240 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



cover of the jungle there. The second shot fared no better except 

 to turn the animal back again towards the water. The rest of the 

 pack were quite unconcerned by the noise, but stopped and stared at 

 us, raising themselves and standing up on their hind legs to get a 

 better view of us. 



Then an extraordinary thing happened. The whole pack- 

 suddenly surrounded their wounded comrade, and uttering loud cri<;s, 

 four or live of them seized it, and partly lifting, partly dragging, 

 conveyed it over to the bank and disappeared into the jungle beyond. 

 The soft mud at this spot, a broad stretch of 15 to 20 yards, made it 

 impossible to follow them and see what happened afterwards. 



Malcolm Smith. 

 Jan. 1922. 



-\- No. III. — The Bittern (Botaurus stellar is) in Siam. 



On March 5th last, I received a specimen of the large bittern 

 (Botaurus stellar is) shot by Major Forty at Preng, near Petriu. It 

 appears to be the fourth record of this bird in this part of the world, 

 the other three being from Raheng, Malacca and Singapore respect- 

 ively (vide this Journal, v, p. 81.). The bittern is well known 

 throughout Europe, though nowhere common. In winter it migrates 

 to the Mediterranean, S. W. Asia, India, Burma and China. It is 

 likely that it is more common in Siam than it is thought to be, but 

 it is a shy bird, hiding away during the day time in swampy places 

 among tall reeds, and is thus seldom seen. Major Forty's bird was 

 an old male and very fat, and was excellent eating. The skin is 

 now in my collection. 



C. J. Aagaard. 

 April, 1922. 



No. IV. — The Burmese Hoase Crow (Gorvus splendens insolens) 



Having in mind Gyldenstolpe's statement that this Crow was 

 common in Bangkok, whereas during the past 16 years I have only 

 seen it once in Petchaburi town, I took particular note when coming 

 across from Mouhnein to Raheng early this year, as to how far this 

 dreadful bird extended towards Siam. In Moulraein it is of course 

 the commonest and noisiest vertebrate the place supports, and suc- 

 cessfully competes for the " chota hazri " laid on the verandah, unless 

 one instantly dashes from bed to table. 



It seems to be a maritime or lowland bird, and was entirely 

 absent a few miles East of Kawkarik where the ascent of the Dawna 

 mountains commences, some 40 miles East of Mouhnein, being re- 

 placed by the ordinary jungle crow. 



K. G. Gairdner. 

 March, 1922. 



JOURN. NAT. HIST. SOC. SIAM. 



