720 



SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1883. 



are presented as approximately the numbers of families at present rec- 

 ognizable : 



Families. 



Leptocardians 

 Myzonts 

 Selachians . . . 



Fishes 



Amphibians . 



Reptiles 



Birds 



Mammals 



Total. 



1 

 3 



36 

 291 



45 

 103 

 121 

 164 



764 



Mortality from wild, beasts in India. — The two hundred and fifty odd 

 millions of inhabitants of British India have by no means crowded out 

 the wild animals of the country, and a small percentage even annually 

 contribute to furnish a dainty meal or otherwise fall victims to beast or 

 serpent. Sir Joseph Fayrer has recently published, in Nature (v. 27, 

 pp. 208-270) some interesting statistics of the loss of life by sucb means. 

 The average of recorded cases is about 2,800 persons a year ; in 1880 

 2,840, and in 1881 2,757 persons were killed ; of cattle, in 1880 55,850 

 and in 1881 41,640 head were lost. Such a mortality naturally provokes 

 retaliation, and bounties are given for the destruction of a number of 

 destructive animals. In 1880 14,886 were killed and rewards therefor 

 paid to the extent of over 88,327 rupees, and in 1881 15,279 were killed 

 and the bounties given amounted to 91,850 rupees. The " wild animals 

 destructive to life in India" specifically enumerated by Sir Joseph 

 Fayrer are twenty in number, viz, fifteen mammals, four crocodilians, 

 and one shark. Besides these, fifteen genera of poisonous snakes are 

 specified ; of these, five belong to the family of Elapids, two to the 

 Viperids, four to the Crotalids, and four to the Hydrophids, or sea- 

 snakes. The animals most destructive to human life are the tigers and 

 wolves, which are nearly equally malignant, as will be seen from the 

 following summary of somewhat old figures : 



Animals. 



Killed in 1875. 



Persons. Cattle 



Killed in 1876. 



Persons. Cattle 



Elephants . . . 



Tigers 



Leopards 



Bears 



Wolves 



Hyaenas 



Other animals 



01 



828 



187 



84 



1,061 



68 



1,446 



6 



12, 423 



16, 157 



522 



9,407 



2,116 



3,011 



52 

 917 

 156 

 123 

 887 



49 

 143 



3 



13,116 



15, 373 



410 



12, 448 



2,039 



4,573 



