318 ox SAXSKRIT REFERENCES TO THE TIGER. [Nov. 17, 



by the Officers of H.M.S. ' Cossack,' which showed a complete and 

 perfect whorl of the hair on the withers (text-fig. 35, p. 317). A 

 male of the same species obtained at the same time exhibited no 

 sign of this whorl, but the hair lay in the direction of the tail from 

 the base of the neck. 



Mr. C. Tate Eegan read a paper entitled " A Revision of the 

 Fishes of the Family Loricariidm" in w^hich nearly 200 species 

 wei-e recognised as valid, 35 being described as new to science. 

 The types of the species described by Cuvier and Valenciennes 

 and by Oastlenau, in the Museum at Paris, had been examined. 

 The genera were grouped into five subfamilies — Flecostomince, 

 Hy2)optopomince, Loricarmice, NeoplecostomincB, and Argimce, the 

 last two being regarded as closely related on anatomical grounds, 

 although differing in external characters. 



This paper will be published entire in the Society's 'Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On Eai'ly Sanskrit References to the Tiger. 

 By V. V. Ramanan, M.A., F.Z.S. 



[Received September 14, 1903.] 



In his paper "On the Original Home of the Tiger" (P. Z. S. 

 1903, vol. i. p. 109), Col. C. E. Stewart made some statements 

 that I am able to correct. He said that, after enquiry, he could 

 find no Sanskrit word for the Tiger. The word Vydghra is the 

 Sanskrit term for the tiger, and is common in juvenile books. 

 The modern Hindustani word to which Col. Stewart referred is a 

 corrupt derivative of the Sanskrit original. 



I have also to note that references to the tiger are frequent in 

 Sanskrit literature. Col. Stewart stated that he could find no 

 mention of the tiger in Sanskrit works treating of the fighting 

 between R4ma and E,4vana. The Ramdyan of Valmiki is the 

 most ancient of the many Sanskrit works that deal with the 

 famous "Lanka" war. In Ilamaya.na there are numerous allu- 

 sions to tigei'S, especially in the chapter where the primeval 

 forest, Dandaha, is described. I pass over many similar refei-ences 

 in other works dealing with the same war, as these ai'e of later 

 date. 



In the Mahabhdrata, a poem which is of the same age as, if 

 not more ancient than, the Ramdyan, there are numerous refer- 

 ences to the tiger. The legend of the Vydghra-pdda, the " tiger- 

 footed " Rishi, is familiar. 



In the ' Yedas,' the most archaic documents in Hindu literature, 

 there are references to the tiger. One quotation, from the 

 2Vdttiriya Brahmatia section, is enough for my purpose :— 

 " Vyaghroyam Agnau charati pravrshthah." 



