109 



They are good men and true, after their savage fashion, most of 

 these native hunters ; their open-air-life and habits of observation 

 and self-reliance cause them, no matter what may be their race or 

 origin, to become far more manly, plain-spoken and independent 

 than any other Easterns I have ever met. And if they gain confi- 

 dence in, or take a fancy to an employer who can understand what 

 they say, they are not only instructive but most entertaining com- 

 panions while going to and fro the sporting ground, once there and 

 " on duty" so to speak, talking is of course out of the question. They 

 are from necessity and training, keen observers of nature, and their 

 wild life probably makes them superstitious, and although they are 

 generally far more silent than other natives, when drawn out they 

 are able to give information most interesting to a naturalist regard- 

 ing the habits of bird or beast, and able to tell many a quaint and 

 distorted legend of devilry or witchcraft, or many a grim tale of 

 horror connected with deeds of by-gone days, or of the gang rob- 

 beries, murders and torture of the present. 



I own that I have passed many a pleasant moment in talking to 

 these men and have a great regard for them, often for the same idle 

 reasons that Lord Marmion loved " Palmers" for like : 



" * * such holy ramblers ; still" 

 " They know to charm a weary hill," 

 " "With song, romance, or lay ;" 

 " Some jovial tale, or glee, or jest," 

 " Some lying legend at the least," 

 " They bring to cheer the way." 



At any rate, if they are not always ready with " song romance or 

 lay," they are seldom at a loss for the last of the accomplishments 

 Marmion set such store by. 



No. 59- Axis Maculatus- 



JERDON, No. 221, PAGE 260 ; SPOTTED DEER. 



I cannot agree with Jerdon that there are two species of spotted 

 deer ; may not the differences in size, shape and horn mentioned 

 at pages 260 and 261 of his book be attributed to climate and the 

 forest the animal has to feed in ? 



Are not the forests of Ceylon and of some parts of Malabar 

 more clear of underwood than many of the dense thickets of upper 



