MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 405 



No. n.— CURIOUS TUMOUR ON A BLACK RUCK. 



The following anecdote may be worthy of a corner in the Society's Journal: — 

 Yesterday morning, shortly after my arrival here, my servants came and told me 

 that a very fine black buck was heading towards the tank, close to where my tents 

 were pitched. I went out takmg my rifle with me to have a shot, and sure 

 enough the buck was heading straight on towards the tank. As he came nearer, 

 I noticed something very strange about him. In the first place he had only one 

 horn, and further he had a huge protuberance under his chest. I had a shot at 

 him, but missed as usual. Later on in the day he came again to the tank to 

 drink, and this time I had a good look at him at closer quarters, and decided that 

 with such an impediment as above mentioned I might perhaps be able to ride him 

 down, so this morning I went out to look for him, taking a Sowar with me; we 

 both carried spears. 



After going about two miles from Camp, we came across him, not alone this 

 time but in a tolah of some 15 or 20 deer of both se.'ies. We gave chase, and this 

 buck at once separated from the rest of the herd, and after giving us a run of 

 between 'i and 4 miles we speared and got him. Sure enough one horn was 

 wanting; it had apparently been shot or broken off close to the head, and the 

 protuberance I had noticed was a huge goitre, or what the natives called 

 " Russoli." When the buck was brought into Camp, I measured this swelling and 

 found it to be 11 inches long, 7 inches across, and 5| inches deep; it began just 

 between the foi'elegs and extended over the whole chest. On pricking the 

 swelling about 2 quarts of yellowish water poured out, and after skinning the 

 buck the goitre or " Russoli" was removed and opened; it was composed of a 

 yellow sponge-like substance, apparently rotten, with large clots of blood here and 

 there. It appeared to be a thing of long standing, but had not been in the way 

 of the buck's enjoyment of life, for he was in splendid condition, and evidently an 

 old buck, judging from his teeth. I measured the one horn and found it only 

 19^ inches. I should think this swelling must have caused the beast great pain 

 when he lay down, and I noticed the hair all rubbed off on one side, which seemed 

 to show that he had been able to lie down only on one side, and that with 

 difficulty. 



H. BULKLET. 

 Camp Nal Baoli, 7th May, 1892. 



No. IIL-UOES A TIGER KILL SNAKES? 

 On opening the stomach of an old tigress I shot last month, I found in it the 

 tail-end of a snake that the tigress had bitten off and swallowed whole ; the 

 portion swallowed measured 2 feet 3 inches in length. Though quite fresh, the 

 pattern of the skin was rather spoiled by digestion, and I am not sure what kind 

 of snake it was, but it appeared to me to be a rock-snake. There where no teeth- 



