336 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



972. — Mergus castor. — Referring to your remarks in the above 

 No. of Stray Feathers on this species, I may add here, for 

 your information, that the only specimen I had until lately of 

 this bird (a line male) was shot by my friend Mr. Robert Camp- 

 bell, C.E., at a large lake seven miles from Barrakur on the 

 Grand Trunk Road five years ago ; he afterwards told me (on 

 my asking him if it was possible to obtain any more) that had 

 he known that I valued the bird, he could have shot any number, 

 as there were a great many, some hundreds on the lake. — 

 J. C. Parker. 



Sir, 



I was informed yesterday of a vulture's nest a few 

 miles from here, so rode there this morning. The nest was 

 placed on a low prickly bush, about three feet from the ground. 

 The bush was growing on the side of a steep hill, the slope 

 being at about an angle of 45 degrees. The nest was rather 

 a large one, neatly lined with straw, and the egg was slightly 

 set. Both birds were present, one on the nest, and the other 

 on a rock about 20 yards off. They were unmistakably Otogyps 

 calvus, I did hot shoot them, though within 15 yards of 

 them, as there could be no doubt what they were. The choice 

 of situation for the nest seems strange, as within half a mile 

 there were plenty of large trees, banyan, peepul, and tamarind. 

 On the 22nd of this month I saw another nest of this vulture 

 on the very top of the highest tree of a small group, a banyan. 

 The egg was not laid, but both birds were constantly flying 

 about the nest. Within 100 yards of this nest, on a very high 

 peepul tree, there was a nest on which the villagers said the 

 white-backed vulture had bred a month or so ago. The birds were 

 still flying about, but the nest was empty. — James Davidson. 



GOTEKINDEE, SATTARA DISTRICT;! 



29th January 1874. J 



