10G JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HJSTOUY SOCIETY, 1891. 



within four inches of the exterior surface; at 11 o'clock the thermometer gave 98° 

 as its temperature-. I have often observed in the river terns [Seem aurantia, Rhyn- 

 chops albicollis, Sterna lavanica) and pratincoles ( Glareo lactea) who lay their eggs in 

 bare white glittering river sands that so long as the sun is high and the sand hot 

 they rarely sit upon their eggs, though one or other of the parents constantly 

 remain beside or hovering near and over them ; but in the early morning, in 

 somewhat cold and cloudy days, and as the night draws on, they are all close 

 sitters. I suspect that instinct teaches birds that, when the natural temperature 

 of the nest reaches a certain point, any addition of their body heat as unnecessary 

 and this may explain why, daring the hot days (when we alone noticed them\ in 

 this very hot hole, the parent mynas spent so little of their time in the nest whilst 

 the process of hatching was going on. " 



That the scientific pursuit of ornithology is most interesting and engrossing all 

 those who ever attempted to follow it are fully aware, and we can imagine no 

 better relief to the tedium of a quite location in India than the possession and 

 utilization of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," and Oates's " Birds of 

 British India." 



It may interest our readers to know that four admirable autotypes are inserted 

 in the text, being those of the well known ornithologists, Allan Hume, Brian 

 Hodgson, the late Dr. Jerdon, and Colonel Tickell, whose writings were so familiar 

 to the older readers of The Field over the nom de plume of M Ornithognomon." 



(The above appeared in The Field.) 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



L— CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF THE TARAXACUM 

 OFFICINALE IN THE NILG BERRIES. 



In his " Flora of British India," Hooker s:»ys expressly about the Taraxacum 

 officinale, Wigg. " It is remarkable that this common Himalayan plant should not 

 be found in the Khasia or Nilgherry mountains, even as a garden escape*' * 



Perhaps when the renowned botanist vv rote those words, this plant did not 

 grow in the Nilgherries. Be that as it may, I met it several times, both at 

 Wellington and at Ootacamund, and a year and a half ago it coold be found 

 plentifully in the latter place. Its height is generally small. As this species 

 is extremely variable, 1 do not see anything that could induce one to look rtpon 

 the specimens of the NUgherries as a new variety of the Taraxacum, officinale. 



F. II. LEVEII.LE. 



Pondicherry, Feb., 1891. 



