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88 ANNUAL REGISTER

tion almost every known quadruped, that the Nyl-ghau is a new species* 
History, Of late years several of this species, both male and female, have been brought to England. The first were sent from Bombay, by Governor Cromelen, as a present to Lord Clive: they arrived in August 1767: They were male and female, and continues to breed every year. Afterwards two were brought over, and presented to the Qyeen by Mr. Sullivan. From her majesty's desire to encourage every useful or curious inquiry in natural knowledge, I was permitted to keep these two for some time; which enabled me to describe them, and to get a correct picture made; and, with my brother's assistance, to dissect the dead animal ,and preserve the skin and skeleton. Lord Clive has been so kind to give me every help that he could furnish me with, in making out history; so has General Carnac, and some other gentl-men. 

At all the places in India, where we have settlements, they are varieties, brought from the distance interior parts of the country, as presenters to nanons and great men. Lord Clive, General Carnac, Mr. Walth, Mr. Watts, and many others gentlemen, who have been much od India,, tell me they never saw them wild. So far as I have yet found, Nernier is the only author who has even mentioned them. In the 4th vol. of this Meroire, he gives and account of the journey which he undertook, ann. 1664, from Delhi, to the province of Cachemire, with the Mogul Aurangzeb, who went to the terrestrial paradise, as it is  esteemed by the Indians, to avoid the heat of the summer. In giving an account of the hunting, which was the Emperor's amusement in this journey, he describes, among others, that of le Nyl-ghau; but without saying more of the animal, than that the emperor sometimes kills them in such numbers, as to distribute quarters of them to all his Omrachs; which shew that they were there wild, and in plenty, and esteemed good or delgiious food.

This agrees without the rarity of these animals at Bengal, Madrass, and Bombay: for Cachemire is the most northern province of the empire; and  it was on the march from Delhi to that place, that Bernier saaw the emperor hunt them.

NAME. The word Nyl-ghau, for these, are the component letters corresponding to the Persian, though pronounced as if it were written Neel-gaw, signifies as blue cow, or rather a bull, Gaw being masculine; and the male animal of that name has a good title to the appellation, as well from the likeness he bears in some parts to that species of cattle, as from the bluish tint which is very discernible in that colour of his body; but this is by no means the cafe with the female, which has a near resemblance, as well in colour as in form, to our red deer. The Nyl-ghaus which have been brought to England, have been brought to England, have been mast, if not all, of them received from Surat or Bombay; and they seem to be less uncommon in that part of India, than in Bengal; which gives room for a conjecture that they many be indigneus perhaps in that province of Guzarat, one of the most western and most considerable of the HIndustan empire, lying to the NOrhtward of Surat, and stretching away to the Indian ocean. 

A gentle man * who has been long in India, and has an extensive acquaintance there, has written to his friends, to collect all the intelligence they can possibly procure concerning this animal; and in the course of the next year, some satisfactory information may perhaps be received from thence, through the natives of that country,he says, have no turn whatever after natural history; and indeed are very little inquisitive after any kind of knowledge. 

Experiments on Snails, contradiction to Abbe Spalanzani's account of the reproduction of New Heads,after the old cones have been cut off. By M. Cotte, of the Academy of Science. 

THE extraordinary observations which the Abbe Spalizati lately published, concerning the reproduction of the heads of snails, has excited the attention of the curious through Europe, they have not been wanting to repeat these experiment; but what adds to their astonishment is the opposition which is found to sublift between the result of them. Some have affirmed, that the account of M. Spalazani is although just; and Mr. Roos in particular has shewn to the Academy of Sciences several snails whose heads has been reproduced. On the contrary, others have denied that they could ever find a single head to be reproduced: M. Valmont de Bomare, author of the dictionary of natural history, is among this number; his observations were made at Chantilly, in the present of the Prince of Conde; but all the snails died either sooner or later, without the least appearance of any hew heads' this only he found to be true, that they are able to live a long time after their heads has been thus fevered from the body he made also an observation which seems to point out the cause of M. Spalanzani's mistakes on this subjects; for those sanils whose heads were fevered by a very sharp knife, died much sooner that such as suffered the option from one more blue, and which was drawn along more flowly; for hereby they had time in contraction themselves withdraw

*Mr. Pennant, whose love for natural history heightens the enjoyment of an independent torture, in this synopsis published since this paper was written, claffes this animal (White-footed, p.29) as a species of the Antelope; but he now thinks it belongs to another Genus, and will clss it accordingly in his next edition.

Since the reading of this paper, I have received the following information from Dr. Maty. I the fourth Volume of Valentyn's Description of the East-Indies, published in Low Dutch, 1727, under the article of Batavia, p. 231, I find amongst the uncommon animals kept at the castle, this short indication, 
"These was a beast, of the size and colour of a Danish ox, but less heavy, "Poined towards the mouth, ash-grey, and not less that an Elk, whose name"he bore," It was a present from the mogul. 

*General Carnac, who likewise favoured me with the preceding article upon the name of the animal.