52 Mr. W. Jesse on the 



grass, feathers, paper, &c, at other times the eggs are laid 

 on the bare wood. There seems to be no rule. This bird 

 is sacred to Shiva, but in Lucknow no special sanctity 

 seems to be attached to it. 



Average of 12 Lucknow eggs T27" X 1"06" 



Measurement of largest egg 1'37" X 1'06" 



„ smallest egg 1-22" x 1*05" 



No. 1024. *Coracias garrulus. European Roller. 



I shot a single specimen (adult <£) on the 25th of October, 

 1899. The bird was flying about a snipe-jheel, perching 

 on the dry clods amongst the rushes. The jheel was right 

 out in the centre of an " usar " maidan surrounded by high 

 grass. The bird kept making darts into the air after insects, 

 returning immediately afterwards to its perch. Lt.-Col. 

 Thornhill tells me that he has come across this species in 

 Bareilly, and, shortly before his death, Mr. George Reid 

 wrote that he fancied that he had seen rhe European Roller 

 on one or two occasions, though he had never obtained a 

 specimen. 



No. 1026. Merops viridis. Common Indian Bee-eater. 



Patana, Harrial [H.]. Mango-bird [Anglo-Indian boys]. 



These pretty little Bee-eaters are very common and per- 

 manent residents, being found almost everywhere, in gardens, 

 fields, nullahs, and even on the open maidans. They are very 

 fond of perching on the telegraph-wires along the railway, in 

 company with Rollers, King-Crows, Shrikes, and Doves. In 

 the evenings they are very fond of collecting together in 

 some dusty locality and taking a sand-bath. u Their sand- 

 bath over, they usually take wing together, and, after 

 indulging in a few circular and other evolutions, during 

 which they keep up an incessant chattering, they separate 

 into small parties lor the night/' They breed in holes, which 

 they excavate for themselves, in banks, mud-walls, nullahs, 

 hillocks, and similar places, in March, April, and May, but 

 chiefly in April. The usual clutch consists of 5 or 6 

 almost spherical alabaster-like eggs. These are laid on 



