24 Narrative of the Proceedifigs of Mission to Ava, 



Burman empire, but this seems to be a mistake. It is a singular 

 fact, that neither these animals, nor the wolf, hyena, or any other 

 of the genus canis'is found there, with the exception of one ani- 

 mal, which is yet undescribed, and the howl of which it was that 

 was mistaken for that of the jackal. The feline tribe, espe- 

 cially the larger species, are but rare in the upper provinces 

 of the Burman empire, but too frequent in the lower. The 

 night before we left Maulamhyeng, a tiger was shot in the 

 heart of the cantonment by a party of officers who lay in wait 

 for him. Two or three of the smaller species of this family, 

 found in Martaban and Pegu, are thought to be as yet unknown 

 to naturalists. In Martaban, two new species of pheasant 

 have been found, of which living specimens have been sent to 

 Calcutta. The celebrated elephant must not be forgotten. 

 At Ava there is but one albino elephant. This, a male of 

 about twenty-five years of age, was repeatedly seen and ex- 

 amined by the gentlemen of the mission, and his majesty has 

 made a present to the governor-general of a drawing of the 

 animal in its state caparison, which is no bad specimen of Bur- 

 man art. 



As connected with this department may be mentioned the 

 existence at Ava of a man covered from head to foot with 

 hair, whose history is not less remarkable than that of the 

 celebrated porcupine man, who excited so much curiosity in 

 England and other parts of Europe near a century ago. 

 The hair on the face of this singular being, the ears included, 

 is shaggy, and about eight inches long. On the breast and 

 shoulders it is from four to five. It is singular that the teeth 

 of this individual are defective in number;, the molars or 

 grinders being entirely wanting. This person is a native of 

 the Shan country, or Lao, and from the banks of the upper 

 portion of the Sal u en or Martaban river. He was presented to 

 the king of Ava as a curiosity by the prince of that country. 

 At Ava he married a pretty Burmese woman, by whom he 

 has two daughters. The eldest resembles her mother, the 

 youngest is covered with hair, like her father, only that it is 

 white or fair, whereas his is now brown or black, having, how. 

 ever, been fair when a child, like that of the infant. With 

 the exceptions mentioned, both the father and his child are 



