MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 857 



No. XV.— DO SMEWS (MERGUS ALBELLUS) GO IN PAIRS? 



I was looking over some copies of our Journal when I saw the question 

 mooted " Do Smews go in pairs ? " Lieut. Francis, from Derajat, says he 

 saw a couple, of which he obtained one. Many years ago in 1880 or 

 thereabouts I was |shooting over the Machiwara Jheel near Ludhiana in 

 company with a friend (E. W. T.). Returning one evening to our camp we 

 saw a flock of some white birds on the other side of a small stream that 

 drains the jheel. E. W. T. creeping cautiously up got within range and 

 dropped a bird. Neither of us could identify it until reference was made 

 to " Jerdon " when it proved to be a Smew. There were quite 8 birds in 

 that flock. The time was Xmas week. Up till then I thought Smews were 

 pelagic only. 



C. E. FENDALL. 



Serahan P. O., Bussahir State, 

 Simla' District, August 1910. 



No. XVI.— THE BRONZE-BACKED TREE SNAKE (DENDRELAPHIS 

 TRISTIS) AT BINA, C. P. 



A few days ago I killed a Bronze-Backed Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis tristis) 

 at Dhaura which is about 2 miles beyond the boundary of the Central Pro- 

 vinces. I think it may be of interest to record this as Major Wall in 

 Vol. XIX, No. 4 of our Journal, says it has not been recorded from Central 

 India nor from the Central Provinces. 



I have the specimen in spirit and can send it for identification if 

 necessary. 



E. BERNARD COOKE. 



Bina, 25th October 1910. 



[We have seen the specimen which is an example of D. tristis. Mr. Cooke has 

 kindly presented it to the Society's Museum. — Eds.] 



No. XVII.— EXTENSION OF THE HABITAT OF LYCODON 

 FASCIATUS. 



On the 25th August 1910, I obtained a specimen of Lycodon fasciatus, 

 from the Goomtee Tea Estate near Kurseong, at about an altitude of 

 4,000 feet. 



This snake appears originally to have been recorded from Yunnan and 



