135 



CLUB PAPERS. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES IN INBI A— Cant iHued. 



By Beavek Rake, M.D., (Lond.) 



The country round Hyderabad is uneven, the low hills 

 being crowneJ with rock}'- peaks. On these summits are often 

 immense boulders piled one on the top of another, as if some giant 

 had been striding through the land and building toy houses 

 only to knock them down again. We noticed this curious 

 conformation over a wide area of Southern India, from 

 Hyderabad to beyond Madras. The rocks afford shelter to 

 many jackals, which form excellent substitutes for foxes, and 

 aflbrd many a morning's sport to tho.se who ride after them. 



We noticed another strange physical feature of the country 

 near Hyderabad. The sides of the hills flake off" in thick 

 slabs, which are much used for paving or building. When the 

 native workmen want a supply of these slabs, they light large 

 fires on the sides of the hills, and the heat makes the stone 

 split in this convenient manner. 



Dr. Lawrie had very kindly prepared five tents for us in 

 his compound, and here vv-e encamped amidst a perfect paradise 

 of trees and flowers, fully enjoying the rest after our late 

 precarious life. In the morning we were greeted with the 

 most unearthly sounds. At first we thought it was some street 

 cry in the city, but it soon turned out that the author of this 

 discordant noise was a huluk or howling monkey. Many of 

 these had been caught out in the country, and brought into 

 Hyderabad to assist the labours of the chloroform commission 

 which had preceded us by a few months. A sole survivor had 

 escaped, and established himself in Dr. Lawrie's garden, Avliere 

 it seemed as if he were trying to avenge his deceased 

 brethren by making day hideous. 



•Several days were very pleasantly spent in Hyderabad, 

 which is probably the most typical native city in India and 

 the least influenced by European civilization. The native 

 officials are now beginning to adopt some of tlie English 

 manners and customs, but when we looked at the tawdry 

 oleographs displayed on the walls of their princely houses, and 

 the accumulation of rubbish which they were pleased to con- 

 sider ornamental, we could not but regret that they had 

 abandoned their rich Kaslern ait, for such western atrocities. 



Dr. Lawrie was a most genial host, and nothing coiild ex- 

 ceed the kindness we received from him, and from the Nizam's 



