710 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV. 



they do not know to what it refers. As soon as the English name appears, it i» 

 full of interest. It is not, therefore, expecting too much of contributors to the 

 Miscellaneous Notes to ask them to use English names when possible and to 

 thus attract and keep members. 



The Brown Ceake (Amaurornis akool). — Barnes in his " Birds of Bombay * 

 states that the Brown Crake is not common in the Dekhan. T think he makes 

 a mistake, as I have frequently come across it at Poona and other parts of the 

 Dekhan ; in fact, should call it common. I have heard a shrill rattlelike call, 

 frequently emanating from a sugarcane field or some such similar locality, 

 which I attribute to this bird. I cannot be certain, as I have never caught the 

 bird in the act of calling ; but if my surmise is correct, I should say the bird 

 was abundant. Like all birds of this class, its habits are lurking : it haunts 

 swamps, water, thickets in the vicinity of water and such like places. It may 

 be seen on occasions walking along a path, jerking its tail or scutling across 

 a bit of open ground to cover. It is not over difficult to flush, though not a 

 strong flier. I found three nests round Poona last year — one on the 29th August, 

 with six fresh eggs, off which I shot the female for identification, and two on the 

 13th September with five and six slightly incubated eggs each. The nests, mere 

 pads of grass, well concealed, were placed on little raised tussocks of grass in 

 a swamp. The best way to discover the nest is with a line of beaters ; as the 

 line approaches the nest, the hen, a close sitter, slips off, and either runs ahead, 

 looking like a rat, or flies a short way. If search is made, a nest is usually 

 disclosed. The eggs are of whitish colour, covered with purplish or brownish 

 red spots, streaks and splashes. 



The Bald Coot {Fulica atra). — In 1902 I found no nests of this bird. 

 In 1903 I came on many. The ground searched was the same as that in 1901. 

 I merely record the fact, as I do not think the Bald Coot breeds habitually in 

 India, but only occasionally. 



The Black-winged Kite (Elanus cceruleus). — After many years of birds' 

 nesting, I have at last taken the eggs of this bird myself. It is said to have 

 been common round Poona about 1876. I have found it rare. On the 7th Sep- 

 tember 1903, I came on a couple of these birds in grass land, studded with mango 

 trees, half grown, and watched them. They are rather fascinating in their 

 movements, being very restless, flitting from perch to perch, hovering a moment, 

 dropping on some insect in the grass, uttering their whistlelike call — in fact, 

 being continuously on the move. I thought they were nesting as they appeared 

 more restless and anxious than usual, being decidedly aggressive to all winged 

 creatures. After a short period, one disappeared. I began searching round, 

 and presently noticed a crow-like nest in a small mango tree, on tapping which 

 out flew the bird. There were four partially incubated eggs. On 26th January 

 1904, I found another nest below the Mhaswad Tank Bank. There were only 

 two eggs which I left for three days, but as no more were laid, I took them. 

 Somehow I think they were addled. The nest was in a small sapling and the 

 bird on it. It looked absolutely new, being lined with fresh stalks of grass. 



