332 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891. 



April 5th, 1890, one of my servants found a single Night- Jar's egg laid 

 on the bare ground under a bamboo clump, in thin jungle, within a 

 hundred yards of a travellers' bungalow above the ghats. As the 

 mai'kings on the egg almost certainly showed it belonged to this 

 species, I was anxious to obtain the bird, and gave the strictest 

 orders that no one was to go near the nest till the middle of next 

 day. On my returning from a morning's ride, my feelings were 

 perturbed by my dog boy smilingly informing me that there were 

 now two eggs, and while I was preparing for my ablutions, they 

 were further ruffled by a villager bringing in two eggs of the same 

 type. I asked where he got them. His answer was, " quite close." 

 He was ordered to show the place, and I followed after a very 

 hurried toilet. To my dismay he pointed out the identical spot 

 I had so carefully marked down. I rushed back to the bungalow 

 for the eggs, only to find my skinner had already drilled a hole in 

 each, and had almost finished blowing one. Having snatched them 

 away, I replaced them, and they were soon glued to the ground. 

 In an hour the bird was again announced as sitting. She, however, 

 sat till I was quite close, and then dodged through trees, and after 

 half an hour's pursuit I returned without a shot, In a couple of 

 hours she was again on the nest, and I tried to drive her, but she 

 broke back. I waited till 4, and, as she did not return, I nearly gave 

 up all hope, and took away one of the eggs, leaving the other as a 

 last chance. Just as it got dark she again returned. I fired at her 

 with a small specimen gun as she sat on the nest, and fortunately 

 secured her without injuring the other egg. I obtained another nest 

 the following day, also with two fresh eggs. The eggs differ a good 

 deal from any other Night-Jars' eggs I know. They are a rich cream- 

 colour with a few small black or dark-purple spots on them. 



120.— THE EGYPTIAN BEE-EATER. 



Merops quinticolor, VicUL 

 This Bee-Eater I did not notice in Kanara in the summer of 1889, 

 but from December, 1889 to April, 1890, I noticed it in most places 

 where there was heavy jungle and water. I took many nests between 

 the 21st March and the 7th of April ; the nest-holes were generally 

 from 3 to 5 feet deep, and were placed on river banks, and in all 



