200 Proceedings of the Astatic Society. [Aug. 



season. In the hot weather, lions frequent the banks of dry streams 

 where the jungle is thick and scrubby, and during the day a very 

 favourite cover near Aboo is in the dry sanely beds of streams where 

 jaw jungle abounds. " Jaw 1 ' is the native name given indiscrimi- 

 nately to a species of Tarnarixj and to Trichaurus ericoides, both of 

 which grow freely, and form a dense cover from 4 to 6 feet high. If 

 not disturbed, they often lie very near villages. They have been 

 known to haunt, for months at a time, high retired bare open spots 

 on the plains near Aboo where there are only a few patches of jungle 

 sufficient to afford them cover from the sun. In the hot weather 

 of 1867, four were shot near the village of Gole. They had lived 

 there for three years, and during that time had done great havoc 

 among the villagers' cattle. On the night of the arrival of the party 

 that shot them, they killed four cows. 



Lions are easier to beat out of their cover than tigers. In the 

 matter of courage the two species are very much alike. They feed 

 principally on wild pig, deer, and cattle, but are very fond of camels. 



The lioness has never more than three, and usually only two cubs. 

 At parturition she lies up separately like the tigress. The young 

 remain with their mother for four or five years. They are said not to 

 attain their full size until their sixth or seventh year. 



Aboo, SOth May, 1868. 



IV. Notes on a supposed new species of Drymoipus Verreauxi, by 

 Lieut. -Col. R. C. Tytler. 



Col. Tytler in a letter to Mr. A. Grote (dated Umballah, 2nd March, 

 1866,) forwards the description of a supposed new species of Drymoiiras. 

 He writes as follows : — 



' In my fauna of Dacca which was published several years ago, I 

 mentioned a new species of bird (Megalurus), I had found at that 

 station, but no description of this bird as yet appeared. I am inclined 

 to believe, it is more a Drymoipus than a member of that genus. The 

 following is a short description of the species. 



Length 6 J inches, wing 2£ inches, tail 3 inches, bill at top nearly i an 

 inch, tarsus 1 inch. Head, neck and back black with light brown streaks 

 lower portion of back light chestnut brown, upper tail coverts black, each 

 feather edged with chestnut brown, tail dark slate brown, each feather 



