I92I.] N. Annandale : Fauna of Barkuda I.. 325 



ant on the island. On the headland, Ganta Sila, across the lake 

 from Barkuda, the bee-eaters live in large numbers. There they 

 are fond of perching on some spray of creeper or shrub overhang- 

 ing the water and of darting out on butterflies that have just 

 flown across the lake. 



Lophoccros birostris (Scopoli). 



Small flocks and single individuals of the Grey Hornbill visit 

 Barkuda not infrequently in the rainy season. 



Eudytiaiiiis honorata (Linn.). 



The voice of the Koel is often heard on Barkuda in June 

 and July, but the bird seems very shy and keeps mainly to the 

 thickets, 



Athene brania (Temm.). 



The Spotted Owlet is fairly common on Barkuda and is very 

 tame. I have seen four individuals issuing together from a hollow 

 branch of Ficiis bengalcttsis. 



Pandion haliaetus (Linn.). 



The Osprey is an occasional visitor to the shore of the island. 



Haliaetus leucogaster (Gmelin). 



Two pairs of the White-Bellied Sea-Eagle breed regularly on 

 Barkuda. Each has its nest, to which it remains faithful 

 throughout the year, in a large Banyan that overtops the sur- 

 rounding forest. The breeding-season is prolonged and two 

 broods are sometimes raised in the year. At the beginning of 

 April, 1920, the inhabitants of one nest consisted of a pair in 

 adult plumage and a nearly fledged young one. In the middle 

 of June there was one adult in full plumage, one in immature 

 plumage and two half-fledged young. The other nest I could 

 not see so clearly, <m account of the branches and foliage, but the 

 parent birds were both in adult plumage in April, while in 

 June the nest contained young and one of the adults was in 

 immature plumage. It would, therefore, seem, either that one 

 of each pair had died and that a young bird of the first brood of 

 the year had assumed its place, or else that the young one had 

 driven off one of its parents and taken on itself the responsibilities 

 of parenthood, even if it was only as a step-parent. Both 

 parents of both pairs were in full plumage in October. 



This eagle is very cowardly in spite of its size. I have 

 already mentioned the fact that a single House-Crow can put 

 it to flight. On Cherriakuda, another island in the Chilka Lake 

 close to Barkuda, I once saw an even more ignominous escapade. 

 An eagle was soaring over a tree on which a large flock of flying 

 foxes were roosting. Its appearance caused great agitation and 

 the bats scurried about along the branches and squealed inces- 

 santly. This attracted the eagle's attention and it alighted just 



