534 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NA TURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XL 



unable to keep up with even a slow train, either not flyinar fast or straight 

 enough, others, of whom Papllio enthnmius was easily the best, seemed to keep 

 their place without effort beside the windows i»f the fast train, thus making 

 their speed of flight about fifteen miles an hour at a modest computation. 



S. E. PR ALL, Surg.-Captain. 



Bombay, October, 1897. 



No. VII— CURIOUS ACCIDENT TO A PALM-CIVET. 



It is not uncommon for a bird to be found with its tongue projecting 

 through a wound in the lower mandible, but with animals an accident of this 

 sort is, I imagine, a much rarer occurrence. 



A Palm-Cat (Paradoxurus anclomanensis) lilled in a trap this morning 

 appears at some time to have staked itself under the chin, possibly by spring- 

 ing upon a sharp-p' inted stick in attacking a bird. 



The injury must have been very severe, as the whole skin and lip of 

 the lower jaw have been drawn back as far as the wound, at the posterior 

 edge of which the lip has readhered to the flesh. The cat's tongue was 

 hanging out of the hole, through which it must have been forced subse- 

 quently in swallowing a large piece, of food. In spite of this nasty wound 

 and the loss of the use of its tongue the animal was in good condition. 

 It was caught in a deadfall baited with, plantains, to which these Palm-Cats 

 are very partial. 



A. L. BUTLER. 



Andaman Islands, October, 1897. 



No. VIII— EXTRACT FROM PEDRO TEIXEIRA. 



Just about three hundered years ago, an ancient globe-trotter, Pedro 

 Teixeira. off the coast of ('man, observed " certain birds chasing others from 

 natural enmity. The weaker soar upwards to escape from the stronger, and 

 in terror void the contents of their stomachs. The bird below, hunting the 

 other to this end, or for natural spite, as fast as this happens, opens his 

 beak, catches the same droppings, and eats thein. I have it [says Teixeira] 

 from the natives, that on this matter he subsists." 



The habit is that of many predatory sea fowl. But what species uses it off 

 the coast of Oman ? A. skua gull ^ Richardson's) is said to have been observed 

 in the Persian Gulf ; and seems the likeliest. But it may have been a sea- 

 eagle. Teixeira, probably, co ild not exactly observe the precise way in which 

 the victim dropped his dinner. 



I do not think that the frigate-birds range so far north. But probably 

 some of our members, working and warring on the Persian Gulf, can name 

 the bird. 



