294 An Account of Giirhzual, [Sess. 



tiger sometimes ventures to eat one. Once on the borders of 

 Knmaon and Gurhwal a sick tiger was seen wandering about 

 helpless, and emaciated to the last degree. It was easily 

 killed by a friend of mine, who had killed many tigers far 

 more formidable than it was. After it was killed, the cause 

 of its illness was discovered. It had swallowed a porcupine, 

 and the spines of the porcupine had made their way through 

 the tiger's stomach into its flesh, causing the poor tiger hor- 

 rible torture. Of Euminants, many are found. Indeed the 

 chief reason why European travellers visit Gurhwal is in 

 order to shoot these animals. In the lower or southern hills 

 the most common are the barking deer (Cervuhos aureus), 

 which has a call exactly like the barking of a dog, and the 

 pig-donkey (Nemorhccdus gored), whose native name of Ghuror 

 occurs in a common Gurhwal proverb, " Ghuror khani chant 

 piyar " — " The goral loves the broken ground," equivalent to 

 " There is no place like home." Less common and much 

 bigger beasts are the JSTemorhnedus bubalina, or cow-goat, and 

 the Eusa Aristotelis or jarao, called Sambur in the plains, 

 where it also occurs. This animal is supposed by some to be 

 Aristotle's horse-stag. 



In the higher or northern hills the common ruminants are 

 the wild goat, which is, however, occasionally found pretty low 

 down ; the wild sheep, confined to the snowy ranges ; and the 

 musk-deer, which yields the valuable scent musk, which is 

 so costly that even in Northern Gurhwal it is from ten to 

 twenty times its weight in silver. Of the Edentata, only one 

 is found, and that even is doubtful, but it is certainly found 

 in parts of the Himalayas, and the natives believe in its ex- 

 istence in Gurhwal. This is the manis, or ant-eater. If all 

 tales of it are true, it is a most unpleasant animal to meet 

 after nightfall, as it has a habit of addressing travellers with 

 a voice apparently human. If the traveller speaks back, he 

 infallibly dies. In the neighbouring province of Kumaon, a 

 friend of mine fell from a precipice one evening and broke 

 his ankle. The place where he fell was close to the road, 

 and the natives heard him calling for help, but they would 

 not go to his assistance, or even answer him a word, fearing 

 that he might be a nish-chur, or night-walker — the name 

 they give to the ant-eater. A similar superstition is referred 



