276*2 The Zoologist — September, 1871. 



called Wolfs-burn, there is a tradition that the last wolf in the 

 country was killed."* Dr. Robert Brown, who called my attention 

 to this passage, has also informed me that in connexion with a 

 tradition of great woods having once existed in Caithness-shire 

 (as indeed the endless remains in the bogs abundantly prove), 

 those in the vicinity of Wick were said to have been cut down by 

 the enraged inhabitants, on account of their harbouring wolves. 



James Hardy. 



Note on the Habits of tbc Tree Cat [Paradoxurus musanga). — It is 

 generally believed that this curious auimal — a compound of the cat, civet 

 aud genet — is purely nocturnal iu its habits. A female, measuring thirty- 

 seveu inches iu leugth, of which the tail alone is eighteeu, has just been 

 killed, in the act of eating guavas, in the Public Gardens, close to where 

 I am living. The gardeners saw the animal up the tree, but before they 

 could muster sufficient pluck to kill her she managed to get down, but was 

 soon overtaken iu the long grass. I have examined a good many of these cats, 

 and find that they are subject to considerable variation in colour : the one 

 I have just seen is a kind of yellow-brown, with a few black spots on the 

 flanks; the nose, feet and tail are jet-black. About two months ago a very 

 fine male, considerably larger than this one, was also killed during the day 

 in the act of eating peaches. In the roof of the house where I am at present 

 living there was a colony of these creatures a short time ago ; but, owing to 

 their oSensive smell and the mess they made, they had to be destroyed. 

 Immediately it got dusk they used to issue forth, climbing up aud down 

 the bamboo trellis-work with comparative ease, though they appeared to be 

 slow and awkward iu their movements. — A. Anderson ; Futteltr/urh, N.W. 

 Provinces, July 6, 1871. 



Seal capturing a Herring Gull. — While seated on the bents, watching a 

 flock of gidls that were fishing in the sea near Don-mouth, I was startled by 

 their jerking high in the air, and screaming iu an unusual and excited 

 manner. On no previous occasion have 1 observed such a sensation in 

 gull-hood, not even when a blackhead was being pursued, till he disgorged 

 his newly-swallowed fish, by that black-leg, the skua. The excitement was 

 explained by a seal showing above the water with a herring gull in his 

 mouth : on his appearing the gulls became ferocious, and struck furiously 

 at the seal, who disappeared with the gull in the water. The seal speedily 

 reappeared, but on this occasion relinquished his victim on the gulls 

 renewing their attack. The liberated gull was so disabled as to be unable 

 to fly, but it had strength enough to hold its head up as it drifted with the 



* ' New Statistical Account of Scotland,' vol. xv. ji. 24. 



