398 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
while on a camping trip in jungle, I had an opportunity of 
watching one of these birds on its nest. The nest is a mere 
scrape in the ground. It was situated within a few feet of the 
track from the road to the village, in an open grassy spot, 
where the village cattle were in the habit of grazing. There 
were plenty of other suitable spots quite close and further from 
the path. Within a few yards was a shallow stretch of water, 
a few inches deep and grassy. It seemed wonderful that the 
eggs could have escaped destruction ; our carts were drawn 
up within a few yards of them. The eggs are, of course, 
protectively coloured, and it was rather hard to spot the nest, 
even after one had seen the place several times. We watched 
the bird on the nest from the shelter of our carts, and unsuc- 
cessfully attempted to get photographs of it on the nest. 
In the middle of the day, when the sun was very hot, the bird 
would frequently leave the eggs and go down to the patch of 
water, walk into and deliberately move its breast up and down 
in it, at the same time spreading out its breast feathers. 
When this part of the body was apparently wetted and cooled 
it would cautiously return to its nest and sit on the eggs. 
We watched this happen frequently, so that there was no 
question as to whether the bird was merely going into the 
water to get a drink or to get some food. I presume that the 
reason is that on the dry ground and in the hot sun the eggs 
would become too dry if the bird did not adopt some means 
of this sort to keep them in proper condition. 
C. T. SYMONS. 

Wilson's Stormy Petrel (O. oceanicus) at Colombo.—In 
September of last year I was fortunate enough to see a number 
of these Petrels about a quarter of a mile outside Colombo 
harbour. ‘The first one I saw took no notice of the boat I was 
sailing, until I got to within a few yards of it, and so I had 
an excellent view of the bird. On two or three successive 
evenings later I saw flocks of three to ten in number of these 
birds actually inside the harbour flying about over the water at 
dusk. I was able to sail quite close to them. 
W. A. CAVE. 
