Stray Notes on Indian Birds.



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the appearance of the first young bird, and found the hen sitting

011 ten occasions and the cock on six. I paid the nest a visit

once about 10 p.111. taking with me a bicycle lamp, and found the

hen on the nest ; she was fast asleep and did not stir, although I

turned the light on to her and stood under the nest and talked.

I could not discover the whereabouts of her lord and master.


When excited the Paradise Flycatcher utters a curious

harsh note—a chit-clutter —difficult to describe but easy to identify.

The cock sings a sweet little lay at the breeding season.


They hawk flies, after the manner of their kind, but usually

among the foliage of an orchard or wood in preference to the

open.


I have sometimes seen them pick an insect off the surface

of the water, just as Martins do in England. I once witnessed

one of these flycatchers chase a butterfly—not a usual quarry for

a professional catcher of insects.



STRAY NOTES ON INDIAN BIRDS.


By Frank Finn.


The rather scrappy nature of these notes will, I hope, be

forgiven by aviculturists in consideration of the possible interest

of some of them, at a time of year when copy for the Magazine

is short. I would particularly direct their attention to the notes

on the production—or otherwise—of pellets by birds, as this point

has not received very much attention from ornithologists. I follow

the nomenclature and order of the Bird volumes of the Fau?ia of

British India.


Jungle-Crow. Corvus macrorhynchus.


In adults of this bird the mouth is black inside; in the

fledged young pinky-red, while their eyes are dark-grey instead

of dark-brown.


House-Crow. Corviis splendens.


Although this is usually a bird of the plains, I have seen a

pair at Darjeeling (in April. 1898). It is a curious habit of these

birds to interrupt each other when pairing.


The quids or pellets they used to leave on the verandah I

have found contained large bits of bone and seeds of the peepul

fig, a favourite wild fruit with many Indian birds and beasts.



