446 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
them on the mess-table under the name of “‘ Ortolan,” which in 
India means any small brown seed-eating bird,—Lark, Finch, 
Bunting, &c. I got enough specimens this morning with one 
discharge of No. 10 shot. Shot a pair of either sex of a curious- 
looking Woodchat, which I find to be Muscisylvia leucura, and I 
got several more during the remainder of my leave. This bird 
frequents jungle of dwarf bamboo, raspberry, &c. Habits quite 
those of a Flycatcher; the note a harsh creaking, the male and 
female answering one another with remarkable punctuality, as I 
observed. Small beetles only found in the stomachs of five 
specimens I opened. Pratincola ferrea is more common here 
than I have ever found it. I have kept this bird in a cage, and 
love it for its sweet little song; and I once brought up a small 
family of them from the nest, and found them sprightly pleasing 
birds. Got a beautiful pair of Pteruthius erythropterus, and 
several specimens each of Bullfinch, Siskin, and Goldfinch; also 
single examples of Siphia strophiata, Muscicapula superciliaris, 
Campephaga fimbriata, and a lovely Nightjar, C. albonotatus, 
the last example of which I had was flushed in the Botanical 
Gardens at Calcutta; so this species has a pretty wide range. 
C. indicus and C. monticolus also extend to the Himalayas. I 
had some practice with indifferent success at the small Crag 
Martins, Cotyle rupestris, which in the evening came about the 
bungalow. I only secured one, but I got several afterwards. 
These little birds do not nidificate in banks, but affix their little 
clay-constructed nests to the face of crags, or the crevices 
betwixt rocks. 
Another species of this form of Martin, C. concolor, is 
common in many parts of the country, nowhere more so than in 
the Western Ghats; and till I found it at Poorundhur, on the 
Bombay side, I thought it was entirely restricted to the plains. 
C. sinensis is universally spread and particularly abundant on the 
large rivers, whose banks, when of any height, are honeycombed 
with their nests. I once nearly lost my life when engaged in 
exploring a colony of these birds on the banks of the Ganges; 
the alluvial bank on which I stood gave way under my feet; and 
if I had not caught at some thick reeds I should have gone under 
to a certainty, and with but a poor chance of emerging, as the 
river was racing, and there were eddies and under-currents 
beneath me. In the evening a hill man brought in a few birds 
