MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 833 



I think the Chilwa fish should certainly be used as mosquito destroyers, in 

 the way I have described, but they should be protected from net, men, and 

 anglers, for they are easily caught with the simplest tackle. 



For the destruction of mosquito larvse in gurrahs, fire buckets and such like, 

 a good handful of lime is more efficacious, in its action, and certainly cheaper 

 than kerosene oil. The lime water would not readily evaporate, whereas 

 kerosene oil is volatile, costly, and requires frequent renewing. In the case of 

 fire buckets lime would be harmless, but water mixed with even a small 

 quantity of kerosene oil would probably increase the flames, instead of quench- 

 ing them. 



I was led to try the Chilwa experiment, by having often observed these fish, 

 which I know to be surface feeders, fly takers, and destroyers of all sorts of 

 animalcule, rising at and taking mosquitoes, especially about sunset when these 

 insects swarm, and with regard to the lime, it is a matter of common knowledge 

 that fish, and minute animal life cannot exist for a moment in lime water. 



H. OSBORN, Lieut.-G-enl., I.A. 



Naggak, Kullu, Punjab, 3rd October 1906. 



No. XX— A CLUMSY KILLER. 



At a time when the various ways adopted by the Felidce of killing their 

 prey is attracting so much attention, it perhaps would not be out of place to 

 describe the modus operandi of Ursus torquatus (The Himalayan black Bear) 

 as witnessed by me on one occasion. 



I was out in quest of pheasants and on crossing a ridge, heard a lot of 

 shouting and yelling, mingled with the bellowing of a luckless cow. Thinking 

 a panther had arrived on the scene, I handed my shot gun to my shikari and 

 taking my rifle, rushed down the hill as fast as I could go and on reaching the 

 " nullah " saw a red cow struggling along, some distance below, with some- 

 thing black hanging on to its quarters. Guessing what it was, but not daring 

 to fire, for fear of hitting the cow, which would have been a crime, almost 

 equal to murdering a man, in a Hindu State, I rushed on. I lost sight of the 

 cow and her assailant round a bend, but caught them up very shortly after 

 and found the cow lying on its side, struggling and bellowiug and the bear 

 gnawing away at a hind leg. 



I had turned the corner and almost ran into the bear, which was more 

 surprised than I was, and giving vent to a startled " wouf " half stood up on his 

 hind legs. I did not wait to consider but let off both barrels into his chest 

 knocking him over backwards, practically dead. I then turned to the wretched 

 cow and found she had one leg broken and two huge pieces of flesh taken 

 from her flank, while her stomach and quarters were lacerated and pouring with 

 blood from scars and holes made by the bear's claws and teeth. Fortunately 

 for the poor cow, which otherwise would have been permitted to linger on in 

 agonies, till loss of blood or starvation released it from its pains, the village 

 was only half a mile distant and the cowherd, who had arrived on the scene, 



