32 JOURNAL, NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY OF SIAM. Vol. I. 
Brahminy Kite ( Haliastur indus). The tiny Black-legged Falconet 
( Microhieraz fringillarius ) is fairly distributed, and the massive 
Crested Serpent-Eagle ( Spilornis cheela) may be found in the move 
isolated patches of cultivation. 
Camping on the big river the most noticeable bird by day is 
the Pied Kingfisher ( Ceryle varia} which is most common; and at 
night and early morning the Crow Pheasants ( Centropus sinensis, 
Siamese ynauAf) betray their presence by hooting in unison. The 
¥ 
country people state that they call the time, or ‘ watches,” regularly 
throughout the night or when the tide rises. The Indian. Koel 
( Hudynamis honorata, Siamese yn 11 iv19 ) is another common bird 
frequently heard. Among Passerine birds, the gorgeous Black-headed 
Oriole (Oriolus melanocephalus ) is one of the most noticeable, both on 
account of its brilliant yellow plumage and its fine whistling note. 
The Magpie-Robin ( Copsychus saularis) and the Shama ( Cittocinela 
masrura ). occur everywhere—the latter most frequently in bamboo 
jungle bordering on cultivation. . 
Snakes I took little note of, beyond the fact that the black 
Cobra is not nearly so common as | had found it in the swamps south 
of Prachin. When sheltering one day in a farmer’s house, he showed 
me the dried fat and various other internal parts of cobras, some for 
use as external and others as internal remedies for cobra bite. This 
is interesting, in that the people of the New Forest in England believe 
that, for the bite of a viper, the best remady is to split the 
creature open and apply its fat. Speaking of remedies for cobra 
bite, reminds me that the country people place faith in another remedy, 
viz., human excrement, no matter whose, mixed with the leaves of 
ee wv 
some herb, the Siamese name of which is ‘“‘Phak bung” (NnU4a). Part 
of the mess is taken internally, presumably as an emetic, and the re- 
mainder placed on the wound, when ‘perhaps the patient will survive.” 
In 1909 my work lay south of Petchaburi. The paddy plains are 
of less extent, and frequently the bunds are planted thickly with Sugar- 
Palm trees. A great deal of jungle is intermixed with the cultivation, 
and the fruit gardens are tangled and densely overgrown, the ground 
beneath being frequently carpeted with pineapple plants. Such 
country is, of course, most suitable for the smaller birds, which abound, 
and in addition to those alrealy mentioned, the Siamese Laughing- 
