MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 645 



America, Madagascar, and in the Moluccas and Sandwich Islands. A short note 

 on this plant, as I have found it growing in the Savantvadi State, may not be 

 uninteresting to some of the members of this Society. I forward herewith a 

 specimen of the plant for the Society's Herbarium. 



Habitat. — As yet I have met it growing only in one locality, that is on the roots 

 of acocoanut palm. I have looked for it ou the roots of other cocoanut palms 

 in other likely localities, but without success. Possibly it may be found growing 

 in other parts of the Konkan. There is no doubt however that it is indigenous. 



Description. — The plant is parasitic ; when fully developed it is 7 to 8 inches in 

 height. The root, or properly speaking the underground stem, was deeply 

 embedded in the roots of the palm. The stem is erect, herbaceous, triquetrous, 

 and divided dichotomously. The leaves are very small, sessile and bristle- 

 pointed. Fructification in the axils of leaves, consisting of three-celled capsules 

 or sporangia- The capsules burst when placed in water, and present, under the 

 microscope, numerous small spores. 



Uses. — The plane is cultivated in hot-houses in Europe. Its economic uses, 

 if any, are unknown. 



My identification of this plant has been kindly verified for me by Professor 

 Woodrow, of the College of Science, Poona. 



The specimen which accompanies this note is not fully developed. 



D. G. DALGADO, M.D. 

 Savantvadi, 26th September, 1892. 



No. IV.— NOTE ON INDIAN BREEDS OF DOGS. 



The November numbers of The Field have contained a somewhat desultory 

 correspondence about Indian breeds of dogs, which suggests the following notes 

 on some formerly known to me as kept pretty pure by natives in this Presidency. 

 The most famous strain is the Wanjari dog (in Chee-Chee Brinjary), but many 

 and discrepant are the descriptions of him. The Wanjaris or Lambanis, nomad- 

 carriers and cattle-breeders, are .being driven off the roads by the improvement 

 thereof, which enables the bullock cart to supplant their pack-bullocks even on 

 short routes. For long distances, of course, they cannot compete with the 

 Railways. They are consequently settlii; 4 down to agriculture and trade; losing 

 their sporting tastes and less in need of watch-dogs than when their " tandas " 

 were the main transport agency for grain and salt. The natural result will be 

 the degeneracy and ultimate extinction of their special breeds of hound. But 

 in the sixties and seventies they were still great carriers to Pan well and 

 Kalyan, where their freights were shipped for Bombay. The crowded island 

 itself afforded even then no space for pasture for their numerous cattle. 



In those years I knew them to breed several strains of hounds. The first, 

 which I think is the true Wanjari hound, was more like the Danish boar-hound 

 than anything else, though somewhat inferior in size and beauty to that fine 



