MIISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 833 



were very low and I wondered how the birds were going to raise their 

 families before the river came down. I had a feeling that they knew what 

 they were about and that the water from the liills would be late. Last year 

 it came down early in May, but sure enough this year it was very late, so 

 I suppose the birds knew it instinctively and did not hurry. I got the eggs 

 of the Little-ringed Plover, yEc/ilitis dubia ; Great Stone Plover, Esacus 

 recurvirostris ; Swallow Plover, Glareola lactea ; Indian Eiver Tern, Sterna 

 neena ; Scissors' Bill, Rhyncops albicollis and the Little Tern, Sterna minuta. 

 I took a great many nests. I never got more than 2 eggs from any nest of 

 the Swallow Plover. 



The Indian Hoopoe, Upupa indica, breeds very freely within Canton- 

 ments, but its nest is not very easy to find, owing to the habit of the hen 

 bird sitting very close and seldom leaving the nest during the period of 

 incubation. Mr. Dewar states that he does not know how many eggs this 

 bird lays, but he has never seen more than one young bird following the 

 parents. I have usually found 5 eggs. From observations, extending over 

 many years, I have, more or less, formed the opinion that the majority 

 of birds very rarely rear the same number of young as eggs laid. If 

 this happened, the bird world would be much overpopulated. The 

 young are duly hatched oat but long before they reach maturity, they 

 are thinned out by casualties. The best example I can quote of 

 this was a pair of White-eyed Tits, Zosterops palpebrosa, who built in my 

 verandah, which gave me opportunities for watching them. They laid 

 4 eggs and 4 young were duly hatched ofi". The parents seemed to 

 unduly favor two, the result was that they rapidly out grew the other two 

 by getting all the food and in a few days, one would never have thought 

 they belonged to the same brood. The next process was that the two 

 weaklings were ejected from the nest. It was no use replacing them, as 

 they were soon " outed" again. The parents, unlike ourselves, seemed to 

 possess no pity or affection for their sick little ones. Eventually the two 

 strong ones left the nest. I do not think this applies so much to game 

 birds. Nature seems to know that man takes his toll of them and conse- 

 quently spares them. 



The Common Roller, Coracias indica, is very common and breeds freely, 

 chiefly in hollow trees. Their nests are not easy to discover as they are 

 very wary. I have, however, managed to get a good number of clutches. 



The Little Brown Dove, Turtur cambayensis. I think it is recognized that 

 the Dove tribe select the most extraordinary sites for nesting, but I do not 

 think I have ever come across a more curious one than the following. The 

 punkah in my dining room is pulled by a leather thong, passing through a 

 hole in the wall, and over a wheel or pulley. This pulley is supported by an 

 iron frame on one side. On this frame a Little Brown Dove proceeded to 

 build a nest. How it ever got any sticks to remain in position I do not 

 know, however, it did so, but it was a very sorry and flimsy structure. The 

 bird laid one egg and sat there while the punkah was being pulled and the 

 wheel in motion, about half-an-inch off. Every vibration shook the nest, 

 with the result that the egg slipped through and got caught up below on a 

 portion of the frame. On this the bird gave up. What is so wonderful is 

 why a bird should select a site where to build a nest is next to impossible 

 and where there are so many other eligible sites vacant. This, however, 

 seems to be peculiar to the Dove and one cannot help thinking it is the 

 case with them of " If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again." 



Fekozepokf, '■loili Avf/ust 191C. , Pt. M. BETHAM, Brig.-Genl. 



