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Show 322 MR. STANLEY S. FLOWER ON THE [Apr. 3, a day or two, and on one occasion two individuals never returned to me. One kept by itself makes a nice and interesting pet, but when there were more than one I found they would resent being handled and bite; their bite may be very severe, as I know from painful experience, but the stories of its being dangerously poisonous to human beings are hard to believe. The young are carried under the mother's belly, holding on tight by all four hands, until they almost equal her in size. Popular Beliefs. Many strange powers are attributed to this animal by the natives of the countries it inhabits ; there is hardly an event in life to man, woman, or child, or even domestic animals, that may not be influenced for better or for worse by the Slow Loris, alive or dead, or by any separate part of it, and apparently one cannot usually tell at the time that one is under its supernatural power! Thus a Malay may commit a crime he did not premeditate, and then find that an enemy had buried a particular part of a Loris under his threshold, which had, unknown to him, compelled him to act to his o w n disadvantage. Its fur is used to cure wounds, and a sailing ship with a live Loris on board is said never to be becalmed. But its life is not a happy one, for it is continually seeing ghosts : that is why it hides its face in its hands ! A full account of the folk-lore connected with the Slow Loris would fill a small volume, but it would be of much interest. I am very glad to hear that Mr. H . N . Ridley is collecting stories about it from old Malay writings. Distribution. Eastern Bengal, Assam, Burma, Siam, Cochinchina, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Philippiues. Order CARNIVORA. Family FELID^E. 16. F E L I S TIGRIS L. The Tiger. Felis tigris, Blanf. Faun. Ind., M a m m . p. 58. Siamese. " Seu-a." Malay names for different varieties of tigers, Cantor, p. 35 (apucl L o w ) : - 1. " Ehnau Sipai," reddish-coated, striped. 2. " Rimau Ballu," darker coloured. 3. " Dauu Pinang," reddish-coated, without stripes. 4. "Tuppu Kasau," darkish, without stripes, but with longer hairs than the others. 5. " Puntong Prun," very dark, striped. "Rimau" is the common word for tiger; Cantor also gives '' Harimau." The tiger is numerous in suitable localities in the Malay Peninsula, and the island of Singapore, but seems to be entirely absent from Penang. In Kedah I was told no tigers inhabit the flat country around Alor Star, but are found in the hills ; writing of the tiger in Pahang, however, Ridley (J. S. B. R. A. S. 1894, |
