ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 69 



organs alone, surrounded by spathaceous bracts ; and it is^these bracts that 

 form the chief attraction for ladies. The staminate organs of the yellow 

 variety are simpler than those of the white. The anthers of the former are 

 longitudinal, and open longitudinally, giving vent to a fine impalpable powder 

 strongly scented, and forming the pollen. The stamens are almost sessile or 

 about a line in length. These stamens are innumerably crowded in the shape 

 of a cone on a flesh spike or stalk. The anthers of the white variety are 

 shorter and open longitudinally, but their flesh spike is branched. It gives 

 rise to similar impalpable powder, which is gritty, but perhaps less scented, 

 though sufficiently attractive. These clustered and branched staminate 

 spikes go under the name of Kuyali ( ^q&t ) ar *d if they don't get decom- 

 posed or rotten during the process of drying, are of great value in keeping 

 off moths from woollen clothes. At least such is their reputation. The 

 stays or aerial roots Mr. Sterndale mentions in his very valuable paper are 

 used in this country by goundis or whitewashers for making brushes to 

 whitewash or colourwash houses. The fibrous tissue is separated from the 

 tender interfibrous substance by beating the top of perhaps half a yard bit 

 of the stay or aerial root and made soft and pliable. It makes a capital 

 brush. There is no other use made of Kevadd that I know of. The female 

 flower or collection of flowers turning into fruit is seldom used for eny 

 special purpose in this country, 



K. R. KIRTIKAK. 



ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 



ON VARIATION IN COLOUR IN URSUS LABIATUS, THE SLOTH 



BEAR, &c 



By R. A. SffERNDALE. 



A correspondent in the Asian of last week (9th March 1886) gives an 

 account of his killing a sloth bear with two cubs, one of which was brown 

 instead of the usual jet black. In November 1884, I received a letter from 

 Dr. Tomes, Civil Surgeon of Midnapore, asking for my opinion on a skin 

 and skull of a large bear shot in the Midnapore jungle. He described the 

 skin as " a particularly good one, thick and shaggy about the shoulders, of a 

 tawDy brown colour throughout, lighter underneath, no black in it any- 

 where, a whitish collar on chest." Fortunately the skull was preserved, 

 and the dental formula given by Dr. Tomes enabled me to pronounce it 

 an albino of ursus labiatus, and not a stray specimen of ursus isabellinus 

 escaped from captivity. The sloth bear has, as a rule, two upper incisors 

 less than other bears. 



To-day, whilst looking up some correspondence in the Asian on another 

 subject, I came across two letters regarding grey bears in the plains of India : 

 one was seen by " H. D. K. " writing from Secunderabad, Deocan, of which the 

 hind quarters only were grey; the other was reported by " W. M. R." as seen on 



