proach birds and watch them closely for long periods. They show at times a tendency to pick at wood though except round nest entrances no sign of bark stripping is shown and it is purely a beak exercise, I think, as generally hard wood is selected. But it is a very minor habit, seldom indulged in, and probably only to trim the beak when overgrowing or to keep a sharp edge on the lower mandible which is used like a paring knife on seeds while the seed is held and rotated by the tongue against the upper mandible. At such times the beak is invariably held in the notch with a gap between the mandibles at the side and it is through this gap that the husk of the seed is ejected as it is peeled off. When clean the kernel of the seed is swallowed. About nesting hollow entrances the bark is pecked and in every nest I saw a teak tree with green or live bark was used and I believe this habit is practised to protect the young from ant attack as the green bark exuded a sticky sap which would probably deter insects and it is noticeable such peck marks are not so much stripping as wounds marks to stimulate bleeding. It is noticeable the greatest area of pecks is always on the lower side of the nest and a much narrower margin of pecks is seen on the sides and upper side. Marks appear to be made at various times and not all at one time. Such pecking about nests is not invariable, many nests showing no signs of it, but it was noticeable that where peck marks were present there were invariably ants passing up and down the tree and apparently giving the pecked area a wide berth. Other habits noticed were the more or less daily regular movements between roosing places and different feeding and resting areas during