Stray Notes on Indian Birds.



300



and entered the Hooghly two days afterwards. All these

specimens were females or short-tailed immature males.


I once bought a brood of three young birds and tried,

unsuccessfully, alas! to rear them; they showed a remarkable

graduation in plumage, one being completely chestnut brown

above, even on the head, one having the orthodox immature

plumage, and one being intermediate. The first-named no

doubt represented the primitive immature plumage which the

species is losing; we had a similar one in the museum. A male

I kept for two days 011 insects cast a pellet after that time. I

either let it go then or gave it to our member, Mr. F. Groser,— I

forget which. By the way, that gentleman told me he had

observed this bird feeding on butterflies commonly, cutting off

their wings with the snap of the bill by which it caught them.

I11 view of the rarity of the observed attacks 011 butterflies by

birds, this observation is of interest.


Hume’s Weaver. Ploceus megarhynchus , Hume.


The Ploceus megarhynchus of Oates should be P. atrigula ,

as I showed in the Ibis, for 1901. The true P. megarhynchus is

the biggest of Asiatic Weavers, as large as the Rufous-necked

Weaver ( Hyphantornis textor) of Africa, and i 11 plumage is nearly

all yellow except the wings and tail. On March 13th, 1902, I

noted a dozen specimens of this large Indian Weaver in the

Tiretta Bazaar, the chief bird market of Calcutta. They were in

undress plumage and had come from Lalkua, near Kathgodam.

Next day I found they had been sold for training; they were said

to be better for this purpose than the common Weavers, so some

natives knew them. The man who brought them evidently did,

as he said they would become very yellow. Some at an}' rate of

this consignment reached England, and were exhibited there,

ultimately, I believe, coming into Mr. W. Rothschild’s possession.


Eastern Baya Weaver. Ploceus atrigula.


This species frequently shows some yellow in the breast,

which should be buff even in the breeding plumage ; no doubt

this is due to admixture with the typical or Yellow-breasted Baya

(P. bay ah).


Gold-headed Black Finch. Pyrrhoplectes epauldia.


On 111 y first visit to Darjeeling, in 1895, one of the first



