MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 745 



the ground. On the trunk the scratches made l)y the panther's chiws can be 

 quite distinctly seen. 



The calf was a " tie-up " made by my brother. R. M, Bedon, of Nagpur, who 

 also took the photograph. The occurrence took place on March 31st of this 

 year at a village called Mnwala. in the Halaghat District of the Central 



Provinces. 



COLERIDGE BEADON. 



X.wnvAi., R.S., M.S.-M., 1st July 190'.). 



No. III.— THE CALL OF THE SLOTH BEAR. 



I wonder if any of the readers of the Journal have ever heard the call of 

 the Sloth Bear (^Jelursus urshms). I have seen no mention of this call in any 

 book, sporting or scientific, and Blandford, in The Fauna of British India 

 boldly states : — " The Indian bears are quite silent animals, as a rule, and 

 have no call for each other." A solitary experience of mine proves the con- 

 trary and the many sporting friends to whom I have made mention of it 

 consider it of sufficient interest to warrant my sending you a note thereon. 



Some eight years ago, during the hot weather months. I was enjoying a 

 few days' shooting in the Jungles of the Indur District of the Hyderabad 

 Dominions. One morning I saw a panther on some rocks not far from my 

 camp. On seeing me it glided away down amongst the boulders on which it 

 had evidently been sunning itself. As there was every convenience on the 

 spot I decided to tie up a goat that evening near the rocks and sit up over it. 

 This was all arranged, and late in the afternoon I took up my post in a neigh- 

 bouring tree. I took a light repast with me and, as the moon was at the full, 

 I decided to sit up all night. No panther came to the goat which was an 

 unusually quiet beast and made no noise at all which would attract atten- 

 tion. Towards the early hours of the morning I heard in the distance, fuJlj' 

 half a mile away I estimated, a beautiful long drawn note which was unmis- 

 takably that of a sloth bear. This call struck a cord in another bear which 

 unknown to myself, was close to my tree. He immediately commenced 

 whimpering and shuffled off towards the rocks. Occasionally, as though 

 the desire to immediately answer the call was struggling with the desire to 

 first reach the top of the rocks, he would stop, erect himself on his hind legs 

 and commence a call in response. No finished icfiponse, however, was made 

 until he reached the top of the rocks when he raised himself on his hind legs 

 and with his nose pointing upwards he sent out a beautiful long mellow note 

 in answer. This was repeated once or twice, and he would then listen for 

 an answering call. On hearing this he would repeat his call. When this had 

 been repeated three or four times, he shuffled off still whimpering evidently in 

 the direction of his mate who was calling him up. 



P, ROSCOE ALLEN. 



Bkllarv, 28(h May 1900. 



