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Show 1870.] MR. SWINHOE ON THE SKIN OF A MANTCHURIAN TIGER. 3 dozen of specimens were captured in a small grotto. Most of them were young animals; there was only one full-grown male amongst them. All the specimens were thickly covered by a species of Nyc-teribia • but I was unable to classify it for want of literary apparatus. M y identification of the Vespertilio mentioned rests on the memoir on American Bats published by Allen in vol. vii. of the Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 55. " The last steamer from Ciudad Bolivar brought, amongst other things, a few specimens of the Fulgora laternaria, L. My correspondent repeats in his letter the fables the Indians relate with respect to this innocent insect; but though he mentions the most marvellous things, he does not speak of any emanations of light. I think such negative evidence is worthy to be taken notice of. "And last, but not least, I have to add a few lines with respect to a species of Squilla which was captured by a fisherman at La Guayra, the sea-port of this town. It is certainly a species closely allied to Sq. mantis; but I think it different. There are no traces of the six dorsal lines ; the segments are perfectly smooth, whitish, with the exception of the anterior margin, which is of a greyish-blue colour. The posterior margin of the fifth gill-bearing articulation is minutely toothed; the following shows teeth on both edges ; and this last segment has in the middle an oval protuberance of a bluish-grey colour, li inch long, and nearly \ inch broad. The posterior edge of the same segment has on each side three strong inwardly bent teeth, and, between these, two groups of united small teeth. The claws are armed with eight large teeth, excepting the large curved point of the claw. The carapace of the thorax has a deep and broad notch on the posterior edge, and four rather faintly impressed longitudinal lines. The underside of the animal is white; there are distinct bluish markings at the root of the spines in the claws. Length 22 centim. from the point of insertion of the eyes to the posterior edge of the last segment " I hope these indications will be sufficient for an identification of the animal with some described species. In case it should not be so, I will try to send you our specimen over to have it duly examined and described." Mr. Swinhoe exhibited the skin of a Mantchurian Tiger (Felis tigris 1), measuring 7 feet 8 inches from the nose to the root of the tail, and placed alongside of it the skin of a specimen from India. He pointed out that, with the exception of the face, which had as short hair as that of the Bengal Tiger, the whole of the body of the Mantchurian beast was covered with long softish hairs, and that there was a shaggy ruff about its neck. The specimen exhibited was of a pale colour, with the stripes narrow and indistinct, especially about the shoulders and the hips. Its tail had four narrow longitudinal streaks on the upper surface for the first foot of its length, the next foot was banded irregularly, and the terminal foot regularly, with black and flavescent, ending with a broad black tip. This was the northern race of Tiger, which was tracked by the hunters amone |
