90 Mr. F. B. Simson on Birds 



Civil Service^ worked it well while stationed tlicre ; but he 

 did not exhaust the ornithology of Tippera_, and was removed 

 too soon. There are native shikarees in this district who 

 will procure almost any bird that exists there. The difficulty 

 in these parts is to obtain a competent taxidermist. 



Having now alluded to the country north-east, east, and 

 south-east of Dacca, which was not included by Jerdon in 

 his ' Birds of India/ I will return to remark on some of the 

 species found in the low-lying alluvial lands below Dacca. 



Halia'dtus leiicog aster (the Grey- backed Sea-Eagle). This 

 bird regularly nested in two places in the Dacca country. 

 One nest was in an old " peepul " tree on the right bank 

 of the river, nearly opposite Naraiii gunge ; the other was 

 between Naraingunge and Burrisaul. This Eagle is found 

 in very small numbers. It is a fine bold handsome bird; and 

 I have often watched it for a long time with admiration. 



On a voyage in the steamer from Dacca to Sylbet one 

 cannot fail to be struck with the large number of Eagles 

 seen near the fishing-villages. I never had an opportunity to 

 stop and examine them ; but I studied them with a binocular. 

 Halia'etus fulviventer was the most common; and associated 

 witii it were Polioaeius ichthya'etus, Aquila ncevla, and a white- 

 shouldered Eagle which I took to be ^. imperialis. I have 

 seen as many as twenty of these Eagles close to one fishing- 

 village; and the different species seemed to consort amicably. 

 But the Grey-backed Sea-Eagle was never seen with the 

 crowd ; I always observed it alone, or a pair at the breed- 

 ing-season. Pandion haliaetus is not uncommon. I have 

 generally observed this bird by itself, fishing in the smaller 

 rivers, the Luckya and the Bunsee. The only other raptorial 

 bird I shall notice as belonging to this country, where nearly 

 all the common Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, and Kites are to be 

 found, is Hypotriorchis chicquern, the Tarrumti, or Red- 

 headed Merlin, which is not uncommon about Tippera, Noak- 

 holly, and Backergunge, nesting often in the Casuarina trees 

 near the houses of the European officials. 



Between the mouth of the Boorigunga and the station of 

 Furreedpore I regularly observed the Avocet (Recurvlrostra 



