416 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 189". 



into the Bombay ferneries — to a future occasion. I may, however, 

 add that the Committee of our Society intend if feasible to publish 

 in the Journal a series of illustrations of Bombay flowers, an 

 undertaking that, when carried out, without doubt will further 

 increase the popularity and high standard of the Journal. 



The Hon. Mr. Justice Birdwood referred to the difficulty of 

 rearing the seed of the Glonosa supcrba in Bombay, and pointed 

 out that when they were sown under oleander bushes they appeared 

 to be protected against the attack of the caterpillars, which usually 

 destroyed them. 



A vote of thanks to the lecturer was then passed, and the Meeting 

 ended. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



I.— TIGRESS'S MILK AS A MEDICINE. 



This medicinal preparation is believed to be of an efficacy proportionate to 



the difficulty of obtaining it. I have twice heard its praises. Once a Hospital 



Assistant asked me to get some, as it was very efficacious for sore-eyes. I 



asked how it was usually obtained. He said that when the tigress was 



suckling her cubs, some of the milk fell on a stone, and was afterwards collected 



by the watchfid jungle- wallah. Again I was told by a man, that if I could get 



some tigress's milk it would save the life of his child, who was suffering 



from shortness of breath ! He gave me the same account of the way of 



collecting it. 



H. LITTLEDALE. 



Baroda, September, 1890. 



II.— THE BENGAL WATER COCK, (GALLIGREX GRIST ATVS) 

 FIRST OBSERVED IN GUZERAT. 



I HAVE to record, for the first time, the occurrence of the Bengal Water Cock 

 ( GaJMcrex cristatusj in Guzerat, as a female was shot on 2oth September by 

 Lieut. Percy Bell, oth Bombay Light Infantry, in my presence, on a small 

 tank amid rice fields, at Harni, four miles north of Baroda. It measured in the 

 flesh :— Bill from gape, L25 ; tail, 2-45 ; whig, 6*9o ; length 13-8 ; tarsus 2'5 ; 

 expanse 22. The colours of the fleshy parts were as described by Jerdon, 

 Barnes and Murray, with the exception that no red was visible at the base of the 

 bill, which was a dull yellow. The bird was probably young, of last year's 

 brood. The Bengal Water Cock has never before been recorded from this 

 Presidency, except from Sind ; in ten years shooting it is the first I have noticed. 



BaroOa, September, 1«90. H. LITTLEDALE. 



