162 NATURAL HISTORY. 



already mentioued Ceyx tridactylus as found in the Konkan-Ghat-Mata; 

 and as it is not essentially a bird of great elevations, we may be 

 pretty sure that it exists on the better wooded streams below the 

 Ghats. 



Alcedo bengalensis is very common on all fresh waters and on the 

 coast, where it fishes in the pools left by the ebbing tide, and even 

 in the surf on the reefs (not in heavy surf of course). One of these 

 " long-shore" Kingfishers got to be very domestic in my verandah, 

 which it frequently passed through on its way from the sea to 

 a neighbouring tank, and would perch in for some time, taking 

 refuge apparently from the violent rain-squalls which swept the coast. 

 This was during the rains. The Blue Kingfishers seem to like sitting 

 in the shade at midday in the hot weather ; but Halcyon smymensis 

 will also sit out on a look-out post, where he can see grasshoppers 

 and the like. The Pied Kingfisher, on the contrary, seems to sit in 

 the sun, because he likes it, and you may find him on every tank and 

 open stream, on the creeks, and sometimes on the shore, where he is 

 associated with Alcedo bengalensis. 



The next set of water-frequenting birds are the Wagtails, which the 

 natives call "Parit" (= u Washerman"). They are rather numerous, 

 and as a class well known ; and their technical distinctions of this 

 and that feather would be out of place here. They are on all fresh 

 waters, and occasionally on creeks or even on the sea-shore. 



The Weaver-birds, or "Bhayas," are water-birds in one sense, 

 namely, that they almost always build near .vater and, if possible, 

 over it. We have three species. Ploceus bhaya is common in the 

 region. P. manyar^ the Striped Weaver-bird, is more frequent at its 

 northern end, where it opens into the plains of Gujcrat, this being 

 essentially a bird of the open country and of w r aters with reedy 

 banks. P. bengalensis, the Blaok-throated Weaver-bird, is here 

 rare and local ; it has the same habits as P. manyar. Neither 

 of the two last is as lively and interesting as the intelligent 

 " Bhaya." 



Of the Plovers proper, we have none of the Coursers, essentially moor- 

 land birds; nor, I think, any Swallow Plovers. The Grey Plover (Squa- 

 tarola helvetica) is said to occur " all along the seaboard." I have 

 never got it here myself, nor have I seen here, nor do I expect to 

 see the Indian Golden Plover {Charadrius fulvus). If anywhere, 

 these birds will be found on the occasional wide stretches of grass-land 

 near the sea, suoli as the commons of the Alibag Taluka. Mr. Vidal 



