the beam. More rarely the back-inner tine is the longer of the two, sometimes much longer, and in this case also the front-outer tine cannot always be said to continue the line of the beam more than the other. Antlers of this rare type were figured by Blanford in 1891 and by Lydekker in 1915 as if they were characteristic of the Indian Sambar. Three are represented in fig. 2, A, B, D. In C, the much commoner type, the front-outer tine is longer and thicker than the other and mani- festly continues the beam. In E, also a common type, the two tines are subequal and the front-outer is in line with the beam. In F, is represented a type quite usual particularly in smaller antlers of the Indian Sambar and characteristic, with minor differences in details, of the races of Rusa unicolor found to the east of the Bay of Bengal, in Formosa, the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra.

Since, as above stated, nearly all the antlers of the Indian Sambar considered on account of their size, worth entering in Ward’s Records came from Central India or at all events from districts to the south of the Ganges, a few notes on those from the north of the river, about which little has been recorded, may be of interest. The specimens in the British Museum and the few recorded by Ward give the following length measurements. Eight from Nepal vary from 29 to 35 in., the average being 32 in., two from Oudh are 36^ and 40, with the average about 38; three from Dehra Dun vary from 32 to 40, with an average of 36; three from Garwhal vary from 35 to 46^, the average being about 40; and three from the United Provinces vary from 40 to 46^, with the average about 43. The total average of the series is about 38 in., probably approximately the average of mature antlers of the southern Indian Sambar, if anything a little over it. These northern antlers resemble the southern not only in size but also in the variation of the terminal tines which may be subequal or unequal, quite a large percentage having the back-inner tine the longer. An instance of individual variation is supplied by a pair from Dehra Dun (Hume) in which the right antler is 36 in. long, with the two tines subequal, the left 39I in., with the back-inner tine much longer than the front- outer approximately as in the head from Chanda, C.P., figured by Lydekker. It is perhaps surprising that none of the north Indian antlers described shows greater proximity to those of the Burmese race than do those from Central India.

The skull of the <3 Indian vSambar exceeds in length the skulls of the other species of British Indian Cervidae, apart from Wallich’s deer ( Cervus waUichii) and the Shou ( Cervus affinis). But it is narrower than the skulls of Cervus. Although its total length is on the average over 20 mm. longer than in the Hangul ( Cervus hanglu ), the width across the orbit in the latter is on the average about 12 mm. greater, a feature which, combined with the shorter

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA

33

length, gives the skull a more robust appearance. The skull is very much larger than the skull of the Swamp Deer and Thamin, has relatively considerably smaller auditory bullae and much longer vacuities and bigger gland-pits.

In fourteen skulls the vertical diameter of the orbit varies from 47 mm. in a skull from Palamau to 61 mm., which is exceptional, in one from Nepal (Hodgson), the average being 52 mm. The

c B

Fig- 5-

A. Orbital area of the skull with the vacuity and gland-pit of a Sambar (Rusa unicolor nigra ) from Rohtas in Bihar (Walker).

B. Posterior end of the nasal bones, with the vacuity and inner portion of the gland-pit (dotted) of the same specimen.

C. The same of a specimen from Palamau (Walker).

length of the vacuity, which always exceeds the orbit, varies from 60 mm. in the type of heterocerus from Nepal to 80 mm., which is exceptionally long, in a skull from Garwhal (Burke), the average being 69 mm. The gland-pit, which is very deep, with well defined edges, usually exceeds in length the diameter of the eye, varies in length from 54 mm. in a skull from Kanara to 64 in one from Khandwa, the average being 58. The free edges of the nasals 3

34 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY , Vol. XLIV

where they border the vacuities internally are typically lightly convex but may be almost straight; they vary in length from 12 mm., which is exceptionally short, in the type of heterocerus from Nepal to- 34 mm. which is exceptionally long, in the skull from Garwhal, which has the unusually long vacuities. On the average the posterior angle of the nasals is about on a level with the posterior ends of the vacuities, sometimes slightly surpassing them, some- times falling short. But the nasals vary individually in nearby localities. In a skull from Rohtas in Bihar (Captain Walker), with the total and condylobasal lengths 420 and 408 mm., the nasals are much less than three times as long as wide, being 145 mm. long and 60 mm. wide at the widest point, their interfrontal penetration is comparatively short and the angle they form nearly rectangular and not quite reaching the line of the ends of the vacuities. But in> a younger, but adult skull from Palamau (Captain Walker) with the total and condylobasal lengths 416 and 397 mm., the nasals are considerably more than three times as long as wide, their length being 150 mm. and their greatest width 45 mm. ; they are corre- spondingly narrower (Fig. 3, B, C) throughout, with a deeper, inter- frontal penetration, the angle they form being acute and surpassing by about 6 mm. the ends of the vacuities.

As regards the length of the entire skull, the longest two are those from Rohtas and Palamau above mentioned. Out of thirteen adult skulls nine surpass 400 mm. in total length, the shortest of this category being Hume’s skull from Chanda with a total and condylobasal length of 403 and 382 mm. The localities and total- length of four, which fall short of 400, are as follows : — Nepal 398, Kanara 395, Garwhal 394, Rajputana 390. In the last three of these the condylobasal length is not available; but another skull from Nepal (Hodgson) has the total and condylobasal lengths 405 and 386 mm. and in one from Ivumaun (Vanderbyl) those lengths are 407 and 390 mm. From these data it seems there is no differ- ence in the size of the skulls of the Sambars found to the north and south of the Ganges. The average total length of thirteen skulls ranging from Kanara to the Himalayas is 405 mm. ; and the- condylobasal length of ten is 392 mm.

The particulars cited above apply only to 6 skulls collected by sportsmen not interested in hinds. But the collectors for the Mammal Survey of British India secured several adult 9 skulls in perfect condition. Three were from widely separated districts in India. Their localities and total and condylobasal lengths are as follows: — Sitabani, Kumaun, (Crump) 361 and 350 mm.; Maha- bleshwar, Satara, (Prater) 363 and 353 mm. ; Wottekolle, S. Coorg, (Shortridge) 367 and 350 mm. ; Nallamalais, (La Personne) 370 and 358 mm. Their uniformity in length is very close, the total length being about 367 mm. (14 3/5 in.) and the condylobasal length about 353 mm. (14 1/5 in.). A young 9 skull was also secured by Shortridge at Makut, Coorg. An adult 9 skull from Coimbatore (R. C. Morris) is a trifle larger than the largest of the preceding, its total and condylobasal lengths being 372 and 362 mm., but these measurements hardly appreciably increase the average length given, above, of the skulls of 9 Indian Sambar.

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA

35

With regard to the names applied to the Indian Sambar, it is. unfortunate that niger, based by Blainville on a painting, is several years older than the frequently quoted name aristotelis given by Cuvier to a sketch of antlers from Bengal sent to him by Duvaucel who reported that the stag was common in Nepal and towards the Indus. Since Bengal in those days extended considerably to the north of the Ganges and Duvaucel collected to the north of that river, aristotelis } like niger , belongs to the north Indian Sambar. But Cuvier supplied the Central and South Indian form with the name leschenaultii, based on a sketch of antlers from Coromandel. The future may show that the Sambar found north of the Ganges- differ from those to the south of it; but since there is insufficient material to decide this point, I provisionally adopt the name nigra for all the Indian Sambars apart from those occurring in Assam.

Rusa unicolor equina Cuvier.

Cervus equinus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss., ed. 2, 4, p. 45, 1823, and of subsequent authors including Lydekker, Cat. Ung. Brit. Mus., 4, p. 78 containing bibliography under Cervus unicolor equinus.

Cervus malaccensis , F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mamm., 1, pi. 10, „ 1824.

Cervulus cambojensis, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. , 1861, p. 138.

Rusa dejeani, Pousargues, Bull. Mus. Paris, 1896, 2, No. 1, p. 12, 1896; G. M. Allen, Mamm. China and Mongolia, 2, p. 1169, 1940 as Rusa unicolor dejeani.

Rusa unicolor equina , Pocock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (11), IX, P* 5i8> i942*

Locality of the type of equinus , Sumatra ; of malaccensis the Malay Peninsula ; of cambojensis Cambodia ; of dejeani Szechwan.

Distribution:- — From Sumatra, through Malaya to Burma and Assam, Siam, Cambodia, Cochin China, Annam, Yunnan, Szechwan,. Hainan.

Distinguished from the Ceylonese and Indian races by the terminal tines of the antlers being much less variable in their respec- tive lengths, the front-outer always definitely continuing the line of the beam and being longer and thicker than the back-inner which projects inwards, backwards and upwards from its inner side; the antlers also are much shorter on the average than in the Indian race, with the brow tine longer compared with the beam and there is some evidence that the skulls are a little shorter on the average.

According to Peacock (Game Book for Burma, p. 124, 1933) the average length of the antlers in mature Burmese Stags is about 26 in., 30 in., or a little over, being considered large. This was confirmed by H. C. Smith (Wild Animals of Burma, 1, p. 39, T935). In Ward’s Records for 1935 the picked Burmese heads entered as trustworthily measured range from 29 to 33 in. In a skull from the Ruby Mines (Bruce) in the British Museum, the antlers are 27! in. ; a pair from the Garo Hills, Assam (Hume) are 28 in. ; but a pair labelled Assam (Cutler) are only 19^ in. From Malewoon and Victoria Island, Tenasserim Lyon (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 31,

36 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

p, 585, 1906) measured four heads with antlers ranging from about .23 to 33^ in., the average being 27 in., thus agreeing with the previous entries; and in Ward’s Records 1935 a few no doubt picked heads from various parts of Indo-China ranging from about 28 to 33 in. are entered, showing close agreement with Burmese antlers. There thus appears to be very little difference in the average size of the antlers in the Sambars of continental Asia to the east of the Bay of Bengal. For these the oldest available name is malaccensis . There is some evidence, however, that in typical equina from Sumatra the antlers may be smaller. For instance a pair in the British Museum (Robinson) from Korinchi is 22 in. and in a series of ten from eastern Sumatra recorded by Lyon ( Proc . U. S. Nat. Mus. 34, p. 633, 1908) the range is from about 15J to 20^ in., the average, being only 18 in. approximately. But although there is no evidence that all these specimens were fully developed, the data suggest that the typical form of equina from Sumatra may have on the average smaller antlers than those from the mainland, justifying the separation of the latter as a distinct local race, malaccensis. But since the evidence is unsatisfactory, I leave the accepted nomen- clature undisturbed.

There are only two adult 6 skulls of this race in the British Museum. They differ a good deal in details. One from the Ruby Mines, Upper Burma (Bruce), with a total length of 421 mm. is a few mm. longer than the longest known skull of nigra from Rohtas, but its condylobasal length of 400 mm. is 8 mm. less. The vertical diameter of the orbit and the length of the vacuity agree tolerably ^closely with the average of the Indian race; but the gland-pit is exceptionally long, 74 mm., exceeding by 10 mm. the longest record- ed from India i.e. from Khandwa, which is 64 mm. The other .skull from Assam with a total and condylobasal length of 380 and 372 mm. is younger and much shorter, but appears to have attained its full length. Its orbit, 57 mm., is large, but the vacuity, 53 mm., is exceptionally short, whereas the gland-pit, 60 mm. long, is -approximately equal to the average in the Indian race.

As regards the length of the skull of equina Lyon ( Pvoc . (J . S. Nat. Mus., 31, p. 585, 1906) recorded the basal length of three adult 6 skulls from southern Tenasserim. From these I compute their condylobasal lengths to have been approximately 370, 375 and 395 mm. respectively. Of one adult 6 skull identified as dejeani from Yunnan, G. M. Allen recorded the occipito-nasal length, from which its condylobasal length may be estimated to have been 384 mm. The average condylobasal length of these four skulls and of the two in the British Museum works out at 383 mm., about 10 mm. less than the average of nine 6 skulls of R. unicolor nigra.

Three adult 9 skulls were collected by Shortridge for the Mammal Survey at Banlaw in Mergui, Thagat in Tenasserim and probably at Tenasserim Town, although labelled merely Tenasserim. They vary individually in details. The Mergui skull has the vertical diameter of the orbit 46 mm., the vacuity 70 mm. long and the gland-pit 48. In the Thagat skull the same areas are 44, 46 and 57 mm. and in the Tenasserim Town skull 49, 61 and 48 mm. The wacuity is exceptionally long in the Mergui skull and the gland-pit

THE LARGER DEER OF BRITISH INDIA 37

in the Thagat skull. The averages of these areas in the three is 46, 59, and 51 mm. respectively, both the gland-pit and the vacuity exceeding in length the vertical diameter of the orbit. Both the orbit and the vacuity are smaller than the average of the five 9 skulls of the Indian race; but the gland-pit is a little longer. The three skulls similarly vary in length, the condylobasal being 353 mm. in the skull from Thagat, 345 in the one from Mergui and 332 in the one from Tenasserim Town. But Lyon recorded from the Malay Peninsula a much bigger 9 skull, which had a condylobasal length, I estimate, of about 373 mm. The average in the four skulls, works out at about 351 mm., only 4 mm. less than in the five 9 skulls of the Indian race.

(To be continued)

CIRCUMVENTING THE MAHSEER AND OTHER SPORTING FISH IN INDIA AND BURMA.

BY

A. St. J. Macdonald,

( With 1 plate , a map and 3 text-figures).

( Continued from Vol. xliii, No. 4 (1943), p. 620).

Part IV.

FISHING FOR MAHSEER.

4 Wild and wide are my borders , stern as death is my sway ,

‘And I wait for the men who will win me — and I will not be won in a day;

‘And I will not be won by weaklings, subtle, suave and mild,

‘But by men with the hearts of Vikings , and the simple faith of a child;

‘Desperate, strong and resistless, unthrottled by fear or defeat, ‘Them will I gild with my treasure, them will I glut with my meat’ .

. R. S.

The attributes of the good angler. (1), The Mahseer’s idiosyncrasies (2), Size no indication of age (3), Diet of Mahseer (4), Power of jaw (5), Spawning (6), Method of taking bait (7), Spoon versus other lures (8), Capt. F. Stonham’s Note on Plug bait (9), Spoon bait and scale effect (10), Hen fish attains greater -size ( 1 1 ), Spinning for Mahseer (12), Where to look for Mahseer (rapids) (13), Sketch of good water lettered (14), Pools (15), How to work water and the •cast (16), Known water (17), How Mahseer rise (18), Monotony of one bait (19), Point of rod (20), Selection of water (21), Lacey’s log of good and bad days with my summary (22), Wade cautiously (23), The element of luck (24), Water and temperature (25), Following in a boat (26).

Other Methods of Fishing for Mahseer (27), The fly and fishing with fly (28), Gram fishing for Mahseer (29), Method of Fishing (30), Gram for bait (31), Hooks (32), Cast lines (33), Tackle (34), Other tips (35), Paste fishing dor Mahseer (36), Baiting with paste (37), Points relating to heavy fishing! (38).

THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE GOOD ANGLER.

i. The patience of Job; the eye and observance of the eagle; the perseverance of the termite ; the hands of an artificer; the touch of a musician; the temper of a saint; and, above all, an unsatiable ambition to learn.

2. The Mahseer' s idiosyncrasies. Before dealing with the actual fishing, it will be as well to consider a few important points about the mahseer which either directly or indirectly influence the methods to be adopted. The mahseer has certain idiosyncrasies, which are not in conformity with the salmon or trout. He likes clear water, in fact the clearer the better ; the rougher and whiter the more does he love it; thunder and rain may or may not subdue his capricious appetite. They are taken in the winter, summer, spring and autumn. His size is no indication of his wants, the little chap of 1 pound or

Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.

(i) A typical ‘Golden Mahseer’, 50 lbs. Barbus (Tor) putitora (Hamilton).

(2) Thick-lipped ‘Mahseer ’, 52 lbs. Barbus (Tor) putitora (Hamilton) With hypertrophied lips.

(3) The ‘Black Mahseer’. 26 lbs.

Barbus (Tor) putitora (Hamilton)

Melanie Form.

ISote. Dr. H ora’s work on the Game Fishes of India has revealed that there is no reason to believe that 1, 2 and 3 are separated forms.

(4) Short gilled, deep-bodied type, 25 lbs. Barbus (Tor) tor (Hamilton).

4. COMMON TYPES OF MAHSEER TAKEN

IN MOST NORTH INDIAN

RIVERS.

|

CIRCUMVENTING THE MAHSEER 39

less will ambitiously take a 4-inch spoon, with the same readiness as the monster of 30 or 40 pounds takes a half-inch fly spoon ; and most important of all when considering- mahseer fishing, we have to bear in mind a fish ranging from a few ounces to one of 5 score pounds or more.

True, that in most rivers his size can be ascertained fairly accurately, but this is by no means the case with most of the larger rivers, which have the monsters mingled with the game little fel- lows of a few pounds. Few anglers who have fished the larger rivers have not experienced g-etting- into one of these iron-clads while indulging- in the gentle art with 9 ft. fly rod and fine gut casts, and many must be the recollections and regrets of good fish lost.

3. Size no indication of age. Fishing for large and small mahseer are things apart, and call for methods as widely separated as those used for the monsters of the sea of 100 pounds or more, with those employed for the game little trout of a pound or more, in ,a stream barely 3 feet across. The size of a mahseer is not necessarily any indication of age. A ten-year old fish in a small stream may only be 5 pounds, whereas a ten-year old fish in a big river may grow to 20 pounds or more. Like the salmon in Britain, the mahseer is the aristocrat of the Indian waters. His chief characteristic is the first rush As soon as he is hooked he may go 50 or 200 yards without stopping, depending on his size and the strength of the water. His choice for rapids ,and broken water makes him a strong fish, this is further illustrated by his area of fin. The mahseer, like most of the Indian fish, is not very tasty, and is inferior to the Butchwa and Murral; some people, however, prefer his flesh to any other.

4. Diet of Mahseer. He is a fish with a variety of tastes. He will take small fish with the same readiness as he will worm and paste ; a fig or berry on the surface; or a frog on the bottom; leaves and scum in a still backwater ; small birds or birds’ eggs; lizards, locusts, flying- ants, weeds and small fish. He will even de-tick an animal lying in water. The best and most convenient bait is the artificial spoon, which should always be the first course on the menu when fishing for him, unless, of course, it is known that he will not touch spinning bait, as is the case in some rivers. Persevere with dead or live bait and if these two produce no luck, then try baiting a. rapid with paste balls and fish with a similarly baited hook, the same applies to gram or fig berries. I have known of mahseer waiting under bridges over the Ganges canal near Hardwar, for young martins to fall out of their nests. A 40-pound fish was caught in this way. Eggs we will leave aside, because of the difficulty in mounting; flies, locusts, green caterpillars, etc., are easily fished with, and well known.

5. Power of Jaw. It is difficult to realise the crushing power of a mahseer. I have had a 3-inch copper spoon (one-eighth of an inch thick), and the treble crushed in a more convincing manner than if it were done in a vice. His teeth are located in the throat well back, and inlaid in rolls of muscle. Cutting out the teeth, con- vinces one of where the strength lies.

I am inclined to believe that the damage is done by the teeth

40 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

and not in the mouth chamber, as is commonly supposed. I am opposed to Thomas in this, but in defence can only quote two instances. In the first, I found the tail treble crushed, while the fish was hooked by the top treble of my mount inside the mouth. The throat was cut and bleeding, and the crushed treble had on it the white leathery lining of the throat. This was an n -pound fish.

The second instance was when I found the tail treble broken off and in the throat, the fish being hooked by the top treble. This was a 2 1 -pound mahseer, the treble was one of Hardy’s improved types, and was bent out of shape. If the damage was done by the lips or in the mouth chamber, as stated by Thomas, and gener- ally believed, broken and bruised fingers would be common among fishermen and anglers : whereas the professional fisherman will readily put his hand down into the mouth of a fish (mahseer) to extricate a hook, which he would hardly do if these powers were in the mouth. I have never myself experienced a bite or met any- one who had. A horny pad on the roof or floor of the mouth would surely be provided by nature, were these phenomenal powers in the mouth. Dr. S. L. Hora writes to me on the subject as follows: — -

‘In the case of Cyprinoid fishes, the pharyngeal teeth are developed as a compensation for the loss of the teeth in jaws, and for this reason they perform all the functions of the ordinary teeth of fishes.’ (See B. N. H. Journal xli, pp. 790-94).

6. Spawning. Spawning is done two or three times in the year, chiefly during the monsoon, and just before, when the snow w&ter comes down.

In April 1928 at the confluence of the Mali and N’Mai river in Burma, I took, with a friend, nearly 1,200 pounds of fish, and the majority were full of spawn.

Different rivers though have different periods. Spring-fed rivers are probably later and not until the monsoon sets in properly. Fish then work up the smaller streams, and deposit their eggs. Mahseer are not always edible during this period, and cases of poisoning or colic have been recorded.

Dr. Hamid Khan, Ph.D. (Cantab), writing in the B.N.H.S. Journal , Vol. xli. No. 1 dated August 1939, under the heading ‘Study of the sex organs of Mahseer’, deals fully with his collection and study over most of the Punjab rivers of mahseer throughout the year, and his conclusions, based on careful observation, would certainly indicate that in the Punjab anyway, mahseer have been found gravid three times in the year. His own words sum up the position fairly conclusively: —

‘There is thus strong .evidence to show that the mahseer spawns more than once during the year. Most of the Indian Carps, such as Labeo rohita, Labeo calbasu, Cirrhina mrigala, Catla catla and others spawn in June and July when the rivers are flooded with the monsoon rains and lay their eggs in one batch once in the year (Hamid Khan, 1924). The Mahseer, however, as a study of its sex organs reveals, seems to spawn firstly, in winter, in January and February, secondly, in May and June, when the snow melts and the rivers are- swollen and thirdly,, from July to September, when the rivers are flooded with the monsoon rains. It is for this Very reason that fry of the Mahseer of all ages; is seen during the whole of the year in the hill streams of Kangra, Hoshiarpurv Jhelum and Rawalpindi Districts/

CIRCUMVENTING THE MAHSEER

41

‘There is, however, hardly any evidence to corroborate1 the views of Thomas (1897) that the Mahseer lays its eggs in batches, “just as a fowl lays an egg a day for many days.” The simile does not appear to be appropriate, as in the case of the Mahseer all the eggs contained in the ovaries seem to be laid at the spawning time and the ovaries become empty. At the approach of the next spawning season the ova reappear, increase in size, swell the ovaries and are laid again. It may, therefore, be said that the Mahseer does not lay its eggs in three batches, but that it spawns three times in the year, and that all the eggs in the ovaries are laid in each spawning season.’

This might well be taken to represent the conditions of the other river systems in India, which are snow fed, or such spring-fed rivers that join these larger rivers in the hills. The conditions in the case of the smaller rivers that are not influenced by snow water, and have to flow long distances over the plains before joining these rivers, will need further elucidation, and I think some variation may be found to exist.

Though the mahseer is essentially a bottom feeder, his special choice being among rocks for stone loach, and shell fish, he will take below and on the surface, whatever dainty morsel is in season.

I have seen them under a fig tree, almost jump out of the water to take a fig as it touched the surface; so when fishing for him, exploit all means and depths before abandoning your efforts with the poor assurance that fish are not on the feed.

7. Method of taking bait. From what I have been able to study of the Mahseer taking a spoon or small fish, they will either surprise it from below, or follow from underneath turning over the bait as they take it.

That small fish come to the surface, as soon as a big fellow is signalled, partly substantiates this. I have also seen a fish take up a position in a small cove and dash out at passing fish with the same up and round movement; this also partly accounts for fish getting foul-hooked so often in the face, the hook catching them as they pass over the spinning bait.

Whether. I am right or wrong, it was my belief in this that caused me to devise a special form of mount, — a small treble on top and a larger tail treble. The head treble I find, invariably hooks the fish, if it is hooked outside the mouth. I think also, that a mahseer takes or tries to take a bait head first, as a snake takes a frog or rat. This would also account for the smaller hook fouling the fish outside the mouth, the trace obstructs the fish taking the bait from the front end, ,and in failing as he turns over it, he is hooked in the cheek. I have often experienced fouling a fish with the hook shaft running away from the mouth, and the tail hook wrapped under and fast under the jaw.

8. Spoon versus other lures. Before we consider bait, let us first of all be agreed on the object of the bait. It is to attract and deceive. I have dealt in a previous chapter on the fish’s senses, as I understand them, that is that he is attracted to the lure by the vibrations set up, that he has detective rather than sharp vision, as a. secondary organ to his feeling, and to these two senses we may add taste or smell, as he is well equipped with barbels.

How does the spoon fit these two points of attracting and deceiv- ing, as compared to dead bait, plug, spinners, etc. ?

42 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XLIV

The spoon of the Myitkyina type, certainly sets up more pressure waves than a dead bait, as it spins faster, and is not as well adapted in shape to the water as the dead bait (Fish), so setting- up greater pressure waves of a kind, the roughly hewn scale effect, on the convex side, must give additional aid in the water much as the teeth of a saw, in wood. The plug has a greater displacement than the large spoon, but has not the action or disturbing factor, in the water. The plug’s superficial area, though slightly larger than that of the spoon, has considerably less bearing surface, so that the action in the water is reduced. The whole surface area of the spoon grips the water and revolves, whereas the diving shield on a plug is only half an inch square approximately, and in the jointed types the rear section has about as much again. Spinners have even less than the plug. So that in ‘Attracting’, I am inclined to the belief that the spoon covers a greater range, and would

register to a fish at greater distances than the other bait under

consideration.

We now come to the second point, ‘Deceiving’. Here the other two senses of the fish come into play to a greater extent. In a close-up vision of a spoon revolving, a fish is able to see no more than we can, probably less, as the sharpest perspective the eye can

take in is, I believe, at one-fifth of a second. So that a spoon

revolving fast, retains its deceptiveness to the eye of a fish, though the chemical senses of taste or smell would be to the fish’s advantage and consequently against the spoon ; but in the case of the plug the main portion is stationary in the sense that the body maintains the upright position with the hooks below, and consequently does not deceive the eye to the same extent that a fast revolving spoon would, the detection of the chemical senses is the same in both cases, but the hooks on a plug are not revolving but dangling from the body of the plug, and would show up if carefully scrutinised, and then as we must suppose a mahseer cannot recognise a treble hook as such, he may reasonably be expected to take it to be a pectoral fin- — if he is as inquisitive as all that !

The hooks on a spoon revolve with it. The spinner shares the advantage of the spoon in moving around its own axis, though not as fast. So that on the points considered so far, the spoon would seem to have an advantage over the plug and spinner, and the spinner a slight advantage over the plug, but the important point of how the action of each, in water, is conveyed to a fish, remains unsolved, and it is probably that in this the plug has its main advantage, though this is only surmise on my part.

As has been pointed out previously fish are near sighted, so in fast water a mahseer has not much time to examine the bait, there- fore each of these would give results ; but in the slower water of pools and runs a fish is able to be more fastidious, and this is why dead bait is so much more killing than the other baits, as the chemical senses must be the fish’s convincing factor, unless of course there is competition in a shoal, when the boldest fish takes first. So that considering the spinning baits on these lines, I am left con- vinced that the spoon is the best lure, unless of course we know the fish of a particular river will not take it. But for the supporter

CIRCUMVENTING THE MAHSEER

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of the Plug Bait, I reproduce a note by Capt. Frankly n Stonham, I.M.S., who has very definite views on the merits of this lure, based on the excellent results he has had in the Donn and other rivers.

Plug baits for Mahseer by Captain Franklynn Stonham f I.M.S.

9. ‘There is now little doubt that the plug has come to stay as a favourite bait for mahseer and other Indian fish. Not only has it