2G1 



on looking into the skull through the occipital foramen the orifice 

 resembled that made by a bullet; at first I thought it was such, and 

 as a friend had assured me a few days before, that the bison's fore- 

 head was bullet proof, an assertion which I received cum grano 

 salis I felt inclined to chuckle, until put right by R. as to the cause 

 of the injury ; he said he prized the specimen more than anything 

 else he had. 



No. 73, Page 162. Manis. 

 Pangolin or Scaly Ant-eater. 



With the following descriptions by Jerdon of Manis pentadactyla 

 the " Indian scaly ant-eater" and Manis aurita, the Sikim scaly 

 ant-eater;" these very imperfect notes come to an end. Of the 

 first he writes : 



Tail shorter than the body, very broad at the base, with 16 or 17 

 scales in each longitudinal line; 16 scales on the dorsal series in 10 

 or 1 1 rows ; middle nail of the four feet much stronger than the 

 others, scales thick, striated at the base, pale yellowish brown or 

 horny clay color ; the lower side of the head, body and feet nude, 

 brownish white ; nose fleshy ; soles of the hind-feet blackish ; 

 auricles indistinct. 



Length of one, head and body 26 inches ; tail 18. A female 

 measuring 40 inches weighed 21 Ibs. 



The common Pangolin or Scaly Ant-eater is found throughout 

 the whole of India, most common perhaps in somewhat hilly dis- 

 tricts, but nowhere abundant. It appears to extend into the lower 

 Himalayas, for both this and the next species were found by 

 Hodgson in Nepal. It is strictly nocturnal, and feeds almost 

 exclusively on ants, especially the white ants (termites). Its gait 

 in walking is very peculiar, the back arched, the fore-feet with 

 their anterior surface bent over and brought into contact with the 

 ground, on which it progresses very slowly." 



And of the second, 



" Tail a little shorter than head and body, not quite so thick at 

 the base as the last, with 5 rows of scales about 20 in number in 

 each row ; 15 to 1 7 rows of scales in a line on the back, most of them 



