394 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES 



Death of the Rev. Leonard Blomefield, M.A.. F.L.S. — A venerable 

 link with the past generation of naturalists has been severed by the death 

 of the Rev. Leonard Blomefield (formerly Jenyns), which took place at 

 Belmont, Bath, on Sept. 1st, in the ninety-third year of his age. Having 

 led a life of retirement for many years past, it will probably surprise most 

 of our readers to learn that the author of the ( Manual of British Vertebrate 

 Animals,' published so long ago as 1835 (before many of us were born), has 

 only just passed away. In our next number we hope to give some account 

 of his life and labours in the cause of Zoology. 



MAMMALIA. 



Destruction of Wild Beasts in India. — A resolution by the Chief 

 Commissioner of the Central Provinces in India on various reports relating 

 to the damage caused by wild animals and the extermination of the latter, 

 contains some observations of more than usual interest. Amongst the animals 

 killed in 1892 for which rewards were paid were 274 Tigers, 442 Panthers, 

 131 Bears, and 85 Wolves. In the past four years over 1000 Tigers, 2000 

 Panthers, 500 Bears, and 300 Wolves have been destroyed. Last year 317 

 persons were killed by wild beasts in the provinces, while the number of 

 deaths from snake-bite was 999. The destruction of cattle is astounding, 

 showing an increase of about 1200 over the previous year. Sir Anthony 

 Macdonnell accounts for this by saying that during his recent tour he 

 noticed a great scarcity of deer in the jungle tracts. They are being cleared 

 out by the native huntsman, and the decrease in the natural prey of the 

 Tigers and Panthers is marked by an increased loss of cattle. On the 

 subject of rewards for the destruction of wild animals, the experience of the 

 Central Provinces seems to show that the system of offering special rewards 

 for the destruction of particular animals or classes of animals is a sound and 

 effective one. The resolution mentions instances of this. In July last it 

 was decided to increase the reward from 10 rupees to 50 when it was 

 proved the animal was a man-eater; again, a special reward of 50 rupees 

 was offered for the destruction of a Bear which had been doing much 

 damage in the Balaghat jungles, while 300 rupees was offered for a man- 

 eating Tiger in the Chanda forests. It is said that special rewards offered 

 in March last year for the destruction of Wolves in the Saugor district had 

 the result of reducing the number of deaths attributed to Wolves in that 

 district from eleven to one. The Chief Commissioner also notices the 

 localisation in a few districts of most of the deaths caused by Tigers and 

 Wolves. For instance, out of 98 deaths caused by Tigers in the Central 

 Provinces in 1892, 68 occurred in the adjacent districts of Chanda, 

 Hoshangabad, and Raipur. 



