n6 



endeavouring to rear Woodcock and Snipe in an incubator this 

 year. I failed to get any Woodcock's eggs, but I secured two 

 Snipe's eggs, which I put in the incubator, only one of which 

 hatched (incubation 20 days), and at the time of writing the 

 Snipe is seven weeks old and full feathered. He is absolutely 

 tame and, although able to fly perfectly, accompanies me daily 

 to a small pond where he bores round the edge for worms even 

 while I stroke his back. The one drawback to him is his enor- 

 mous appetite ! It seems strange that a bird naturally so wild 

 should be so tame. The Plover and Redshank, which I hatched 

 and reared last season, never got really tame. The Snipe's com- 

 panion is a baby Dabchick, now about a fortnight old, which was 

 o-iven to me when two days old and is also extraordinarily tame. 



Hviarv BiiDs 3 bave met in their IRatiual iotate- 



By Douglas Dewar, I.C.S. 

 I. INDIAN PAROQUETS. 



Mr. Wesley T. Page has asked me to contribute to Bird 

 Notes some jottings on the Indian birds that find their way into 

 English aviaries. In complying with his request I desire to 

 point out that my residence in India has been chiefly in the 

 plains, so that my notes will not include hill species. As neither 

 the Indian House Crow nor the Kite are seen in aviaries in 

 England, I must refrain from discoursing upon these ubiquitous 

 and familiar birds and begin with the Paroquets, which, in India, 

 are commonly known as "Green Parrots" and which are as 

 numerous and conspicuous in Hindustan as Rooks are in 

 England. No fewer than fifteen species of these Paroquets 

 disport themselves in the Peninsular and the adjacent Islands. 

 Four species have a wide range and are very common wherever 

 found. These are : the Alexandrine or Large Indian Paroquet 

 {Palceomis nepale?isis). The Rose-ringed Paroquet (P. torquatus). 

 The Western Blossom-headed Paroquet (P. cyanocephalus). The 

 Eastern Blossom-headed Paroquet {P. rosd). 



They are all bright green birds, very like one another in 

 appearance. All have long tails. The first two species have 



