956 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



I have constantly watched what I have taken to be this bird. On one occasion 

 he pounced on a small frog which on return to his perch he promptly 

 swallowed. On another occasion he dropped into some grass and came out 

 with a field mouse. This he seemed to swaUow with no very great effort ; 

 negotiating the tail seemed to be a trifle trying. I noticed the same thing when 

 he got a lizard, a small specimen of, I should say, C. versicolor. Apparently 

 nothing comes amiss. 



On the 2nd February 1921, I saw an Ashy Drongo sitting on a railway busy 

 pecking at something — a lizard — I presume he must have caught it and killed 

 it^ He seemed very hungry or found the meal extra nice, as I went up within 

 a few yards of him. 



Rangoon, G. H. EVANS, Col., c.i.e., c.b.e. 



2\st Feb. 1921. 



No. XXIV— BREEDING HABITS OF THE GREEN TURTLE 

 {CHELONIA MY DAS). 



Some time ago I witnessed a Green Turtle laying her eggs and as my notes 

 may be of interest I give a brief accoimt of what I saw. 



It was a bright inoonlight night during the monsoon, just one of those nights 

 when a stroll along the beach is most enjoyable. The beach, during this period 

 of the year, is patrolled by the villagers in search of turtle eggs. 



My husband and I accompanied a group in search of these luxuries and it was 

 not long before a turtle made its appearance. We had then to call a halt, for 

 if they see they are observed there is every chance of them going back into the 

 water again. The moon shone on the turtle's large black wet back and her 

 every movement could be discerned. She made quite sure that no one was 

 watching and then proceeded slowly up the beach towards the high sand banks, 

 at the foot of which she met with an obstruction in the way of a steep ascent, 

 but this difficulty was soon got over and after two or three efforts she even- 

 tually landed on the firm bank where she halted and commenced to dig. 



It was now our time to go forward and witness the sight and we all sat down 

 in a group at the back of her, close by. Her large fins were busy scraping out 

 the sand with a sort of backward motion and in a remarkably short time she 

 moved a quantity of sand. I was anxious to find out whether what I had been 

 told was true, namely, that once she started to dig it would take a great deal to 

 upset her. I therefore seized one of her fins with which she was digging but 

 with remarkable ease she drew it free and I was astonished at the strength she 

 possessed. This playfulness on my part did not in any way upset her and she 

 went on digging as if nothing had happened. Meantime one of the villagers 

 was busy tunnelling a little hand hole at the back of the one she was making 

 and I very soon saw what this was for. 



As soon as she had finished digging she settled down comfortably to lay her 

 eggs, ignorant of the fact that as she was laying them the villager was carefully 

 picking them out from the bottom of the nest, thrusting his hand down the little 

 tunnel which he had made, and removing them two or three at a time and 

 throwing them behind him, while others were busy picking them up and putting 

 them into a large sack which they had brought for this purpose. We counted 

 m aU 144 eggs, not bad for one sitting ! 



Apparently fully satisfied with her evening's work she commenced to rake 

 back the sand which she had excavated and soon completely filled the hole, 

 which with marvellous instinct she seemed to realize would be noticed by passers- 

 by, so she promptly patted the same down carefully all round with her belly, 

 maldng an audible noise on each occasion. She then carefully readjusted the 

 creepers she had removed, thus making the nest practically imperceptible. 



The whole time she had been laying she had been facing inland. She now 

 turned round and returned to the sea. 



