766 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



feathers still in progress, and coming forth pure grey. This may 

 have been a young bird of the year, or an adult bird moulting. 



This curious bird is very abundant throughout those parts of 

 the country which abound in rivers, tanks, and marshes, particularly 

 in Bengal, where many hundreds may be seen congregated to- 

 gether, roosting on trees overhanging some large jheel. It 

 lives chiefly on molluscs, especially on the large Ampullaria, 

 but also on various others. Colonel Sykes states that he found it 

 feeding on a species of Unio. I was formerly of opinion that 

 the open space between the mandibles was mainly caused by a 

 process of wearing down from constant attrition with various shells ; 

 I am now inclined to doubt this. Many years ago several Shell- 

 eaters were brought to me alive, for the purpose of training a 

 Bhyri, and these, as is usual to prevent them struggling or 

 fluttering, had their eyes sown up. To feed them the Falconer 

 had a quantity of the large Ampullaria brought, which were 

 placed before the captive and blinded Shell-eaters. The bird secured 

 a shell by its feet, and after sundry alterations of its position, 

 succeeded in cutting off the operculum as cleanly as if it had been 

 done by a razor, but so rapidly, that I was unable to see the exact 

 way in which it was accomplished. It then inserted the tip of 

 its clumsy beak into the open mouth of the shell, and after working 

 it about for a short time, pulled out the entire shell-fish almost to its 

 utmost tip. I saw this process repeated many times, and I cannot 

 conceive that a bird which takes the trouble to extract the animal 

 from the comparatively brittle Ampullaria, should require to bruise 

 the more hard and solid shell of the Unio. Colonel Sykes indeed 

 states that the gape exists in the young individuals (an obser- 

 vation which I have also confirmed), and that it is a provision of 

 nature to enable them to open the shells of the Unio, on which they 

 feed ; as to how this is effected, I cannot speak from experience. 

 The Shell-eater, in default of its proper food, will eat fish, frogs, 

 &c., but shell-fish are its peculiar aliment, and every native name 

 has reference to this habit. 



This Anastomus breeds in Northern and Central India, on lofty 

 trees, in June and July, in ^numbers together, laying four dirty white 

 eggs ; it is often found in company with other birds, Night-herons, 



