174 Capt. R. C. Tytler on the Fauna of Dacca. 



There is a species of the genus Caprimulgus {C, albonotatus) 

 common in cantonments; they fly about dusk, frequently 

 sitting on the tops of houses, where they remain for hours 

 calhng in a most disagreeable manner; their note resembles 

 gouch, gouch, gouch, varied occasionally by a hoarse sound resem- 

 bling bur^r'i'^rW gurWr'r'r, &c. The Corvus culminatus is 

 equally plentiful with the Corvus splendens. I may here men- 

 tion that the lor a typhia, which is also « common, assumes a 

 much blacker appearance than those obtained at Barrackpore. 

 The Sphe7iura striata, Arundinax olivaceus, and Malacocercus 

 earlei are by no means uncommon ; the lattfer are very plentiful, 

 and found chiefly in bush and grass jungle. I also received 

 good specimens of the following, comparatively speaking, com- 

 mon birds : Halcyon gurial, H. sijrnensis, Spiza'ctus limnaetus, 

 Pontoaetus ichthy actus, Bubo umbr atus, and. Ket up a ceylonensis; the 

 last two are fine large species, the first being easily recognized from 

 the latter by its feathered feet, whereas the Ketupa ceylonensis has 

 a naked yellow tarsus. The Cuculus tenuirostris, Malacocercus 

 bengalensis, Anthus richardi, Copsychus saulai'is, Tephrodor%is 

 pondicerianus, as well as Trichastoma abbotti, are by no means 

 uncommon ; the latter species I had no conception was found iu 

 this part of Bengal, specimens having been received only froml 

 Arracan : that they breed at Dacca is beyond a doubt, for I 

 obtained just-fledged young following the parent birds. The 

 Lanius nigriceps is a very plentiful species, and the only ex- 

 amples I have seen at Dacca of this genus. 



Several fine specimens of the Hccmatornis cheela, and one of 

 Aquila mevia, have been brought to me; the former are con- 

 stantly found near swampy ground, where specimens of the 

 Limosa (Bgocephala, Charadrius virginicus, and Casarca rutila (the 

 Chuckwa-chuckwee of the natives, and the Brahminee Duck of 

 Europeans) are found. In the dense thick jungle, numbers of 

 the Zanclostomus tristis, Chrysomma sinense, Francolinus vulgaris, 

 and a local variety ? of Turnix ocellatus are found ; occasionally 

 a few Oriolus indicus, Tantalus leucocephali^ and Plotus melano- 

 gaster visit the station. The Brachypternm aurantius I have not 

 seen, but find it plentifully replaced'' by the Micropternus phaio- 

 ceps, which is very abundant. The specimens of the Tephro- 

 dormis pondicerianus are whiter over the eye than the s})ecimens 

 I have received from elsewhere ; this seems to be merely a local 

 peculiarity. Numbers of Acridotheres griseus build in the old 

 temples and houses about the sepoys^ huts ; this is rather curious, 

 for at Mussoorie, in the Himalayas, they invariably select large 

 trees for their nests. It is not unusual, during the hours of 

 parade or drill in the morning, to see numbers of these birds 

 feeding fearlessly near the soldiers. This reminds me of what I 



