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Show 94 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. [Feb. 6, animal-life which may happen to come in his way. In the forest he meets with an abundance of food-ripe fruit fallen from the trees, yam-like bulbs and tubers, the babu, vala, suza, and many others in plenty, just under the surface of the ground. In turning these out he may frequently come across the nests of mice, rats, or one of the many species of Tandrec. All these he is able to dispose of, and even snakes, it is said, do not come amiss to him. " The wild boar does not leave his lair during the day unless he is disturbed by hunters or their dogs, and even then he is not in a hurry to move until he is close pressed. W h e n undisturbed, he passes the day in sleep and in the evening resumes his search for food again. " In almost every village of importance one or more of the natives know something of forestry. They keep a number of dogs, and with them spend a great part of their time in the bush. Here the dogs are trained in running down birds, especially the Crested Ibis (Lophotibis cristata) and the Striped Partridge (Margaroperdix striata,), in treeing the Guinea-fowl (Nurnida tiarata), in searching the ground to find some of the various species of Tandrec, or, most important work of all, in hunting the wild boar. "I do not think the natives are in the habit of hunting the wild boar simply from love of sport, they are generally too lazy to go hunting for the pleasure it should give ; rather, when they do hunt, it is either for the sake of getting some animal food or else to rid themselves of a night visitor, which has been making a too-free use of the garden-produce. " In speaking of the range of the wild boar in Madagascar, I think I a m correct in saying that there is no part of the island where it is not to be met with in numbers more or less. What I have already said shows that it is to be found on the elevated inland country as well as on the low-lying plains ; that it makes its home in forest, bush, or holes, wherever it is convenient. " These few remarks which I have been able to give concerning the wild boar are, I believe, applicable to that animal in all parts of Madagascar; but I must state that m y own personal observations were confined to the west side and to the south central parts of the island." Mr. Sclater exhibited a stuffed specimen of the White-billed Great Northern Diver (Colymhus aclamsi) from Norway, fully adult, which had been forwarded to him by Prof. E . Collett, of Christiania, P.M.Z.S., in order to be figured in the ' Ibis,' and made remarks on the distribution of the species and on its interest as occasionally occurring on the British coast, as first recorded by him in 1859 (P.Z.S. 1859, p. 206) \ The following papers were read :- 1 See also Seebohm, 'Zoologist,'1885, p. 144; and Saunders, 'Manual of British Birds,' p. 695. |
