830 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



in the centre of a tussock. I have taken nests from April to July, but 

 fancy it breeds at other seasons as well. Like the rest of their tribe, they 

 are fairly noisy. They are gregarious eveo while nesting. When a nest 

 is discovered, a whole lot will come and assist the owners in ''strafing" 

 you. Though well concealed, the nest is not difficult to locate, for if a bird 

 has a nest it very soon discloses it by flying to it. 



The Southern Green Pigeon, Crocopus cklorof/aster. While driving along 

 the public road in June, a Green Pigeon flew across, with a twig in its bill 

 and disappeared into the leafy end of a branch of a siris tree. I watched 

 a moment. It came out, flew into the tree I had first seen it coming from 

 and returned, shortly after, with another twig. So I knew it was nesting. 

 The nest was so well concealed that it was very difficult to see from below. 

 On the 20th June, I went out and took the nest, which contained two fresh 

 eggs. I had to shoot the bird, much to my dislike, else I could not be sure 

 of the identity. The nest was of the usual pigeon type. A few pairs come 

 to the neighbourhood of Ferozepur to breed. This, however, was the only 

 nest I took myself. The bird is a close sitter and as the nest is so well 

 concealed, it is not easy to discover except during building operations 

 My shikari brought me another clutch. 



The Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Merops phillipijius. About May, this bird 

 comes in pretty good force to Ferozepore to breed. For the remainder of 

 the year, it is absent, though a straggler may be occasionally seen. This 

 homing instinct is really rather extraordinary, considering how very 

 disagreeable Ferozepore is at this season of the year. On arrival, they take 

 complete possession of the Fort, and connnence nesting operations by tun- 

 nelling deeply into its mud face. On the 10th June 1915, I took several 

 clutches, of from 6 eggs downwards, mostly on the fresh side. They nest 

 on all faces, but the Northside seems to be by far the most popular. It is a 

 very pretty sight to see them fluttering about in the sun and clinging to the 

 nest entrance holes. This year a wire has been erected, which passes round 

 the Fort, within a few feet of the holes. This provides excellent seating- 

 accommodation, of which the birds are not slow to avail themselves. In 

 fact, I am sure they are of opinion that it has been put up solely for their 

 convenience ! Their nesting operations are, in a way. the cause of consider- 

 able damage. The nests are very close to one another. When heavy rain 

 falls, as has been the case this year, the water runs down and collects in the 

 egg chambers, causing the earth to bulge and finally to fall out, leaving 

 gaping places in the face of the wall. As soon as the young have been 

 raised, the birds depart. 



The Common or Grey Quail, Coturnix communis. This bird passes through 

 twice a year, in great numbers, viz., about March- April, and again 

 September-October, when large bags are made, with the aid of " call-birds." 

 My shikari, who is very reliable and honest, and what is more about the 

 only one I have come across who knows one bird from another and can 

 differentiate between two such similar birds as the Common and Striated 

 Babblers, says that they bred here freely. I must own I was a little 

 sceptical. In the evenings and mornings, from about the middle of February, 

 or perhaps a little earlier, while returning from and going out duck and snipe 

 shooting, I heard them calling all round. I asked the shikari what this 

 meant. He answered that they would soon be nesting. Sure enough, he 

 brought me a clutch of 6 fresh eggs on the 16th March, 7 incubated on the 

 22nd, and 4 fresh on the 28th idem. There is not a shadow of a doubt that 

 the eggs are those of the Grey Quail. So far the theory is that only. 



