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



There are, however, many members who have no taste or leisure for such 

 work, but who could easily spare an hour about sunset occasionally to shoot a 

 few bats. To such I appeal to do so, and to put them in spirits and send them 

 to me for the Society or to the Society direct. 



The only precaution required is to force open the mouth of the specimen 

 to its widest extent with a piece of cork before dropping it into spirits so 

 that it may stiifen with the mouth wide open and so facilitate the examina- 

 tion of the dentition. The locality and approximate date should be recorded. 



There is no necessity to send heavy jars or bottles. When the specimens 

 have been thoroughly soaked in spirit, they may be taken out and packed 

 in cotton wool damped with spirits and will take no harm in the two or 

 three days necessary for transit. 



All bats will be welcome, but it is especially the smallest of which least 

 is known. They usually fly immediately after sunset. 



R. C. WROUGHTON. 

 POONA, mil May, 1899. 



No. III.— FOOD OF PERNIS CRIST AT US QCVY.), 

 (THE CRESTED HONEY-BUZZARD.) 



A friend of mine in this district, a keen ornithologist, sends me the follow- 

 ing interesting communication : — '' I saw a Pernis cristalus devouring an 

 oviole {7nelanocephalus) on May 14th." Blanford, in his 3rd Vol, of Birds, 

 writing about the food of this species, states that it is also said to feed on 

 *' the eggs and young of small birds." My correspondent also mentions, " that 

 of course the oriole might have been newly fledged, but there was no mistak- 

 ing either species.'"' 



CHAS. M. INGLIS. 



Madhubani, Tirhut, 19^^ June, 1899. 



No. IV.— BIRDS OF THE KYAUKSE DISTRICT. 

 I send you a list of certain birds obtained in the Kyaukse District, Upper 

 Burma, between January, 1898 and April, 1899. This district lies between 

 22° 15' and 22° 45' N. and 95° 55' and 96'' 15' E., and is weU watered^ 

 irrigated, and highly cultivated, except in the extreme West and South. The 

 reasons for my drawing attention to these birds will be seen from the 



" remarks." 

 The numbers refer to the " Fauna of British India (Birds)." 



J. H. SEWELL, Major. 

 Rangoon, June, 1899. 



