Remarks on the Habits and Haunts of Some of the Mammalia Found in Various Parts of India and the Western Himalayan Mountains

Chinese Tartars strongly object to our entering their country ; so that our researches on this subject are somewhat narrowly defined.Unfortunately, the Afghans have had little confidence in the British since 18-42, so that their mountains and even the Peshawur Ranges remain yet unexplored ; but when every facility can be obtained on the Western Himalayas, I am confident there is much yet to be done.There is much interest connected with the natural history of the two vast regions, Punjab and Himalayas, so intimately adjoining each other, yet so very different in climate and appearance ; and sure am I that well will he be repaid for his trouble who zealously investigates their hidden treasures.During nearly seven years I resided in various parts of India, commencing at Poonah in the Deccan; afterwards I journeyed through Scinde, and passed across the upper provinces, and was some time stationed on the lower Himalayan Ranges near Simla ; I then traversed the Punjab northwards to Peshawur, and twice visited Cashmere and Ladakh.In my excursions I made it a rule to commit to paper minute descriptions of every animal I killed; and, although by means of comparison and the assistance of friends I have been enabled to identify more than half my collection, I find a large number of species remain yet unnamed, many of which are doubtless rare and interesting.I am sensible, however, of the amount of gratitude I owe to many friends for their counsel and assistance, among others, to Mr. Moore, Curator of the Derby Museum, Liverpool, who not only afforded me every facility for examining specimens in that rare collection, but also rendered me valuable assistance by placing the excellent library of reference of that institution at my disposal.Since these notes were begun, I have been informed by my very kind friend, J. Gould, Esq., that the rare Pyrrhula described in this paper, is a new species, and has been described and figured in the last number of his ' Birds of Asia.' 7.