186 Captain B. C. Beavan on Panoliu Eldi. [No. 3, 



About the end of January the first jungle fire sweeps over the 

 plain and destroys the dry herbage, leaving small patches here and 

 there about the edges of swamps. The second burning takes place 

 about the end of March, and leaves scarcely a blade of grass behind it ; 

 the plain is then almost entirely bare, and the deer having no cover 

 congregate in large herds. They are then to be seen on all sides, and, 

 the buffaloes having previously withdrawn to the tree jungle, are 

 left alone in their glory, and, as noticed before by Colonel Blake, 

 become at this time excessively wary. From the middle of February 

 until the first showers fall at the end of April they apparently subsist 

 without water, they lie in salt swamps during this period, and get the 

 benefit of the heavy dews at night. Their only enemy appears to be 

 man, but an epidemic occasionally breaks out amongst them and des- 

 troys large numbers. The last occurred in 1863, and some fifty or 

 sixty head fell victims. The cause of this murrain is unknown, it is 

 probably analagous to that which yearly in Burmah, during the rains, 

 creates such havoc amongst domestic cattle. The Burmese readily 

 eat the diseased flesh, and experience no bad effects from doing so. 

 The disease attacks old and young alike, apparently causing great 

 emaciation and loss of strength, and the animal at last dies of pure 

 weakness. It will probably be found to be some swelling or affection 

 of the throat and lungs, which prevents the animal from eating. 



There seems to be no doubt that, in Burmah, this species is gradual- 

 ly decreasing, and will, at no distant date, be excessively rare. This 

 can be accounted for by the gradual but steady increase of the popu- 

 lation, and the greater area of country (which must naturally increase 

 yearly) which is taken up for the cultivation of rice. Unfortunately 

 for the thamyn, the whole of their favourite locale is excessively well 

 adapted to the cultivation of rice, and there is no doubt that where 

 the indigenous wild plant is found, there also the cultivated variety 

 will flourish. The rice trade of Burmah is yearly increasing in ex- 

 tent ; and a few years bid fair to see the present haunts of the thamyn 

 not unlike the present state of the greater portion of the rice producing 

 plains of lower Bengal, An intelligent Burmese shikarree, who has 

 been a hunter from his youth upwards and is now an elderly man, tells 

 me that in former years, before Martaban was taken by the British, the 

 thamyn were much more abundant than they are now, and that 



