686 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XII. 



harrier, which must, I think, have been that of a Montagu's or a Pale Harrier, 

 the feet being far too small for Circus ceruginoKus. 



1?37. Circus ^RUGiNosus, Linn. Blanf., Ill, p. 387^ " Str, Feath.," II, 

 p. 150. 



The marsh harrier is scarce in the neighbourhood of Port Blair, without 

 being exactly rare. I saw it about half-a-dozen times in September and 

 October, and shot a fine adult male on February 2nd. Davison says it 

 remains as late as May. It is not likely to occur in other parts of the 

 islands away from the paddy land. 



1245. AsTUR soLoENsis, Horsf. Blanf., Ill, p. 400 ; " Str. Feath.," II, 

 p. 141. 



The " Novara " Expedition obtained a single example of this bird on Car 

 Nicobar. I can find no other record of its occurrence in the islands. 

 Mr. Hume did not meet with it ; I kept a keen look-out for it, especially on 

 Car Nicobar, which I worked very thoroughly, but I saw nothing 

 of it. My search, however, resulted in the discovery of the next 

 species. 



AsTDR BUTLERi, Gumey. Bull. B, 0. C, Vol. VII, p. xxvli ; Blanf,, 

 Birds, IV, p. 486. 



I obtained four specimens of this beautiful new species on Car Nicobar in 

 September. The following notes, taken from my diary, were written when 

 I had the bii'ds under observation daily. 



Af<lur, sp. n.? Not uncommon in forest on Car Nicobar, but extremely 

 shy and difficult to shoot. It keeps almost exclusively to the topmost 

 brunches of the tallest trees, contiiiually uttering a shrill little double cry, 

 exactly like Astur badius. The first two birds that I shot (including the only 

 female) lodged dead on the tops of inaccessible trees. Subsequently I shot 

 four more, two adult and two immature males. Young birds are extremely 

 chesnut in colour, looking on the wing as red as, or redder than, kestrels. 

 One or two filaments of nest-down adhering to the feathers of one of the 

 immature birds show that this chesnut plumage is the first acquired. Young 

 birds have a trick o£ fluttering on a bough exactly like a broken-legged bird, 

 probably a trick practised when they are just out of the nest to first catch 

 the eye of the old bird biint;ing food. 



This hawk probably breeds twice in the year ; in September numerous 

 chesnut-coloured birds, bred probably in February or March, were about, 

 while both adult miles were in a state of breeding ; and I found one nest, 

 about 40 feet from the ground, at the end of a horizontal branch of a 

 huge Ficus, in which the birds were apparently just about to lay, as one or 

 both were always seated on the branch near it. Had I remained a few days 

 longer on the island I should probably have obtained the eggs. The stomach 

 of one of the males contained a lizard. 



