MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 273 



No. XXXII.— PEACH- Li: A VES AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR 



LAUKHIi LEAVES. 



I do not know whether peach-leaves, chopped up ami bruised, liavc ever 

 previously been used as a substitute for laurel, but I have just discovered that, 

 treated in this manner, they give off an odour of prussic acid fully as strong, 

 I think, as do laurel-leaves. I have tried the effect on a few insects and they 

 were bowled over in a very short time, moths in a few seconds, and even a 

 Catharslus, the large demy-beetle, in about 3 minutes. I have often regretted 

 the absence of the laurel from this part of the world, and am pleased to find 

 a substitute, as it will probably, like laurel, have the virtue of keeping beetles 

 and other insects relaxed for days together, which the cyanide bottle does 

 not do. 



H. L. ANDREWES. 



Bauwood Estate, Nilgiris, S. Indi.4, 

 October 23rd, 1908. 



No. XXXIII.—" DO ANIMALS DIE A NATURAL DEATH ?" 



In Volume XVIII., No. 2, Mr. Betham published a note under the above 

 heading. By natural death, I take it, is meant death only due to the more 

 common causes such as old age and incidental troubles, death by violence and 

 epidemics being excluded. ■ That wild animals do die from ordinary causes is 

 inevitable but the problem is. what becomes of their bodies V This question 

 has always had considerable interest for me, and from time to time as occasion 

 arose I have made notes on the subject. The publication of Mr. Betham's 

 notes re-opened the matter in my mind and leads me to think that perhaps my 

 experiences may be of interest. Undoubtedly it seems rare for sportsmen or 

 others wandering about jungles to come across the recent remains of animals 

 that have presumably succumbed to natural causes. As mentioned above T am 

 not speaking of those wnich have died from epidemic disease, as in Burma one 

 may come across the remains of elephants dead from anthrax, or tsaing and 

 bison that may have contracted rinderpest. I have seen instances of both, also 

 of deer that have succumbed to a contagious malady. For very many years 

 I cannot call to mind ever having run across a dead animal except a monkey, 

 but on one trip accompanied by a friend I was singularly fortunate. We were 

 wandering up the bed of a large stream, the part we were in being rarely 

 frequented by men, when a noisome smell assailed us. There was a lot of 

 what looked like wild alder bushs about and with the aid of the Burmans we 

 soon discovered the cause — the carcase of a very fine wild dog {Cyon rutilans). 

 The carcase was lying on its side on a flat rock, which was a little higher than 

 the water, and surrounded by bushes. We were so interested that we looked 

 carefully for any injury, but failed to find anything. The dog — a fine male — 

 had been dead some few hours. Later on, the same day and in the same 

 stream, another unpleasant smell forced itself on us. The cause this time 



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