NOTES. 307 



still about 2 feet of body and tail remaining out of the swallower's 

 mouth, so that the latter was compelled to disgorge the snake it had 

 swallowed, which reappeared alive and apparently none the worse 

 from its involuntary visit to the " internal regions." 



Anuradhapura, July 10, 1912. A. F. ABERCROMBY. 



38. I have been watching with some interest a male and a female 

 Dipsas forstenii, which I have in a large cage. At night the male 

 begins coiling in and out of the coils of the female, trying to wind 

 its tail round that of the female, apparently with the purpose of 

 copulating, but whenever the female feels the tail approach her own 

 she lashes her tail quickly out of the way and buries it as much as 

 possible inside her coils, and the male has to continue winding and 

 twisting about her for a long time before he can get hold of her tail 

 again. I have watched this going on for an hour and a half without 

 any result. 



There is another male Dipsas in the cage, and whenever it 

 approaches the female the other male darts at it in a savage way, as 

 though trying to butt it with its head, but never tries to bite. This 

 threatening behaviour seems quite sufficient to drive away the other 

 snake. 



Anuradhapura, July 10, 1912. A. F. ABERCROMBY. 



39. Kabaragoya raiding Crow's Nest. — While walking over the 

 bridge near Tebuwana resthouse, in the Kalutara District, on July 

 17, I found a couple of crows cawing loudly in a great state of 

 excitement, and on seekmg for the cause I discovered a kabaragoya 

 ( Varanus salvator) of respectable size on the topmost branches of a 

 tall ingasamam tree {Pithecolobium saman) raiding a nest in a most 

 leisurely manner by feasting upon the eggs. 



The surprising part of the proceeding was the dexterous manner 

 in which the creature was able to balance itself on the tinj'' branches 

 of the tree, and its agihty in climbing to such a height. 



Colombo, July 29, 1912. C. DRIEBERG. 



40. Donations and Loan Collections far the Colombo Museum. — It 

 is weU known that private collections disappear altogether within 

 three generations, and it is often owing to this that valuable dona- 

 tions are made by private persons to Museums in Europe and 



2 s 6(7)12 



