782 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIIl. 



to be absolutely harmless and are not known to attack or bite people when 

 captured. They live entirely on vegetable matter, and are supposed not 

 to drink water. During the spring and monsoon seasons, at the time when 

 they are most active, they live on grass, and feast on the flowers and fruits 

 of the Karir tree {Capparis aphylla), on the bean of the Jand tree 

 (Prosopis spiciyera) and the pelu or fruit of the Wan tree {Salvadora persica) 

 all indigenous trees of the Punjab. 



Just before the winter season sets in, and generally by the end of the 

 monsoon season, they have grown very fat, and acquire two long strips of 

 fat, which are to be found inside, along the whole length of the body 

 on both sides along the back bone. This fat apparently supports 

 them during about four months of extreme winter weather when they 

 hibernate. On their reappearance in the early spring they are very lean, 

 there is little or no fat left, and they are not hunted much till after 

 the laying of eggs they have fattened somewhat. They live in holes 

 singly, which they excavate for themselves. They appear in spring to 

 meet, pair and separate. The females are said to lay white eggs in their 

 burrows, about the size of that of a dove, but jperfectly round. Several holes 

 examined had their orifices almost parabolic in shape. The major dia- 

 meter being about 2^ inches and the minor IJ inches. One or two of their 

 tunnels when excavated showed that they go down 4f to 6 feet below the 

 surface and zig zag at right angles and backwards making it difficult for an 

 enemy to attack them. One hole from which a lizard was extracted was as 

 shown below in plan. 







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