662 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXL 



the month of September I noticed some of these kingfishers fly to holes 

 with their captures and I have conchided that in Kashmir, breeding opera- 

 tions are continued up to the end of September. 



As is well known this little kingfisher abounds in Kashmir. It is rather 

 the rule than the exception to have at least one fishing from one's 

 houseboat. 



When perched for fishing the tail is depressed, except when it, the head 

 and neck, are elevated with a short of oscillating motion. If the perchhow- 

 ever is on the ground on top of the river bank, as it sometimes is, the tail 

 is then kept elevated. 



Occasionally this bird divea from the wing exactly after the manner of 

 Ceryle varia. The poise and hover sometimes is quite as much as 12 or 15 

 feet. 



H. A. F. MAGRATH, Major. 



Kashmir, 1911. 



No. XVI.— THE NOTES OF PALLAS' FISHING EAGLE (^HALIAETUS 

 LEUCORYFRUS) AND SOME WATER BIRDS. 



The " Fauna's''^ remarks on the note of Pallas' Fishing Eagle are " has a 

 loud shrieking call note." As this description is rather vague and would 

 hardly serve to identify the bird in localities where other raptorial birds with 

 loud notes were common I would like to supplement it by observations of 

 my own on this eagle. The note to my ear is a striking one. When heard in 

 the distance it is not unlike that of the Herring Gull {Larus argentatus) when 

 closer it runs off at the climax into a series of repetitions which bear a 

 strong resemblance to the creaking which accompanies the working of 

 block tackle. Whenever I heard the latter notes they reminded me great- 

 ly of the sounds one hears when a fishing fleet has come into harbour and 

 the boats are lowering away and stowing sails. When very close a preli- 

 minary low croaking note is heard and the note last described sounds 

 exactly like the clucking of a hen to her chickens only repeated with 

 rhythm. 



Several times I noticed that this eagle was much harried by a smaller 

 one which, from the way it soared in small circles with wings above the ho- 

 rizontal, occasionally hovered, and from its long tail, I came to the conclu- 

 sion was the Short-toed Eagle ( Circaetus gallicus ), The mere approach of 

 this latter when the former was perched in a tree was enough to start the 

 ''block tackle" working. 



The Little Ringed Plover {^gialitis duhia) has a dissyllabic note but 

 one which at once distinguishes it from jE. hiaticula with which it might 

 easily be confounded even when observed at close quarters and through 

 glasses, though the latter is, of course, a rare bird in India. This note is 



