312 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



4.— BATTLE BETWEEN BEES AND WASPS. 

 I saw in the Pioneer a few days ago an account of a battle of butterflies, which 

 occurred in Japan, and as I the other day witnessed a battle between some large 

 wasps and the large jungle bees, I thought it might interest you to hear about it. 

 Close to my bungalow there is a ravine, in which there is a small forest of hill 

 oaks. On these a swarm of large bees evidently intended to settle, and they were 

 buzzing around, when first one, and then a few more, and at last a large number 

 of these wasps (a specimen of which I send you*) appeared on the scene, and 

 then commenced the battle. The noise of the combatants was very loud, and the 

 bees were desperately angry, and although I was but a silent spectator, attacked 

 me, causing me to retire. I crawled up, however, after a while and watched 

 proceedings. A wasp would suddenly come across a bee, or vice versa, and after 

 gyrating round one another for a second or two, they closed and came tumbling 

 down to the ground : then, as it evidently happened as far as I personally saw, 

 the wasp was the victor, and clutching his victim in his arms, he flew away with 

 him, and on my telling the story to some of the hillmen, they said that the wasps 

 ate the bees. The battle started about 9 a.m. and lasted till sunset. Next morn- 

 ing both wasps and bees had disappeared. Perhaps there are members of your 

 Society who may have witnessed similar occurrences, and it would be very 



interesting to hear about them. 



H. W. HEWETT. 

 Ahnorah, Kumao-n, IMi October 1?89. 



5.— MAN-EATING TIGERS. 



Adverting to Mr. Gilbert's interesting notes on Man-eating Tigers read 

 before the Society in September last, I should like to point out that I do not 

 think it is the general belief at all that all man-eaters are old and mangy animals. 

 But the converse appears to be the rule, that when a tiger does get old and mangy, 

 or is suffering from a broken limb, so that it is not quick enough to catch t 

 usual prey, it then takes to feeding on the easiest of all prey to secure, viz., on 

 man, and this view is borne out by Jerdon. One point, which I do not think 

 M r. Gilbert mentioned, was the curious fact that there are more man-eating tigresses 

 than tigers. As a reason for this I would suggest that it may be that the tigress, 

 with two or perhaps three cubs, finds considerable difficulty in keeping her larder 

 well stocked. Game in some parts being scarce and exceedingly wide-awake, she 

 therefore kills the first thing she comes across i and having once begun man-eat- 

 ing, all authorities agree that they never reform. In the last part of Mr. Gilbert's 

 narrative of the Bansda man-eater, he says that as there were no more deaths in 

 that part of the country, there was little doubt that he had killed the man-eater. 

 But how about Mr. Crawley-Boevey's tigress ? This, they say, also died, and 

 there are, I think) more man-eating females than males ; the Dewan of Bansda 

 seems, however, to have been satisfied that Mr. Gilbert's was the right one. 

 Mr. Gilbert also mentions that tigers do not kill goats. Whether they do or 

 not I am not able to say, hut his Bansda man-eater is credited with seventeen, 

 according to the statement of the Dewan. 



W. St. JOHN RICHARDSON, 



Capt., B. S. C. 



* Vespa magnified , — En. 



