18 BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 



been disposed of, and no possible prospect remaining of any 

 further supplies until the next morning, the Terns had all 

 flown away out to sea, the pair, if it happened to be low water, 

 would usually work along the exposed mud bank?, picking up 

 anything eatable left by the receding tide. Then after a time, 

 or, if it happened to be high water, at once, they would betake 

 themselves to one of the fishing stakes or some neighbouring 

 tree where they would sit and perform their morning toilet, 

 and this completed commence sailing in circles over the har- 

 bour or town. 



I have often tried, when I thought them fully occupied with 

 the fishing canoes, to steal up in a canoe and secure a specimen, 

 but always without success ; they were always too wary ; I tried 

 giving the gun to a Burman. and sending him down to where 

 the fish were landed, and this would have succeeded could the 

 man have managed to shoot straight ; for on the first two 

 mornings he did succeed in getting a couple of very fair shots, 

 but without doing any more harm than frightening the Terns, 

 and a couple of score of crows that always took, or at any rate 

 appeared to take, great interest in the unloading of the fish, 

 to judge from the way in which they watched and followed every 

 basket full. 



In my trip down to Malewoon from Mergui in a native boat, 

 all or nearly all the islands that I passed, or touched at, in- 

 cluded a pair at least of these eagles in their fauna, but these 

 were quite as wary as those of the Mergui harbour, and the 

 consequence was that I only succeeded in procuring a couple. 



Their food appears to consist of fish, water-snakes, and other 

 marine edible objects, and t pf these only, for although I have 

 often seen these eagles soaring about over the town of Mergui, 

 I have never seen them even attempt to strike any of the num- 

 berless chickens that ran about the streets and outskirts of the 

 place, and while any rubbish carted and thrown on the shore 

 below highwater mark, was sure to attract all the crows of the 

 neighbourhood and many Brahminy Kites (Haliastur indus) ; 

 these eagles seldom even took the trouble to approach the 

 spot, or if they did, (attracted by seeing all the kites and 

 crows in the vicinity hurrying there) they merely circled once 

 or twice over the spot and then hurried away seaward. — W. D.] 



See further in regard to this species, S. ¥., IV., pp. 

 422-4, 461. 



45.— Buteo plumipes, Eodgs. (1). 



Thatone. 



A rare straggler to the northern portions of the province* 

 See also S. F. ; HI., p. 30 ; IV., p. 360 ; V., p. 347. 



