114. 



astronomical observatory has been fitted up, wliile a part of the 

 grounds has been laid out as a botanic garden of medicinal and 

 economic plants. In the museums we found students busily 

 engaged in drying, mounting and labelling plants collected 

 during their field excursions in the neighbourhood. At a short 

 distance from the College of Science is the afiiliated Veterinary 

 Laboratory where I found Mr, Lingard, whom I had previously 

 met in London, working out the bacteriology of tSurra an im- 

 perfectly known disease very prevalent amongst horses in India. 



During our stay in Poona we made a two-days excursion 

 doAvn to Belgaum, a small but interesting station on the plateau 

 of the Deccan. "We were most hospitably received and were 

 driven about the town in a curious little box on two wheels, 

 innocent of springs, and drawn by two bullocks. This novel 

 mode of locomotion, which added much to the enjoyment of the 

 visit, seemed to be almost peculiar to this part of India. I 

 certainly did not meet with precisely similar conveyances any- 

 where else. It is conceivable however, that a long day's 

 journey in one of these vehicles might have its disadvantages. 



On our way to Belgaum we passed old deserted Mahratta 

 forts, monuments of the fierce and warlike people who used to 

 dispute this part of India. In Belgaum itself is a well preserved 

 «pecimen of this form of architecture. The picturesque old 

 bastions and moat remain almost uninjured, but inside, instead 

 of the savage chieftains of former days, a British regiment is 

 peacefully quartered. Two interesting old Jain temples, some- 

 what dilapidated and greatly overgrown with bushes, but still 

 presenting the characteristic pillars and roofs are also within 

 the walls of the fort, happily spared by modern vandalism. 



From Poona we went to Bijapur, one of the most interest- 

 ing cities in India. It is not as well known as it ought to be 

 for situated as it is, a little out of the beaten track it is often 

 neglected by the globe trotter, or cold weather visitor to India. 

 Leaving the great Indian Peninsular Railway at Hotgi, we 

 changed into one of the carriages of the Southern Mahratta. It 

 is a somewhat remarkable fact that in a country in which there 

 is a recently developed system of railways, there should be no 

 uniform gauge. This however, is the case. The Southern 

 Mahratta is one of the narrow gauge railways, and the trains 

 are, I think the slowest I have ever travelled in. So deliber- 

 ate was our progress that I often felt inclined to step out of the 

 carriage and collect a few botanical specimens, catch a butterfly 

 or two, or try a chance shot at an occasional fine old black buck 

 who would stand up in bold relief against the horizon and stare 

 inquiringly at us, quite innocent the while of possible danger. 



