102 Indian Natural History. [Fes. 
The only specimen of this species which Mr. Hopeson has been able to procure 
was a fine mature male, sent to him alive, about two years back, by the Prime 
Minister of Nepal ; it was accompanied by an intimation that the animal presented 
to him was the first of the kind ever taken, the people of the country having been 
by its capture first apprized of its existence in Nepal. It was caught in a tree by 
some hunters in the midst of an exceedingly dense forest, situated in about the lati- 
tude of the great valley : the habitat of the species may therefore be presumed to 
be the central part of these mountains, or that portion which lies equidistant from 
the snows of the Himalaya and the hot plains of Hindustan. Though only just 
taken when it was brought to Mr. Hopeson, it bore confinement very tranquilly, 
and gave evident signs of a tractable disposition and cheerful unsuspicious temper ; 
so much so as to convince that gentleman that a judicious attempt at taming it 
must succeed. None such, however, was made, and when the animal, after six 
months confinement, died of disease, it was still, of course, unreclaimed from its 
wild state of manners and temper ; in which state it manifested considerable fero- 
city and high courage, the approach to its cage of the huge Bhoteah Dog exciting 
in it symptoms of wrath only—none of fear. 
In a note appended to his description of this second new species of Felis from 
Nepal, Mr. Hopeson refers to that of the Fel. Nepalensis, published by Messrs. 
HorsFIELp and Vicors, in the ‘ Zoological Journal,’ vol. iv. p. 383. The ground- 
colour of this latter animal is there described as “ grey, with a very slight admix- 
ture of tawny ;”’ whereas in five specimens possessed by Mr. Hopeson, the tawny 
prevails over the grey to such an extent that the tawny should be regarded as the 
ground-colour in the mature animal of both sexes. One adult male is almost as 
brightly tinted as a Leopard : the females are paler than the males. He adds that 
the common species of wild Cat is frequently met with in Nepal of the fullest 
European size, and so like to the Occidental type as not even to constitute a 
variety.” 
The new species of Antelope distinguished by Mr. Hopeson as the Bubaline 
Antelope, has been already made known to our readers*. 
The skin of the wild Dog of Nepal was compared by Col. Sykes with a specimen 
of the Kolsun of the Mahrattas, recently described by him in the ‘ Proceedings,’ 
(Part 1. p. 100,) under the name of Canis Dukhunensis. He stated his impression 
to be, that the animals are identical, differing only by the denser coat and more 
woolly feet of the Nepal race, a difference readily accounted for by the greater cold 
of the elevated regions inhabited by it. He declined, however, pronouncing a 
decided opinion, which, he thought, could only be arrived at by more extensive 
comparison, and by a full acquaintance with the habits of the wild Dog of Nepal. 
Among the Birds contained in Mr. Hopgson’s collection was exhibited a speci- 
men of the Hematornis undulatus, a species described in the first part of the Pro- 
ceedings of the Committee, p. 170, and figured in Mr. Gouxp’s ‘ Century of Birds.’ 
The specimen agreed accurately with that which had been previously exhibited to 
the Committee, except in size ; the present specimen being about one-third larger. 
From this difference in size it was conjectured to be a female. Specimens were also 
in the collection of the Myophonus Temminckii, the difference between which spe- 
cies and the Myophonus flavirostris (metallicus, Temm.) had been pointed out in 
* Vide GLEANINGS, iii. 122, 
