386 JOUliNAL, BOMB AY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XJV. 



fed us with fresh Provisions of Turkies, Geese, Ducks, [lens, Sucking Pigs, 

 Sheep, Goat, and to Crown all, the Day we made England, killed us a fatted 

 calf." I doubt whether we fare so well now-a-da3s. 



N. C. MACLEOD. 

 Bombay, Nov. 1901. 



No. VII.— OCCURRENCE OF THE AVOCET {RECURVIROSTRA 



AVOCETTA) NEAR POONA. 



Barnes remarks that the Avocet does not occur in the Dekhan. As I saw 

 one near here yesterday, the fact is worth recording. I endeavoured to shoot 

 it, but was unsuccessful. In my own mind I have no doubt of its identity, as 

 it is hardly possible to mistake its general white plumage and the upturned 

 bill. I found it on the muddy bottom of a fast drying up tank in company 

 with other waders, a few teal and snipe. It gave me one or two opportuni- 

 ties of bagging it, when I was hoping to get a teal, but, as soon as I secured my 

 attention to it, it seemed to take in the altered conditions and after flying 

 round, out of range, two or thi-ee times, it made a bee line for another 

 tank. 



R. M. BETHAM, Majok, 



8i/i Bombay Infantry. 



PoONA, 20i/i Jamiary 1902. 



No. VIII.— A NOVEL METHOD OF CATCHING A JACKAL, 



The following novel method of catching a jackal may be of interest to 

 members : — 



This morning some of the sepoys of the regiment attracted by a clattering 

 of tin and whines, followed up the noise and found a jackal with his head 

 so tirmly jammed into an old tin wldch had contained ghee that he could not 

 get it off. The whole head was buried in the tin, and the animal was quite 

 blinded and powerless, so he was rapidly secured and brought to the mess for 

 inspection. 



The tin had been left Ijing in one of the cooking places just outside the 

 parapet of the camp. 



D. THOMSON, Major, 



28^/i Bombay Pioneers. 

 Camp Khwaja Kiddeu, Kohat, 

 22nd Jamiary 1902. 



No, IX.-TRAVANCOKE SNAKES. 



In 1895 a list of snakes taken in Travancore appeared in the Society's 

 Journal containing fifty-eight species. To that number I have now to add 

 nine more species taken since that date. 



Gongylophis conkm. — This snake is only found in the extreme south, where 

 it is fairly common about Nagercoil and Cape Comorin. 



