MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 141 



heights from the ground and not near water. It seems to prefer thorn and 

 bramble bushes, the orange-trees in the Government Orchard being particular 

 favourites. The nest is of the usual Munia type with a decided porch over 

 the entrance. Five to seven seem to be the usual complement of eggs which 

 are white. Fresh and incubated eggs are often found in the same nest but 

 never more than seven. 



I have lately received the following note from Mr. Oates in regard to 

 U. topela '■ — 



" The Munias you sent me are near topela, but not quite like the Chinese 

 birds. If I were writing ' The Birds of India' again, I think I should unite 

 topela to punctulata. The various races are so like each other and so 

 difficult to make out." 



No. 739. Sporceginthus flavkliventris. The Burmese Red Munia. Breeds 

 up here from September to December. I have found nests at some distance 

 from water in spear grass, the nest being very hard to find ;— in fact the only 

 way I have got them is while riding or out shooting by hearing the little 

 bird get out with a " cheep " from under my feet. I have found two nests 

 lined with feathers. As I do not see this mentioned in Blanford, it may be 

 of interest. 



Those nests found in September had five to six eggs, while those found in 

 December had generally four incubated eggs ; this is probably due to it being 

 the second brood. 



No. 820. Eirundo striolata. The Japanese Striated Swallow. I have 

 found three nests of this swallow in October and November but have 

 not been fortunate enough so far to get their eggs, as some one destroyed 

 the nest before I could get them. I watched one nest for some time and one 

 evening I got up to it and feeling something inside opened it, catching both 

 birds but alas no eggs. It builds generally inside houses, making a long retort- 

 shaped nest, which must be broken before one can see into it. 



No. 1236. Circus melanoleucus. The Pied Harrier. This Harrier must 



breed up here as I saw quite half a dozen of both sexes near Saga, south of 



Fort Stedman Lake, on the 10th and 28th July 1902. The country down 



there is a huge swampy plain with a river running through the middle of it. 



I had no time to hunt for nests nor did I want to, as the swamp is full of 



leeches, but I had a good opportunity in watching them from my boat, as 



they beat up and down on both sides of the river. The only eggs I got on 



this trip were the Striated Weaver bird and Chestnut-bellied Munia, of which 



there were any amount nesting in the long grass within a few inches of the 



water along the river banks. 



H. H. HARINGTON, Capt. 

 Taunggyi, Burma, February 1903. 



No. XI— RARE DUCKS. 

 Mr. W. Moore has this year obtained three specimens of Eunetta falcata, 

 one of which was sent, to me for identification ; all were young females. 



