59 



Chilka lake, where I put a No. 6 or 2J oz. ball into the side of a 

 large porpoise that was rolling along close to my canoe. The poor 

 beast appeared very hard hit and probably died, but of course, I did 

 not get him and it was a cruel and wanton shot, of which I am 

 ashamed. 



Was he the " black Dolphin," No. 142, page 157, or the " Ca'iug 

 " whale," No. 146, page 160 of Jerdon ? It must be remembered 

 that the Chilka lake opens into the sea, is salt or at any rate 

 brackish water ; and that he was one of a large shoal that were rising 

 all round me : as far I could judge, he was much too large to have 

 been " Delphinus perniger." 



No- 38- Sciurus Maximus, Sciurus Macruroides- 



JERDON, No. 149, PAGE 166; AND No. 151, PAGE 168. CEN- 

 TRAL INDIAN RED SQUIRREL BLACK HILL SQUIRREL. 

 I have been assured by a brother sportsman, that these gigantic 

 squirrels are excellent eating and that soup made from them 

 surpasses English hare. 



The red squirrel, No. 149 of Jerdon, is very abundant in the 

 forests of Goomsoor, also in those of the Golcondah Zemindary : 

 this variety to me always appeared more shy and perhaps more active 

 than the black hill squirrel, No. 151 of Jerdon. Near Tounghoo in 

 Burmah, we constantly found the last variety during the heat of the 

 day asleep in some tall clump of bamboo on which they did not 

 appear to take any pains to conceal themselves : or they would if 

 disturbed, force themselves into notice by a loud quickly repeated 

 cry which, as is mentioned at page 167 of Jerdon, " Sykes 

 " syllabizes" as " chook chook chook" They become very tame, 

 but are very destructive to furniture if allowed perfect liberty, and 

 are apt to become mangy if shut up in cages ; so they are, to say 

 the least, unsatisfactory pets. All these large squirrels resemble 

 each other so much in habits that, color excepted, what is said of 

 one may apply to all. Jerdon's remark at page 167 is very just, 

 for " they are awkward in their gait on the ground, but most active 

 " on trees, jumping from bough to bough with amazing agility." 



