The Zoologist — January, 1866, 11 



river, but he got into the bad graces of some of the farmers by killing 



their "collies" or sheep-dogs. The dogs came to the mill with their 



owners, and not being used to tame otters, they often attacked 



Neptune, who always defended himself with great spirit. On more 



than one occasion he was seen to seize one of his persecutors by the 



throat, plunge into the mill-dam, and hold the unfortunate colley 



under water until it was drowned. At last Neptune died, and one of 



the farmers whose dogs he had thus killed was more than suspected of 



having administered poison. My informant was not acquainted with 



Neptune's early history, but Mr. Macgillivray states that he was taken 



very young, and was suckled by a pointer bitch. Another tame otter 



was kept a few years ago by one of the Duke of Athol's keepers, at 



Dnnkeld; she was called "Kitty," and used to answer to her name as 



well as any dog. Like Neptune she came to an untimely end, being 



caught accidentally in a trap, and so much injured that she had to be 



killed. Mr. Gunn observes (Zool. 9644) that otters sometimes carry 



on their depredations on land, " particularly in vegetable gardens." 



May I ask if he means that they eat the vegetables or roots ? If so, it is 



surely a new and remarkable trait in the life-history of the animal, and 



further particulars would be most interesting. All the other Mus- 



telidae are, 1 believe, exclusively animal-feeders when in a state of 



nature. 



Edward R. Alston. 

 Stockbriggs, Lesmahagow, October 30, 1865. 



Account of a Heronry, and Breeding-place of oiher Water-Mrds, in 

 Southern India. By John Shortt, M.D., F.L.S. 



(Eead before the Linnean Society, November 3, 1864). 



Vaden Thaugul is a small village, fifty miles from Madras and 

 twelve from Chingleput, in a south-easterly direction ; here is a large 

 lank covering an area of four acres and a half. 



From the north-east to the centre of the bed of the tank there are some 

 five hundred or six hundred trees of the Barringtonia racemosa, from ten 

 to fifteen feet in height, with circular regular moderate-sized crowns; 

 and when the tank fills, which it does during the monsoons, the tops 

 only of the trees are just visible above the level of the water. 



This place forms the breeding-resort of an immense number of 

 water-fowl ; herons, storks, cranes, ibises, water-crows or cormorants, 



