MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 219 



No. XII.— HYBERNATION OF THE HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR, 

 {UESUS TORQUATUS). 



As many readers of the journal may not know the climate and country 

 round Drosh, it is a pity that Captain Skey, in his interesting note on the Black 

 Bear he found asleep in a tree, did not give some particulars as to whether 

 the country was covered deep in snow, and no apparent food for bears 

 available at the time of year he names ; also what the natives of the country 

 say about the winter sleep of the Black Bear. In Chamba the people living in 

 villages high up, told me that the Black Bear did not sleep through the cold 

 season like the Brown Bear, and that they saw them frequently during the 

 winter ; so when finding a Black Bear asleep during the day at that season, it 

 is necessary to be careful to ascertain that it is not only ordinary sleep the 

 Bear is indulging in. 



It has been observed among Marmots, which usually go in for winter sleep, 

 that there is individual differences in hybernation— some individuals sleep- 

 ing longer and more deeply than others and some not at all — this shows 

 that the cerebral consciousness varies, and that some individuals are more 

 strong-minded than others : and this may be the same among Black Bears. 

 Although the phenomenon of hybernation has frequently been investigated, 

 its real nature remains unexplained. It cannot be simply due among the Bear 

 family to the lowering of temperatures, as the Polar Bear is seen wandering 

 about during the awful cold of the Arctic winter. 



G, S. RODON, Major. 



Dharwar, June, 1898. 



No. XIII.— THE BREEDING OF MOTHS. 

 Could some member of the Society kindly answer the following questions 

 for me ? 



(1) Are moths hermaphroditic ? 



(2) If not, is it a usual or common occurrence for eggs laid by a moth 



that has never had access to a male to be fertile and hatch out ? 



Some time bask I found a chrysalis, and wishing to see what it would turn 

 into, brought it home and placed it in a wire meat-safe with a net cover- 

 This chrysalis turned into a moth some three weeks ago, and laid eggs in the 

 net during the night. No male could possibly have had access to the female 

 as it was not only in my room but inside the net. Next morning I threw 

 the moth out, leaving the eggs on the net. The day before yesterday I noticed 

 that all the eggs had hatched out, and the young caterpillars were crawling all 

 over the safe. I have frequently seen moths lay eggs without being 

 impregnated by males but I have never seen them hatch out, and always 

 presumed they were unfertile. Would some one interested in, and acquainted 

 with, moths, give me through the journal some information on this point ? 



R. H. RATTRAY, Major, 

 22nd Punjab Infantry. 



Thull, Kuebam Valley, May, 1898. 



