1868.] On the Birds of the Goona District. 211 



during that and the succeeding months I noted a good many, and in 

 November I found two pairs breeding in tall trees near a village. 

 The common kite (Milvus Govinda) is a permanent resident. I have 

 not seen it recorded anywhere that this bird bathes* in water, but 

 this I once saw one do. I was unfortunate in procuring owls, and 

 I feel sure that there must be others in the district besides the 

 two that appear in my list. 



The Insessorcs are of course the most numerous group. These in- 

 clude 85 species. Of swallows, H. filifera and daurica are about 

 equally common, and both reside in the district during the hot weather 

 and the rains, as well as in the cold season. H.Jilifera breeds in the 

 district, for although I never found the nest, very young birds were not 

 uncommon in April and May. Cotyle concolor and Cypselus affinis are 

 also permanent residents and breeders. I found nests of the former 

 containing young, in the walls of an old fort early in September. 



The only Hornbill inhabiting the district is the Meniceros bicorms, 

 and that is very common, but it occurs only in the cold weather. Of 

 Tockus gingalensis, I saw but one individual, which I shot. It occur- 

 red early in April, and was a sickly bird in very bad plumage and 

 evidently a straggler. 



The rose-ringed Paroquet (Palcsornis torquatus) is extremely numer- 

 ous at all seasons. During the hot weather, a colony of many 

 hundreds established themselves in a clump of Tamarind trees near 

 the village of Goona. These quarters, however, were occupied only 

 during the night, for regularly every morning, after much preliminary 

 chattering, the whole flock betook itself, in parties of from twenty to 

 thirty, to the jungles, returning again about sunset in like manner 

 but flying at a greater height. 



Taccocua affinis, the only species of the genus in the list, is not 

 uncommon in the district. It frequents low bushy jungle when 

 feeding, but perches on trees. I have frequently met with it asso- 

 ciating with flocks of the common blue Pigeon near wells. 



With the cold weather, large numbers of two species of Pratincola 

 (P. caprata and P. Indica) appear. Saxicola cenanthe also comes, 



* The bathing may be almost daily witnessed on the Calcutta maidan, during 

 the cold and hot weather. (Ed.) 



