758 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIbTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV 1. 



No. XXVI- THE FOOD OF KINGFISHERS. 



Is it usual for Kingfishers to eat Frogs ? 



Some time ago I saw one of the larger Kingfishers dive into a stagnant pool 

 and bring up a large frog with which he retired to a neighbouring bough and 

 apparently enjoyed. 



S. B. BATES, f.z.s., &c. 

 Mansi. Kalha District, 



W. Burma, 

 '60th August 1905. 

 [Kingfishers in this country appear to be almost as omnivorous as toads, and 

 " Eha" on page 46 of his " Common Birds of Bombay" mentions how this white- 

 breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) feeds on frogs, water insects, crabs. 

 &C, and even swallows small birds when kept in an aviary. We have cer- 

 tainly seen them dive on to dry land and capture lizards {Calotes versicolor'), 



EDITORS.] 



No. XXVII— FOOD OF SNAKES IN CAPTIVITY. 

 On the 9th July last a phoorsa (Echis carinata) kept in captivity in our 

 Museum swallowed another phoorsa which was in the same cage. The vic- 

 tim was only slightly smaller than the other viper and the following day as the 

 meal was apparently too large it was disgorged. It is sometimes difficult to 

 obtain sufficient proper food (mice, &c.,) for such small vipers and the canna- 

 bilism was probably therefore induced by extreme hunger. About the same 

 date two pythons (Python molurus), a ' ghorpad' or Indian Monitor {Varanus 

 bcnyu'ensis) and four large bull frogs (Rang, tigrina) were occupants of another 

 cage in the museum and had been living together in peace for some months. 

 As the pythons appeared to be hungry, two rats were introduced. The ' ghor- 

 pad ' at once seized one rat, shaking it and killing it with the intention of swal- 

 lowing it. One of the pythons then seized the ' ghorpad ' and commenced to 

 crush it. It was considered necessary then to intervene and the lizard was 

 released from the python's coils. The python then moved round the cage and 

 on one of the large frogs making a jump it was seized and crushed. When it 

 was dead but still in the python's coils, the ' ghorpad ' seized hold of one of the 

 frog's hind legs and commenced to swallow that. The python then lost all 

 patience and crushed the lizard, swallowed it, the frog and the rat, and after- 

 wards proceeded to kill and swallow another frog. 



Whilst trying to crush the lizard and the frog, the python managed to get 

 its own head and neck within its own coils and very nearly killed itself, since 

 it apparently did not like loosening its coils until the 'ghorpad 'was dead. 

 However ultimately the python was able to free its own neck and the result 

 was only the above diminution of the ' happy family'. 



W. S. MILLARD, 

 Honorary Secretary, 

 6, Apollo Street. Bombay Natural History Society. 



Bombay, 2hth September 1905. 



