NOTES. 
131 
mobbing of a dog by these birds. My white fox-terrier was running 
about beneath a mango tree when a pair of drongos (the “ Ceylonese 
white-bellied drongo,” Buchanga leucopygialis, Blyth) dashed out 
and repeatedly swooped down upon the dog. They appeared to 
actually flick its head at each swoop. The dog seemed to think it a 
fine game, and tried to turn the tables by springing at the birds as 
they passed. The pugnacious little creatures followed their enemy 
for at least fifty yards beyond the tree, in which perhaps they have 
their nest. 
E. ERNEST GREEN. 
Beradeniya, April 13, 1909. 
4. Arboreal Habit of the “ Kabaragoya” (Varanus salvator, 
Laur.).—In a recent number of Spolia Zeylanica a doubt is thrown 
upon the tree-climbing propensities of any but very young examples 
of this lizard. But some three years ago, a specimen measuring at 
least three feet long was captured in a jak tree outside my labora¬ 
tory in the Peradeniya Gardens. It was seen to run up the tree, and 
was finally noosed by a string at the end of a long bamboo at a 
height of about twenty feet from the ground. This specimen was 
kept in captivity for a few weeks, during which time it fed upon 
frogs and young rats. 
E. ERNEST GREEN. 
Peradeniya, April 13, 1909. 
5. Habits of Babblers. —Some years ago on coming down to early 
tea one morning my appoo told me he had caught some young birds. 
They were in a crate in the verandah just outside the dining room, 
and I found them to be three common babblers ( Crateropus striatus), 
and told the appoo to let them go. Whilst having early tea 1 
noticed that three or four old birds were hopping about the verandah 
with food for the young ones. 
About a fortnight ago I found two young babblers in a cinnamon 
bush close to my house; they were beginning to fly, and one was 
caught and killed by a cooly as I came up. I caught the other and 
had it placed in a cage at an open window and watched all day. 
Four grown birds were in attendance and fed it at intervals through¬ 
out the day. In the evening, after the crows had gone home, I put 
the bird back in its nest, but it had gone the next day. 
I shall be interested to know if any of your readers have observed 
young babblers being fed by more than the actual parent birds. 
In Legge’s “ Birds of Ceylon” 37-011 will find “ Layard writes as 
follows of this bird: ‘ They are always seen in small parties, varying 
from three to seven according to the number of 3 ; oung ones in a 
