138 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII. 
Mr. Kipling passes from the parrot to the weaver birds (Ploceus), 
whose plumage he oddly describes as “of quaker-like simplicity.” 
When did quakers wear yellow caps or yellow ribbons in their caps ? 
From these, through a list of “song birds” so wide as to include 
the hill-minah (Hulabes religzosa), he passes on to the fighting birds 
and to the more important crow. About the first he has nothing 
new to say, but has hit a new idea in Indian crow-life by allowing 
“two hill-crows’” to steal and hide ice. “To the last,” he says 
“‘the disappearance of the ice was a wonder.” And no wonder. 
As regards kites, he says that Milwus govinda is commonly “ spoken 
of by Europeans as the Brahminy kite.” But in our province this ~ 
misname is more commonly given to a Neophron—Pharaoh’s chicken. 
The true Brahminy kite which Mr. Kipling correctly describes by that 
name, and as “an eagle in miniature’ (he might have said a sea- 
eagle in miniature if he had been a naturalist) is Halastur indus, 
Our author’s dealings are with such creatures as are in close relation 
with man. He does not, therefore, mention that really noble variety 
or species of kite indicated by Hume’s name Milvus major. 
Under head ‘‘ Cranes and Herons” (birds really very far apart) he 
gives us a fact worth record, namely that the Adjutant Stork, 
which is neither a crane nor a heron, has of late years ceased to 
frequent Calcutta—probably better cleaned up than of yore by its 
Municipality. 
After some remarks about cocks and hens, rather anthropological 
than ornithological, he passes on to the old legend of the Brahminy 
duck or Ruddy Sheldrake, which we beg to give at more length for 
his and others’ edification. A certain Brahmin’s wife eloped, and the 
gods, at the outraged husband’s prayer, smote the lovers with the 
curse of cowardice. They lost each other ata ford, and to this day 
one cries to the other, “‘ Come over to me, Chakwi,” and is answered, 
““ No, come over to me, Chakwa.” This, at least, is the tale of the 
Tapti, on which they are common, and although by no means borne out 
by observation, is not less so than Mr. Kipling’s more insipid version 
of the legend. 
Our author passes on to the peacock, which he describes, in 
Gujarat and elsewhere, “as common as rooks in Hngland.” Peacocks 
