76 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [May, 



shells before we entered the place. The monks of Dumsong have 

 theirs." 



8. From Lieut. -Col. R. C. Tytlcr. two skins of a supposed new 

 species of rat, killed at Umballa. 



The following is an extract from the letter which accompanied the 

 presentation. 



" I shewed them to Jerdon, and he agrees with me that they are quite 

 distinct from Mus Indicus, but Jerdon thinks that it may be a rat that 

 has been described by Hodgson. I gave him a specimen and asked 

 him to describe it for me, but I have named it Mus Frankii after my 

 son Frank who was the first to get specimens for me. This rat is very 

 abundant at Umballa, in fact the whole country is destroyed by their 

 numerous holes and excavations. It is purely a field animal, and I have 

 seen none in houses. Pray present the skins to the Society for me, 

 and give them this brief description or rather notes about them. 

 Several of that rare and interesting pigeon the Palumboena Eversmanni 

 the Kummer Koola of natives, No. 787 of Jerdon's book, have been 

 shot here lately. I have a fine specimen, and Jerdon carried away some 

 that were shot for him." 



9. From Lieut. W. Gl. Murray of the Rewah Survey, a tracing, by Mr. 

 J. Lewis, assistant Engineer, Jubbulpore Line, E. I. R., of a large mass 

 of iron found under the ruins of a temple near Jubbulpore. (Vide plate I.) 



In forwarding the tracing, Lieut. Murray observes : — 



" I have seen the piece of iron therein described, which is now at 

 Kootabra, (about a mile north of Bumhowry,) in Mr. Lovell's com- 

 pound, and am satisfied that it never had any characters or figures 

 inscribed on it. The bottom of the mass has a slight concavity, and 

 from this and from the coins being found near it, my impression was 

 that it was a hammer for punching out the coins, but the weight is too 

 great to allow of this theory to stand. Another theory was that it 

 was a counterpoise for lifting those large blocks of stone, which make 

 us wonder how the men of that date used to build, without machinery 

 and without scientific knowledge. 



11 Another that it is the corner or foundation of some large temple, 

 but I cannot exactly see why it should be iron if that was the object. 



" It does not look like an idol nor even a Mahadeo ! and it has fairly 

 puzzled us all as to what its use can have been. 



