226 
and a half feet long, which Cobra, he wrote to me, he had 
himself taken out of the bird’s stomach, dead, but without 
marks of injury. 
Those interested in Indian Oology are familiar with that 
remarkable passage in Gould’s century of Himalayan birds 
which runs: “The Hon’ble F. J. Shore gives the following 
notes, (on Ascalaphia Bengalensis). ‘Builds in trees, the nest 
being composed of large and small sticks, the female laying 
two large eggs mottled with black, reddish brown and white. Its 
native name in the Dhoon is Hokra Cheel, the natives consi- 
dering it among the Cheel or Kite genus, and affirming that it is 
strong enough, and does, in fact, attack and kill wild Cats.’ ” 
Now as A. Bengalensis invariably, like every respectable Owl, 
lays white eggs, and, to the best of my belief, always on ledges 
of cliffs or banks, I mentally classed the Honourable author 
with Le Vaillant and one or two other well known writers of 
fiction. The other day in the Saharunpoor district, on the 
borders of the Dhoon, I heard Spilornis Cheela called a Dogra 
Cheel, and so was able to absolve Mr. Shore of every thing, 
except writing about what he did not understand.* 
The following are the dimensions of four of the Sharunpoor 
specimens :— 
Female. Male. Male. Male, 
No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. 
BLT UTES oo laste ia on We’ a ahah ds 29:0 27:3), 282". 26ia 
PRPARees didi we oe seia's olbicks 67°5 620 635 587 
ANNAN DR cys ieie in a wie ie e.t0 ate 21:0 195 20°25 19°245 
Which primary longest, .. 4&5 8&4 4&5 
Amount by which other 
primaries fall short of 
longest,...sesees0-... Ist 48 Ist 4:0 Ist 4:4 Ist 3:5 
a 4 » end 1°8 2nd 1:3 2nd 1:25 2nd 3 
3 i » ord | 0°8u8rd) 0:3 3rd 0°3 
Length of tail from vent,.. 14:25 12°38 182 123 
. 
* But how are we to explain that other stupendous Munchhausenism, 
which Gould in the same work inserts on thissame Mr. Shore’s authority, 
viz. that Ceryle Guttata “constructs its nest among large stones, com- 
posed of mud, lined with grasses, adhering to the sides of a stone, similar to 
the nest of the Swallow, and lays four eggs coloured, like itself;” 7@. e., an it 
please you, black and white ? I should like to see C. Guttata do it! The 
fact is, this much maligned bird, an orthodox Kingfisher of good connections, 
lays pure white eggs in a hole in a bank. But how are we to explain this 
story P what Indian bird ? what bird in the whole world I might probably 
say, lays jet black and satin white eggs P It requires no little charity not to 
set this down as fiction, pur et simple ! 
