156 Miscellaneous. 



not much unlike, though infinitely louder than, the mewing of a cat ; 

 at all events the Koles distinguish the two animals, calling the large 

 kind (from its cry) Tow Kooht, and the common jackal Km-mcha. 

 The little Bengal fox or corsac (Cynalopex insect ivorus) is very nu- 

 merous, yapping all the clear nights long during the cold season. 

 The Indian badger or ratel {Ratelus melivorus) is found in the woods, 

 but rarely. Porcupines {Hijstrix) are numerous, but being nocturnal, 

 are seldom seen. The short-tailed marus {M. crassicaudata) is met 

 with among rocks, but is one of the rarest animals known. There 

 are three kinds of squirrels, the common palm-squirrel {Sciurus stri- 

 atus), the great red squirrel {Sciurus macrourus) , and a large gray 

 flying squirrel, peculiar, I believe, to the Kolehan and the Jungle 

 Mehals. This last is exceedingly rare, as it lives on lofty trees in 

 profound forests, and only moves forth at night. The wild dog 

 {Canis primcEvus), Kooliia and Sona-kookoor of the Oorias, and Tan- 

 nee of the Koles, roams through the jungles in jiacks, occasionally 

 visiting the flocks and herds on the plains. Their ferocity, speed and 

 cunning have gained them a suj^erstitious veneration among the 

 Koles, and dread of their retaliating on their cattle deters the vil- 

 lagers from killing them. Of these also there are said to be two 

 kinds ; a large dog, in shape and colour like a Scotch greyhound or 

 lurcher, which hunts by sight ; and a smaller, red, bushy-tailed dog, 

 which follows the other in packs of five to twenty, is less speedy and 

 hunts by scent. The hare is larger than that of Bengal, inhabits 

 gravelly ravines in scrub-jungle, and never takes to grass. Of 

 monkeys there are only the two common species, the Lungoor and 

 Makor or Bunder {Sara and Gye of the Koles) ; the former live 

 among rocks, the latter in dense thickets. Wild hogs are very nu- 

 merous in some parts, but so wary as to be seldom killed. The rhi- 

 noceros is not known. 



Birds of all kinds are scarce and wild, especially those fit for food, 

 on account of the keenness with which the Koles pursue, trap, hawk, 

 and shoot them. The double-spurred partridge is found among rocks, 

 but is one of the most difficult birds to shoot, as it seldom takes wing, 

 but creeps into caves and fissures. The deep moist woods aiFord im- 

 mense varieties to the ornithologist. 



Being a dry and stony countrj% the Kolehan is peculiarly prolific 

 in snakes of all varieties : the covra is not so common as another 

 species, the Siarbinja of the Oorias, and Pago jarrus of the Hos 

 (Cophias Russelii), which is supposed to be equally deadly and far 

 more vindictive ; it is a subgenus of rattle-snake (without the rat- 

 tle). A large and beautiful snake, coloured with black and yellow 

 rings, the Sakom hlng {Pseudoboa fasciata) , is met with in ploughed 

 fields ; a long thin green whip-snake infests the rank grass-jungles 

 at the bottoms of hills ; the hartoo, a slender agile species, coloured 

 like a ribbon with yellow and copper}^ purple, infests trees : all 

 these are venomous. The Python or Ujgur {Toonil bing) is found in 

 every jungle ; it attains to dimensions which I have heard described, 

 but which would sound too marvellous to be recorded without better 

 proofs. Throughout Singbhoom, t'liota Nagpoor, and the surround- 

 ing countries, a belief is current of a monstrous si)ecies of snake, the 



