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



It would, I think, be interesting if other members of the Bombay Natural 

 History Society would record their experiences in the matter. 



C. G. NURSE, Major, 



13/7* Bombay Infantry. 

 Quetta, June, l l J03. 



No. VIII.— CURIOUS ACCIDENT TO A KINGFISHER. 



I have received the following note from the Hon'ble Mr. C. S. Bayley, A.G.G 



in Central India, describing a curious accident to the common Kingfisher 



(Alcedo ispida) : — 



" When I was on the river the other day I saw a little turquoise-coloured 



" thing splashing about in the water. I fished it out and found that it was 



" one of the small Kingfishers. It had somehow contrived to get its long 



" beak through the upper part of its left wing and could not get it out. Con- 



" sequently its head was twisted round and it was drowning fast. I managed to 



" gently pull the beak out. The bird rested on my hand for about a minute, 



" gave me a little parting peck and flew away none the worse. How it had 



"managed to tie itself into such an extraordinary knot I have no idea." 



Could it possibly have transfixed its own wing in making a dart into the water ? 



It would be interesting to hear if any member of the Society has ever met with 



a similar case. 



E. C. CHOLMONDELEY. 

 Indore, C. I., June, 1903. 



No. IX.— LATE STAY OF THE SHELDRAKE {TADORNA CORNUTA) 



IN TIRHUT AND PECULIAR FORM OF ALBINISM 



IN THE COMMON HERON (ARDEA CINE RE A). 



A fine male Sheldrake was brought me by a mirshikar on the 11th of May. 



It was caught on a large chaur in this district. This is very late for this 



species, as most have left India before the middle of April. Sheldrakes are 



very rare in this district. I also got on the same date a peculiar form of 



albinism in Ardea cinerea, I append a description of the same. Head and neck 



and lower plumage white, except crest, which is brown, the longer feathers 



being very dark. There are also some buffy brown feathers on the forehead, 



and the lower neck is streaked with buffy brown and dark brown. There is also 



an interrupted brown collar on the breast. Sides of body, axillaries and under 



wing coverts pale ashy brown ; upper back brownish-buff, the bases of all and 



the tips of some of the feathers being white ; lower back ashy-grey ; primaries 



and secondaries pale buff with the broad portions of inner webs tinged with 



brown, the three innermost primaries and their coverts being dark brown ; 



tertiaries ashy-brown ; lesser wing coverts white, remaining coverts buffy white ; 



tail buff, brownish at base except the central feathers, which have white instead 



of buff. Colours of soft parts same as in ordinary specimens, except the legs, 



which are dirty flesh colour. 



CHAS. M. INGLIS. 



Baghownie Fcty., Darbhanga, Bengal. 

 18//* June, 1903. 



