406 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



marks on it, nor was there any breakage of the bones. It seems somewhat 

 remarkable that a piece of this length should be bolted whole. 



The natives thought that the tigress had caught it in the water when she went to 

 drink. I should estimate the piece bitten off at about one-third of the snake's 

 length. 



The tigress had also made a heavy meal off a bullock. 



J. D. INVERARITY. 



Byculla Club, June 28th, 1892. 



No. IV.— A BEAR WITH THREE CUBS, 



Bears usually bring forth two cubs at a birth, and I was not aware of any 

 instance of their having more, until last month, when shooting in the Central 

 Provinces, I shot an old she bear with three cubs. The cubs were about half- 

 grown or more, and in gender were two males and one female. 



One of the male cubs was slightly smaller than the other two, but I have no 

 doubt they all belonged to the same litter (if that is a proper word to use in 

 reference to bears). It is not usual in other animals, e.g., the dog and pig, for 

 one or more of the young ones to be smaller than their brothers and sisters. The 

 old one was closely accompanied by all three cubs during the whole beat. 



J. D. INVERARITY. 



Byculla Club, June 28th, 1892. 



No. v.— A RARE SNAKE. 



{Psammophis longifrons.) 



At the end of last month I received a specimen of Psammophis longifrons, 

 (Blgr.), Q , from Kalyan. According to the Fauna of British India {Reptilia 

 and Batrachia, page 367) " on]y the head and neck of a specimen, which must 

 have been about four feet long, have been preserved by Col. Beddome, who 

 obtained this snake in the Cuddapah hills." From this it appears that the 

 present specimen is the first which has been preserved entire. It was shot in 

 Kalyan from the top of a big Babool tree by Mr. D'Aguiar. As Mr. Boulenger 

 could only give a description of the anterior half of the snake, I may add a few 

 notes on the other half. The total length is 123 ctm. (nearly exactly four feet, 

 the estimated length of Col. Beddome's specimen), tail 37'5 ctm., circumference 

 round the middle of the body 75 ctra., ventrals 173, anal and sub-caudals bifid, 

 sub-caudals 93. The coloration slightly differs from that of the type. The head 



