PROCEEDINGS. 501 



touch him again. In the stable, the big brown horse was almost as friendly 

 with strangers as he was with his devoted attendant, " Bendigo Pat," and the 

 writer has seen no prettier sight (ban that of his trainer's little daughter 

 hugging " dear old ' BendyV " nose. The horse had the courage and gentle- 

 ness of a knight of romance. ' Surefoot,' on the other band, under identical 

 treatment, was dangerous in the stable, and savage even when running. In 

 the actual race for the Derby, he tried to bite the jockeys on the horses in 

 front of him, and when being put into the horse-box for the journey, gave 

 more trouble than a Murcian bull. Yet this savage temper was not accom- 

 panied by unusual courage and endurance, and in severe races the even-tem- 

 pered 'Bendigo' was his undoubted superior. 'Peter,' another race-horse 

 noted for his stubborn obstinacy, once gave an interesting object-lesson in 

 temper as between man and horse, at Ascot. The horse fought with his 

 jockey (Archer) for twenty minutes at the post, but the indomitable good- 

 humour of the jockey won. When the flag fell, the horse went off with a rush, 

 but stopped in the middle of the race to kick. Archer neither moved nor 

 struck him, and ' Peter ' then went on like the wind, and won ! But horses 

 of this temperament are the exception, not the rule ; and the success with 

 which we have developed power and courage, without producing animals like 

 ' Cruiser ' or the celebrated ' General Chasse,' of whom his owner, Mr. Kirby, 

 the dealer, who sold largely in Russia, used to say that " the Emperor Paul 

 was nothing to him," is one of the triumphs of domestication. The union of 

 reckless courage and habitual ferocity is rare in the animal world, and the 

 general law of good-nature remains absolute and unquestioned. 



( The above article, which appeared originally in the " Spectator" on 12th December, 

 1891, has been reproduced here for the benefit of our Members who may not have 

 seen it, as it raises several very interesting points which are worthy of the careful 

 attention of all students of Animal Life, especially in this Country. — Ed.) 



XL— THE CRESTED GREBE BREEDING IN INDIA. 



I beg to record having found a nest of the Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) 

 on a tank near here in August last, containing three eggs, one of which I send 

 for the Natural History Society's Collection. I also send the skin of the bird, 

 as it is, I believe, the first time the Crested Grebe has been found breeding in 

 India. 



Kharaghora, December, 1891. H. BULKLEY. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING HELD ON 8th DECEMBER, 1891. 

 The usual meeting of the members of this Society took place on Tuesday last, the 

 8th December, Doctor D. MacDonald presiding. 



The following gentlemen were elected members of the Society : — Mr. Charles Gray- 

 er 



