MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 191 



aid of evil spirits, a practice which is strictly against the tenets of the 

 Buddhist religion. 



This Tsaing has been continually visiting the village for the three past 

 hot seasons. During the rainy season he is never to be seen. 



Falam Chix Hill, IWi September 1912. 



J. W. ADAMSON. 



No. VI.— LARGE OORIAL HEADS. 



With reference to my note on Oorial in Vol. XXI, No. o, page 1065 and 

 your sub-note, I have been told that the Shapoo have practically no beard 

 or only a small tuft under the chin. All Oorial I have shot both in the 

 Salt Range and Trans-Indus (across Indus from Punjab) on the contrary 

 had magnificent beards extending right down to between their forelegs, in 

 spite of their living in warmer climates than the Shapoo. 



I think Major Taylor's head of 39^" came from the Tochi Valley. Unless 

 I am mistaken two heads of exactly of this size were obtained there in 

 1897 or 1898, one picked up and the other shot. If so, these would be 

 Trans-Indus heads, though they would have then been correctly described as 

 from the Punjab, since the N. W. F. Province had not then been formed 

 and that part of the frontier was then under the Punjab Administration. 

 I hear the latest record is 40^" obtained near Wave last (1911) hot weather. 

 Heads run much bigger there than Cis-Indus, 35" to 37" beino' by no 

 means uncommon in Waziristan, but it is of course at present a closed 

 country to the ordinary sportsman. 



H. V. BIGGS, Colonel. 

 Rawalpindi, 8^A September 1912. 



[The 5th Edition of " Records of Big Game " which we quoted in our editorial 

 note was published in 1907. We have now seen the latest edition, the 6th published 

 in 1910, and in it Major Taylor's head is said to have been kUled in Waziristan. 

 Up to about August 1910 the following were the records of the different races of 

 Oorial. 



Shapoo or Ladak : — 



Oorial, Ovis vignei typicics. 



39 ins., locality unknown, Major-General Sir H. S. Rawlinson. 



Kelat Oorial, Ovis vignei blanfordi. 



37|- Kelat Mr. A. 0. Hume. 



Punjab Oorial, Ovis vignei cycloceros. 

 39|- no locaUty 27th Punjabis. 



39^ Waziristan Major F. H. Taylor. 



Kopet Dagh Oorial, Ovis vignei arkal. 

 45i N. Persia Capt. C. T. Daukes. 



Eds. 



No. VII.— FLYING SQUIRRELS AND WALNUTS. 



Many years ago* correspondence appeared in the Journal, re empty walnut 

 shells picked up by the writer in the Forest which had small holes bored 

 through the shell. It was surmised in the absence of occular proof that some 

 strong-billed bird like a woodpecker, crabs or rats had perforated the holes. 

 When in the Himalayan Hills North of Simla, I picked up a number of 

 empty walnut shells perforated in the way described in correspondence and 

 I had occular proof in bright moonlight night that Flying squrrels were the 



* Vol. XV, p. 712. " 



