NOTES ON THE WATERS OF WESTERN INDIA. 105 



expected to the Latin and Greek. This animal is far more common in 

 the neighbourhood of the ghats than is supposed by most sportsmen ; 

 but being very shy, and of nocturnal habits, is rarely seen. If, 

 however, one follows up any river near Poona, for instance, in the early 

 morning, one is pretty sure to come on his unmistakeable " seal " on 

 a mud bank, and very likely on the remains of his supper. The otter 

 of the Deccan is much smaller than in Upper India and Sind, though 

 classed as the same species. 



Aquatic birds are more numerous. I have never seen any of the 

 fishing eagles in the Deccan,* but the Osprey is not very uncom- 

 mon, and the chestnut and white " Brahminy Kite " does a little 

 fishing. He cannot go under water like the Osprey, but picks up 

 small fish from the surface. The fishing owls (Ketupa) are very 

 rare here, being essentially forest birds. Specimens of two species 

 were sent from this Presidency to the Fisheries Exhibition, but it 

 is not stated whence they came. Of Kingfishers, 5 species are found, 

 as follows : — 



(1) The Large Blue Kingfisher, H. LeucocepJiahis ; 



(2) The Lesser Blue Kingfisher, H. Smyi'nensis ; 



(3) The Least Blue Kingfisher, Alcedo bengalensis ; and the 



(4) Pied Kingfisher, Ceryle rudis. 



The two last are the commonest, especially in the open 

 plains ; the others prefer wooded streams, and vary their 

 fish diet a good deal with grasshoppers and the like. 

 Halcyon smyrncnsis, indeed, seems almost independent 

 of water, wherever there is woodland. The Pied Kingfisher 

 is the most conspicuous and best known from its habit of 

 hovering over open water and dropping like a stone 

 upon its quarry. I heard on good authority of its attack- 

 ing in this manner a dog that had passed too near its nest 

 in a bank. 



(5) Colonel Sykes records the rare and beautiful Three-toed 



Purple Kingfisher (Ceysc tridactyla) from this region. The 

 whole tribe are known to Mahrattas as " Dis" and 

 " Kilkila" They generally build in holes ; but once in 

 Sind I found Alcedo uengalensis breeding in a very rude 

 pendulous nest in the grassy over-hanging bank of a canal. 

 The young were destroyed by a flood. I fancy that this 

 kingfisher was not the original architect of the nest. 



* The white-tailed sea-eagle (Poli^tus ichthycetus} is recorded from Dharwar, 



