214 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY , Vol. XX. 



the tiger, lhave questioned many an old inhabitant of the Gir, but not one 

 of them ever remembered to have seen, or ever even to have heard of one in 

 the district. 



This is the case also with the jungle and spur fowls. There are none in 

 the Gir. 



L. L. FENTON, Lt.-Col. 



South Molton, North Devon, England. 

 8th January 1910. 



No. III.— THE BALUCHISTAN BEAR. 



This bear is identified by Blanford in his Mammalia {Fauna of British India,), 

 as Ursus torquatus, i.e, the Himalayan Black Bear, which has the inverted 

 white crescent or horse-shoe mark on the chest. 



Some years ago when shooting in the Pubb Hills on the Sind border, I was 

 informed by a local authority that the Baluchistan bear locally known as the 

 Mam carried no horse-shoe mark. I did not go far enough north to find a 

 Mam, and was unable therefore to personally verify the statement. 



It is an interesting point on which perhaps the Superintendent of the 

 Karachi Zoological Gardens, or a local Member of our Society may be able to 

 throw some light ? I am told that specimens of the animals were to be seen 

 at the Gardens a few years ago, and if it is a fact that they were not 

 possessed of the horse-shoe marks, it would seem that they are entitled to be 

 classed as a separate variety ? 



L. L. FENTON, Lt.-Col. 

 South Molton, North Devon, England. 

 8th January 1910. 



[This is a point which perhaps the Baluchistan Natural History Society may be able to 

 definitely settle.— Eds.] 



No. IV.— A RECORD PANTHER. 



According to a short paragraph in the Indian Field for March 10th, a 

 panther measuring 9 ft. 3 in. was shot by a villager at Uttar Khasi, Tehri 

 State. Into Rowland Ward's Records of Big Game, the largest panther 

 mentioned measures 8' 6" but this animal exceeds that measurement by 9 in. 

 If any Members should have heard or can find out further particulars about 

 this large panther, we shall be very glad to hear from them. 



At the same time we should like to call attention to the fact that in all 

 records of the measurements of tigers, panthers, etc., it should be distinctly 

 stated what the measurements of the head and body are and how much the 

 tail measures, also whether the head and body has been measured between 

 uprights or not. 



The head and body measurement of a panther give a much better idea of 

 its size than that of the total length, since there is a considerable variation in 



