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be said o£ the birds, principally parrakeets and birds o£ prey, 
which are kept in cages. 
Murray (“Handbook to India,” 8th Edition, 1911, p. 127), 
in mentioning the Ahmedabad Pinjrapol places the number 
o£ animals lodged in it as about 800, and adds : “ There is 
also a room where insects are led.” 1 enquired about this 
at Ahmedabad, and took the advice locally given to me that 
I was on no account to go to this room : 1 was told that the 
method o£ leeding the insects is to pay a man a certain sum 
to allow the parasites to £eed on his blood lor a fixed number 
ol hours. The man is then strapped down on a bed and lelt 
in the room and not allowed out till the time bargained lor 
has expired. 
Kankeria Tank. 
The “ Houz-i-Kootub, ” Lake ol Pebbles, or Kankeria 
Tank, near Ahmedabad in Gruzerat, is said to be about 72 
acres (29T3 hectares) in area {see Murray, “Handbook to 
India,” 8th Edition, 1911, p. 128). Kootboobeen Shah, 
King ol Ahmedabad, commenced to build it in 1452 a.d. 
(856 A.H.), and Mr. A. A. Borradaile, Collector, restored it 
in 1879 A.D. 
In the tank is the island Kagina, the Gem, connected to 
the mainland by a wooded causeway and a beautilul stone 
bridge. The island is laid out as a garden, rich with sub- 
tropical and tropical vegetation, Casuarina, Horn Palm, 
Cocoanut Palm, Mango, Arbor vitae. Jasmine, Bougainvillea, 
Keem, Madagascar Papyrus, etc., etc., and is a sanctuary lor 
birds. 
This island is indeed a wondeiTnl place lor seeing birds, 
both lor the numbers that Irequent it and lor their tameness 
and want ol lear ol mankind. The most marvellous sight 
is just alter sunset when thousands ol birds fly in Iroin all 
directions to roost on the island, and gradually settle down 
lor the night. It is not only a wonderlul thing to see but 
also to hear. T here are J ungle Crows, Corvus macro rhynclms^ 
House Crows, Corvus splendens^ Black-headed Bulbuls, Mol- 
pastes haemorrhons , great crowds ol practically tame Mynas, 
Acridofheres tristis, many Kingfishers both ol the large pied 
