144 



Mum'inalogij of the llimalaijus. 



[July 



their observations on various branches of Natural History, may, indeed, 

 have arisen from the want of some common central institution, where 

 they could be properly arranged and published ; but the establishment 

 of the Zoological Society of London, and the unrivalled resources 

 which it possesses, offer facilities for this purpose, which it is hoped 

 will hereafter be made extensively available by Englishmen in all 

 parts of the world. It is scarcely neccs-ary to add, that any interesting 

 details relative to the habits and manners of foreign animals, observed in 

 their native climates, will be gladly received from any quarter, and 

 published in the Proceedings of the Society ; especially if accompanied 

 by the skins of the animals (the skulls, legs, and tail, being carefully 

 preserved), for the purpose of identification. The Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society contains numerous articles on Natural History, but its contributi- 

 ons in this department are fewer than could be wished : whilst the 

 Bengal Sporting Magazine, hitherto in a great measure confined to mere 

 journals of shooting excursions, might likewise be made a ready and 

 appropriate medium for the publication of such observations ; and the 

 contributions of its various correspondents prove them abundantly quali- 

 fied for this higher and more important object. 



These introductory observations being premised, I shall now proceed 

 to enumerate such Mammals as I know to inhabit the great Himalayan 

 Chain ; and without following anv formal arrangement, shall throw them 

 into such natural groups or families, as appear best suited to illustrate 

 their geographical distribution with respect to climate and temperature^ 

 the principal object of the present Memoir. 



QUADRUMANA. 



Throughout Bengal and the nothcrn provinces of British India, there 

 appear to be only two species of Simice, the Hoonuman (Se?nnopithccus 

 Entellus)^ and the Bhunder {Paplo- Rhesus) ; both of which ascend the 

 hills to a very considerable elevation during the summer heats, and return 

 again to the plains at the commencement of the cold season. This 

 migration is a very interesting fact in the history of these Simice ; it is the 

 only instance of a similar phenomenon, which has been recorded of this 

 family of Mammals, and may become of great value in its application to 

 geological reasoning on the climate and temperature of Europe during 

 the tertiary epochs, in the deposits of which periods the bones of Apes 

 and Monkeys have lately been found, associated with the remains of 

 Pachydermata, and other inhabitants of more tropical latitudes. The 

 Hoonuman, called Lungoor by the Hill tribes, is not unfrequently found at 



