MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 837 



fact that tigers as a rule exhibit fear, or perhaps more correctly extreme caution 

 when they hear any sound, the origin of which is not at once apparent, and that 

 the slightest sound is sufficient to cause a tiger feeding on or approaching a kill 

 to disappear like a flash. There must be some reason for this, and I have put 

 the question repeatedly to sportsmen and naturalists. I have never had a 

 satisfactory elucidation and until recently no plausible explanation presented 

 itself to me. Many have advanced the natural fear of man in animals, but 

 this does not seem to me to solve the matter but rather beg the further 

 question, " Why should tigers fear man ? " 



It has however lately occurred to me that one enemy a tiger has to fear, is 

 another and more powerful tiger or even a weaker one with the advantage 

 of surprise on its side. This would be specially so with females (being generally 

 smaller and weaker) and with young ones. 



The females would probably impart caution to their young and these would 

 probably retain the habit of caution in after life. 



The need for caution would be greatest when feeding, for being in movement, 

 though slight, the tiger would be more visible, the noise in feeding would 

 attract attention and also cover the noise of a stealthy approach, and finally 

 the temptation to attack would be greater. 



Now Capt. Montresor's note shows that the fear of such an attack must be a 

 Very real one and I therefore venture to offer this suggestion. Possibly it has 

 been made before, but if so not to my knowledge or to that of the many I 

 have consulted. 



Coimbatore, 16th October 1906. C. E. C. FISCHER. 



No. XXVI— NOTE ON CLAN I A VARIEGATA, SNELL. 



The caterpillar is a worm-like cylindrical one with a large head of which the 



vertex is covered by the straight margin of segment 2 ; 



Larva. this segment 2 is covered dorsally by a hard shiny chitinous 



shield and is long ; segment 3 is rather broader than segment 



2 and telescopes over its hinder margin as does segment 4 over that of segment 



3 also ; the body is broadest at middle and decreases to anal end which is 

 strongly down-curved, the anal flap or last segment being semi-elliptical in shape, 

 large, convex and slightly pointed in the centre of hinder margin. The head 

 is round, quite smooth, moderately shiny, with an erect hair or two about the 

 eyes and one on each side of clypeus apex ; this clypeus is angular ; the 

 colour of head is horny white, marbled with dark brown on clypeus and cheeks 

 and in a central line over vertex. The spiracles are large with raised edges, 

 oval, the colour of the body. The surface of the body is somewhat shiny on 

 segments 2-4 and dull, elsewhere is strongly ridged or wrinkled transversely ; 

 there is a shiny, smooth, oval, slightly raised surface over each spiracle ; there 

 are some longitudinal irregular impressed lines and a few small tubercles at the 

 hinder margins of the segments on the transverse ridges ; segments 2—4 are 

 smooth and unridged, of horny consistency, coloured like the head with a sub- 



