294 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



motionless and ten minutes later I found it had disappeared, leaving 

 a large pool of blood. Two days later, I found this Marten dead more 

 than hajf a mile from where it fell to my shot, though it had received a 

 heavy charge of shot through the liver and stomach. 



A native at Takula told me that these Martens frequently killed his 

 domestic cats." — O.A.C. 



Vernacular name — (Hindi) Chitrola S , Chitroli $ . 



(39) AoNYx ciNERBA, lUiger. 

 The Clawless Otter. 

 (Synonymy in No. 11.) 

 2, Naini Tal, 7,000'. 



{See also Report No. 11.) 



The name was twice misprinted '' cinera " in the synonymy quoted 

 above. 



(40) LtJTKA lUTRA, L. 



The Common Otter. 



(Synonymy in No. 11.) 



1 and 2 skulls, Naini Tal. 



" Others are well distributed in Kumaon but much time is required to 

 obtain specimens and the few I trapped, struggled free during the night." — 

 C.A.O. 



(41) Petaxjkista albiventer. Gray. 



Hodgson's Flying Squirrel. 



1834. Pteromys albiventer, Gray, 111. Ind. Zool. II., pi. 18. 

 1836, Sciuropterus magnificus, Hodgson, J.A.S.B. V., p. 231. 

 1891. Pteromys magnificus, Blamford, Mammalia No. 229. 



6 (? d , 2 $ $ , Naini Tal, 7,000'. 



A handsome bay flying squirrel with a large number of white hairs on the 

 back which gives it a grizzled appearance. The face, coloured like the 

 back, with grey cheeks, serve to distinguish it at once from caniceps, in 

 which the whole head is drab grey, while nobilis, the third species from this 

 region, has a well defined pale line down the back, a character not present 

 in either of the others. 



Very common in the oak forests immediately surrounding the station 

 of Naini Tal. They must be exceedingly local for in other parts of Kumaon 

 and searched most carefully for flying-squirrels, but did not see any and 

 only on one occasion (at Takula) did I hear this animal. 



At this season December-January they do not emerge until just before 

 dark, but their presence may be detected by their pleasant crooning call, 

 by the quick grating noise of their teeth upon the acorns which form an 

 important part of their diet, and by the crashing of foliage as the squirrels 

 alight on trees after a flight. At the end of a long glide they appear to 

 land against the tree trunks with tremendous force and while in motion 

 it is usual for them to utter a continuous vibrating noise similar to that 

 made by a Knife-edge drawn sideways across a plate, 



A nest in a hollow tree contained a single young one which was still 

 blind. 



Vernacular name — (Hindi) Kat-Kurria, 



