MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 541 
I think ; then followed some very ambiguous weather till the 25th, when 
heavy but irregular rain set inand continued for nearly a week, Again squal- 
ly weather set in on the 12th of July, and continued a few days, after 
which the weather set fine, A land breeze blew in the morning, and the wea- 
ther altogether was like what we expect in October, There had been little 
regular monsoon so far and now there seemed to be little hope of any, The 
prospect, in fact, was as gloomy as it could be. On the 22nd of July, how- 
ever, crossing the Hsplanade at 9 o’clock in the morning, I noticed Euplea 
core on all sides, flying northwards ; and meeting a friend soon after, I said, 
“* Tt is all right—the monsoon is coming in three days,” This was repeated, 
and I was subjected to some chaff ; but on the following evening there was a 
remarkably heavy shower, then for four evenings we had thunder and light- 
ning, the first we had in Bombay since the previous October, till on the 28th 
the monsoon broke properly, with S.-W. wind and heavy rain. The next 
day, I think, we had 9 inches, and from that time there was never again any 
apprehension of a failure of the monsoon. In view of these facts I think we 
are forced to the conclusion that butterflies know something which is not 
revealed to the Meteorological Reporter to Government, 
RK. H. AITKEN, 
Bomsay, September, 1900. 
No. XVII—LATE STAY AND EARLY ARRIVAL OF 
DUCK IN ASSAM. 
Garganey (@. circia) were noticed here up to the 10th May. I had several] 
brought me before that date. They were all exceedingly fat, On the 20th 
of the same month a male Red-crested Pochard (NV. rujina) was brought 
me, It was snared by bird lime in an old bed of a river near here, It did 
not appear to be a wounded bird and was very fat, The plumage of the 
body was similar to that.of the female,except that the feathers on the 
breast were of a dark brown colour. The head was a dull browny-yellow 
colour. The colours of the soft parts were :—bill dullish red, iris bright 
crimson, legs orange-yellow tinged with brown, webs blackish-brown, 
The earliest arrival noted, was on the 19th of last month, On that date a 
male Gadwall (C. streperus) in female garb was brought me by a fowler. 
The earliest date of arrival of this species according to Baker is the 15th 
October or a month later than that noted by me. Garganey ( @. cireia) and 
White-eye (NV. ferruginea) have also made an appearance in several places, 
CHAS. M. INGLIS. 
BaGHOWNIE Factory, 
DARBHANGA, 29th September, 1900, 
