MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 545 



scatter ; 1 threw away my camera, seized my rifle and did the best time on 

 record to Lhe tree, and the men oiled up the cliffs in no time. There was noth- 

 ing left in that old nullah but the huge carcass of that tiger with cameras and 

 chaguls and all sorts of gear strewn round him. We had hardly got into 

 the tree when a man came back shouting 'Morgayahai, purrahai' and we 

 thought a man was killed. G. J. was just rushing down to the rescue when 

 they shouted ' Slier morgaya ' and we went right down to the water 

 utterly incapable of understanding what could have happened. 



" There lying in the water 20 yards from the.kill was a fine young tigress, evi- 

 dently killed by this old monster and partly eaten by him too. The old brute 

 was much bitten and clawed about. She had evidently been strangled over the 

 kill and just managed to get to the water while the old brute finished his dinner 

 and proceeded to eat her. He measured 9' -8" as he fell. We found a smooth 

 bore round lead bullet in his forearm which must have been there for years. " 



I may say that G-. J. mentioned above is a very well-known big game shikari 

 in the Central Provinces and not the man to make any mistake as to the facts 

 of this case of cannibalism. 



This same big tiger has bothered us a good bit previously with his kills, as 

 we could find no teeth marks on them, due to his teeth being all broken off. 



Trimulgherry, Deccan, L. B. MONTRESOR, Capt., R.F.A. 



23rd May 1906. 



No. XXXVII.— THE NESTING OF THE CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD 

 (PERNIS CRIST ATUS). 



The Crested Honey Buzzard (Penis cristatus) has, I believe, always been 

 credited with sufficient self-respect and energy to build its own nest and lay 

 therein. That they do not always carry out the full contract is proved by the 

 following instance. A pair of these birds had been under observation of my 

 friend, Mr. N. L. Hervey, and myself for some weeks and had laboriously 

 completed a very nice nest high up on a Tamarind tree in a bungalow com- 

 pound. Fifty yards away in a Sissoo tree was a nest of the Shikra (Aslur 

 bacUus) from which we removed two eggs on April 23rd. To our surprise and 

 for no apparent reason, on May 5th the Honey Buzzard suddenly deserted her 

 own capacious home and transferred her head-quarters to the deserted nest of 

 the Shikra, piling in her furniture, in the shape of green leaves and additional 

 sticks with a feverish haste, which was in marked contrast to the leisurely 

 manner in which she and her mate had built their own nest. On the following 

 day she laid a particularly handsome egg but to our lasting sorrow a severe 

 cyolone visited the district on the next day and it was blown from the nest. 



Since sending in the above the Shikra has returned to her original nest and 

 has laid two eggs. The Honey Buzzards, presumably the same individuals, 

 have built again in the same compound. We are now anxiously awaiting the 

 next move. 



Samastipur, T. S. Railway, Uth June 1906. H. N. COLTART. 



