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Soon after this I went to the Andamans, and on my return

could not distinguish with certainty my old pet from the new

Dabchick. I did see, indeed, one of them make a Whistling

Teal fivout of the water; and if this were the young bird at its

accustomed mischief, it had b)^ this time advanced nearly into

full breeding plumage, which was not the case with the other

bird ; but this is, I should think, unlikely.


After this one of these Dabchicks disappeared. I often

saw one fly short distances in the evening, and noticed that it

alighted “ anyhow,” letting the feet trail behind all the time,

and not putting them out in front like a duck or gull.


One of the birds, I think the same, remained on the tank

for at least a year after this, but ultimately disappeared. As

before indicated, I have had other specimens, and noted in these

also the power of walking denied to the Grebes by some

observers. On two occasions I experimented with some in order

to find out if they could rise off the ground and get on the wing.

The results of the experiments have left me somewhat in doubt

on this point. In the first case a bird let loose on a lawn was

able to raise itself a foot or so from the ground, and I note that it

“ could evidently have flown off in good form.” This was early in

1897, an d later in the same year I repeated the experiment with

another bird, which could hardly clear the ground, but it was, I

think, in a weak state, for it could not walk far at a time, and

when turned out on the tank came out of the water, a thing I

have seldom seen a healthy Dabchick do. In fact, I believe

these birds sleep in the water, judging from what I have seen.


The iris in this species is brownish yellow, but I noticed

that in my young bird it was hazel at first, and in a still younger

one, (downy all over, and with no feathers on the wings) it was

brown.


The beak is buff, black along the ridge, and green at angle

of mouth.



BICHENO’S OR DOUBLE-BANDED FINCHES.


By the Rev. C. D. Farrar.


As no article has yet appeared on these lovely little birds,

I have put together some notes on this rare species.


Bichenos are among the tiniest of the little finches that

come from Australia. I know of nothing so tiny as their little

legs and feet: they are more like little threads than legs.


The importation of Bichenos is very rare—only about



