374 
Miscellaneous Notices . 
[Dec. 
which havebeen formed from the genus Carnbus of Linn6 ; or to mention the number 
of joints in the tarsi, the knowledge of which is necessary to discorer the place of 
an insect in the latest continental systems. The arrangement founded on the latter 
character is artificial, and has been proved to be founded in error by Mr. MacLeay : 
yet until a complete system on the new method appears, recourse must he had to it. 
2. il fanner of Hunting in District Datnojpur. 
3. The following very singular method of killing wild animals, described by Dr. 
Buchanan, as practised by the people in the Didnajpfir district, may he interesting 
to some of our readers. It is quite new to us, and may he so toothers. 
“ There are many deer in the vicinity of the Mohan unda, and of the lower parts 
of the Punabhobka and Tanggon; but scarcely any where else. They are so nume- 
rous among the long reeds and woods of these parts, that they are a nuisance, by 
destroying the crops. I saiv none but the C. asis and C. pnreinus ; and in this class 
of animals the natives apply specific names so indefinitely that I caunot follow 
them as guides. There arc no hunters who make a profession of killing these deer, 
and nf carrying the venison to market, although no one would hinder them. The 
neighbouring fanners keep nets, and occasionally hunt, partly to save their crops, 
and partly to procure animal food. I went twice with them, and on one occasion 
took two deer, and on the other had no sport. I was a good deal surprised at the 
method. The net is made of whip-cord and may be about six feet wide, and each 
farmer brings a piece with him of 30 or 40 feet in length* All the pieces having 
been joined, they arc set in a straight line, and are supported on one edge by poles 
which incline towards the direction from whence the game is expected to come, and 
lean on forked sticks ; some persons then remain behind the poles with lances to kill 
or seize the game which conies into the net, before it can disentangle itself. The 
others advance from the net in aline parallel to it, and beat the grass and bushes and 
make a great noise. I expected, when they had set the net, that they would have 
gone in silence to a distance, and have roused the game as they advanced towards 
the net; but this they assured me would not answer; for the game always runs 
backwards in the direction whence the noise advances upon it. The game taken 
in these nets consists of wild hogs, deer, and tigers.” 
3. Diminution of Intensity of Sound . 
To the Editor of the Gleanings. 
Sir, 
The insertion of the following extract from an article on Sound in the Encyclope- 
dia Metropolitana, in your useful publication, may procure for the author of that ar- 
ticle the observations he wishes for, from some of our scientific travellers in the hills. 
I am. 
Yours faithfully, I. S. 
c< The diminution of the intensity of sound in a rarefied atmosphere is a familiar 
phenomenon to those who are accustomed to ascend very high mountains. The 
deep silence of those elevated regions has a physical cause, independent of their 
habitual solitude. S a us sure relates, that a pistol fired on the summit of Mont 
Blanc, produced no greater report than a little Indian cracker, (petit petard de Chine) 
would have done in a room. We have ourselves had occasion to notice the compa- 
ratively small extent to which the voice can be heard, at an altitude of upwards of 
13,000 ft. on Monte Rosa. Observations on this point, in the elevated passes of the 
Himmalaya mountains, would be very interesting. They should be made by the explo- 
sions of a small detonating pistol, loaded with a constant charge, and the distances 
should be measured ; for the voice loses much of its force from the diminution of 
muscular energy in rarefied air, and distances arc extravagantly underrated by 
estimation in such situations.” Eucy. Metr . 
4. Jasper from the Casia Hills, 
A very beautiful specimen of jasper, with colour delineations, equal, if not superior 
to those of the most admired marbles, has been shown us as a production of the C&sia 
bills. The substance, there is no question, would he considered in Europe, valuable 
as a material for small fancy articles. The piece we saw had been polished by one 
ot our stone masons, but a substance like jasper requires more powerful means of 
grinding and polishing than are applied to marble. The effect, however, was quite 
sufficient to show the beauty of the stoue. The gentleman who forwarded it, men- 
turns that it is found “ projecting from the ordinary sandstone, about 1500 feet 
