86 Mr. F. B. Simsoa on Birds 



breeding-places. Sturnidse^ Psittaci^ Anatidse, three classes of 

 birds widely differing from each other^ resorted to these towers 

 for nesting-purposes^ and made up a most noisy community. 

 The lovely little Pygmy Goose, Nettapus coromandelianus , 

 called Cotton-Teal by most Europeans, had its nests in the 

 holes in the brickwork. Tliis little bird, usually to be found 

 only in deep water covered with the lotus and other water- 

 weed, came in numbers to these muths. I have seen four 

 pairs breeding there ; and there may have been others. They, 

 in their way, made nearly as much noise as the Parrots and 

 Mynas. Persons unacquainted with the habits of these birds 

 would scarcely believe that Ducks could use high ruined walls 

 for nesting-places. I once saw a female Nettapus not far 

 from Dacca, swimming about with a brood of ten newly 

 hatched young ones, by far the smallest creatures in the 

 way of webfooted birds I ever saw. The female must have 

 had some trouble in taking her numerous progeny from these 

 towers to the neighbouring jheels. 



Parrots very constantly make their nests in houses and 

 walls. In these muths their nests were very numerous. In 

 spite of the noise, I did not perceive that the Parrots quar- 

 relled either with the Pygmy Geese or the Mynas. Of these 

 latter birds two species nest in the muths in great numbers, 

 Acridotheres tristls and A.fuscus. 



The Bank-Myna {Acridotheres ginginianus) was often to 

 be seen in this neighbourhood ; but though there were many 

 suitable banks on all the rivers near, I never found this bird 

 nesting till I reached the Pubna shores of the larger branch 

 of the Ganges, where they nest exactly as the Sand-Martin 

 does in England. 



Close to this bridge nested another bird worthy of observa- 

 tion, the diminutive Palm-Swift [Cypselus batassiensis), very 

 common in all places where the broad-leaved palm-trees grow. 



In this neighbourhood also, and round the gardens and 

 hedges of the many deserted houses in the environs of Dacca, 

 is found the beautiful Calliope kamtchatkensis. This lovely 

 Ruby-throat excited much admiration. I had very little diffi- 

 culty in procuring specimens whenever I was asked for them. 



