746 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. HlX 



No. IV. -BROWN RAT (i1/C7S NORVEGICUS) IN KHANDEISH. 



In his paper on the " Races of Indian Rats," in the Records of the Indian 

 Museum, Captain Lloyd remarks that, although many writers have stated 

 that the brown rat is found inland, he doubts if it is found away from sea- 

 ports, and in support of this view points out that no examples have been 

 received at the Indian Museum during the recent inquiry. 



In the Society's collection there is a brown rat which was obtained at 



Chahsgaon, Khandeish, and sent in alive to the Society on Jan. loth, 1908. 



N. B. KINNEAR. 

 Bombay, October 1909. 



No. v.— A RECORD GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS (RHINOCEROS 



UNICORNIS). 



A great Indian Rhinoceros was recorded in the pages of the Engliahman 

 for May 4th as having been shot in Assam by Mr. T. Briscome, carrying a 

 horn of 24A ins. and standing 6 feet 4 ins. at the shoulder. According to Lydek- 

 ker the largest horn previously recorded was one of 24 ins. formerly in the 

 possession of Dr. Jerdon, and in Records of Big Game one of 2H ins. 

 is mentioned as having been shot by Lord Curzon in Nepal. 



In the above-mentioned book, Rowland Ward gives the height at shoulder 

 of a rhino shot in Cooch-Behar and in possession of the Maharaja as 6 feet 

 6 ins., but there is no mention of one taller than 6 feet 4 ins. in the Maha- 

 raja's magnificent book 'Shooting in Cooch Behars, Duars and Assam.' 



No. VI.— HAUNTS OF THE INDIAN RHINOCEROS. 



The following letter by a member of the Society appeared in the Field for 

 July 24th, 1909. 



Sir, — I have just seen an article "Oriental Big Game Notes," by Mr, R. 

 Lydekker in the Field of May 29th last. His statement that the Fauna of British 

 India (Part II., page 473) is incorrect in the supposition that the Rhinoceros 

 MM2Corm's is not found in India west of the Teesta river is certainly true. This 

 rhinoceros is found in the Nepal Terai, in Morang, north of Purnea, on the 

 Kosi, at Patharghatta, on the banks of the Bagmati north of MuzafParpur, and 

 as stated by Mr. Lydekker, it is even more numerous still farther to the west 

 in the Chitwan and Naolpur valleys along the banks of the Gandak and the 

 Rapti rivers. 



In justice to His Highness the Maharaja of Nepal and the other Nepalese 

 sportsmen, who took part in the great hunt referred to in the above article, 

 I can, as an eye witness of what occurred, assure your readers that the account 

 which Mr. Lydekker has heard is entirely garbled and misleading. The 

 ground that was shot over in January and February 1907, was the tract orgin- 

 ally preserved by the Nepal Government for the shooting which they had 

 hoped to give His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in February 1906. This, 

 unfortunately, had to be abandoned owing to a severe outbreak of cholera in 



