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



first appeared to be dead, but after about two minutes in the air it began to 



move, and in about ten minutes it was sufiRciently recovered to hop away. 



Meanwhile the stake had bf en lying on the ground and a second smaller frog 



crawled out and hopped away, apparently none the worse 'or its temporary 



living interment. The frogs were taken from the body of the snake about 



two feet behind the head, so I fancy they must have been some little time 



inside the snake. 



H. J. KELSALL, Capt., R. A. 

 Rangoon, September, 1899. 



No. XXVIII.— PLUMAGE OF THE SNAKE-BIRD {PLOTUS 



MEL A NOG ASTER). 



Mr. E, C. Stuart Baker, in Vol. XII, page 503 of our Journal, says that 

 "no author seems to have noticed the peculiar wavy appearance of the 

 scapulars and inner secondaries '' of Plotus melanoiaster. It is certainly very 

 odd that Jerdon only noticfs this appearance on the tail-f<atl era, and Blan- 

 ford (apparently) on tail-feathers and tertiaries. But, if Mr. Baker will 

 refer to Vol. I, page 113 of this Journal, he will find notice of the same 

 appearance in the scapulars ; which alone are in question there. So, amongst 

 hands, the record is complete to that of the next compiler, 



Mr. Baker's remark that the " crinkled " appearance " is very conspicuous 

 in newly-moulted birds " agrees with my own observation. I cannot, how- 

 ever, say anything about the breeding season ; as I have never been able to 

 observe this bird breeding. The moult is so complete as often to disable the 

 bird from flight for many days. This period is passed upon some deep water 

 with good perches easily accessible. After it the (probably) nuptial plum- 

 age grows apace ; and I have noticed that the " crinkled "' appearance seems 

 to reproduce the fold of the webs in their sheaths, before these burst and 



fall off, or are preened away. 



W. F. SINCLAIR, 



Late I. C. S. 



No. XXIX.— THE EFFECTS OF A BITE FROM A PHOORSA 

 {EC HIS CARINATA.) 



By to-day's dak I send you a small snake in spirits of wine, which I believe 

 to be an Echis carinata ; the length, when alive, having been about 14 

 inches. As I have just recovered from a bite from this same snake it may 

 interest you and the readers of the Society's Journal to hear some of the 

 details which, summed up, go to prove that the bite of an Echis carinata, 

 if taken in time, can be confidently dealt with. 



On the morning of 21st I was trollying along the line, when I saw and tried 

 to capture the above-named snake, which, however, inflicted a bite just above 

 the left hand thumb nail. I at once sucked out what blood and poison I 

 could, but having only a large and blunt shikar knife I was unable to incise 

 the bitten part. However, after trollying back home, 6 miles, I was met by 



