Si-iERMAN — Birds by the Wayside 2(57 



couch on the opposite side of the car, — an efficient though 

 elaborate way of turning over in bed. 



White-breasted Kingfisher {Halcyon sinymensis) seems 

 Hke a very tame and commonplace name for the gorgeous 

 creature to which it belongs. Most assuredly the bird is 

 white-breasted, but its beak is coral-red ; its head, sides of 

 neck and body, its abdomen and under tail coverts are a rich 

 dark chestnut ; there is greenish blue on scapulars and wings ; 

 cerulean blue and dull blue on large portions of its plumage. 

 It is a very p-retty bird and of common occurrence, haunting 

 Cjuiet places in city parks, as well as less :frec[uented spots. 

 The Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle riidis) is spotted black and white, 

 as its name implies. It may be seen hovering over the water 

 in search of its prey in a manner similar to some of the terns. 

 A bird larger than either of the fcre-going species is the 

 Large Crested Black and White Kingfisher (Ceryle guttata). 

 It was seen in but one place. The same is true of the Wire- 

 tailed Swallow, but the pretty Red-rumped Swallow was seen 

 frequently. At some hours of the day from my hotel win- 

 dow in Bombay I could look down on many individuals of 

 the swallow family, busily " policing the air," that appeared 

 to be none other than the Swallow (Hiniudo rustica), com- 

 mon to northern Europe in the summer, but at that time in 

 their winter retreat. With much less certainty is it possible 

 to designate as Crag Martins the birds that were seen flying 

 before the vertical fronts of some of the cliffs of Mount Abu. 



In comparison with the numerous species and subspecies 

 of native sparrows abounding in America the continents of 

 the Old World seem singularly barren of sparrow life, ex- 

 cept that furnished by Passer domesticus and some of its 

 very near relations. My notes record the impression that in 

 Bombay I found the House Spa-rrow as conspicuous and noisy 

 as at home. In Calcutta additional proof of its offensiveness 

 was offered by a pair that had gained entrance tO' the dining- 

 room and' was flying about far out of reach beneath the lofty 

 ceiling. 



Both Doves and Pigeons are very abundant in India. I 



