Stray Notes on Indian Birds.



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largely clouded with black except at the tip. This species walks,

and does not hop.


White-breasted Kingfisher. Halcyon smyrnensis.


The young have the bill blackish, instead of red, with the

tip and the middle of the ridge orange; the feet blackish instead

of red, orange behind and on soles. They also show narrow

dark edgings to the white breast feathers.


This species has an undulating flight, and runs when on

the ground, not hopping. Although chiefly a land-feeder—I have

seen it alight on a road, at Debra Dun, and pick up a worm—it

bathes by plunging, as all Kingfishers seem to do, whether

fishers or otherwise. It expands its drooped wings when court¬

ing so as to show the white patch on the primaries.


Great Hornbice. Dichoceros bicornis.


I once saw at Rutledge’s establishment in Calcutta a quite

unfledged bird, only about as large as a common duck, and with

feathers only on the head, wings and tail. There was no down,

and the bare skin was dark purplish blue. There was no heel-

pad. The casque, of course, was not visible, as is the case with

all young Eastern Hornbills I have seen, though fledged.


Indo-BurmesE Pied HornbilL. Anthracoceios albirost?'is.


A young bird I had was keen on insects, and was as fond

of raw meat as of fruit, if not more so. These birds are known

to be particularly fond of animal food.


European Hoopoe. Upupa epops.


The Common Hoopoe is only a winter visitant to Calcutta,

and not abundant; 1 never saw the richer-coloured Indian race

( Uindica') there at all; nor were specimens of this ever brought

to the Bazaar. This bird utters a “swearing ’’ or jarring call

when alarmed. I noticed that, at about sixty yards distance,

this bird, so conspicuous close at hand, is quite invisible on the

soil, not that it can need concealment much, as it easily escapes

from hawks. A friend of mine once slipped two Shikras ( Astur

badius) at one and the same Hoopoe, and it dodged them both.


Indian Swift. Cypselus affinis.


It is usually stated that in the typical Swifts, like this, the

toes are all directed forwards, but in this species, as I have often



