54 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 



shall say nothing, as I did not arrive in time for the autumn 

 departure and left before their return, but the following is a list 

 of some of the migrants, which remained the wiuter through in 

 Quetta : — 



Wagtails (IT. alha personata), Redstart (R. enjthronota), Black- 

 throated Thrush (T. atrogularis), Wheatears (S. Morio, deserts), 

 Bunting {E. leucocephala, huitoni). Accentor atrogularis, Starling 

 (S, vulgaris), Larks (A. cristata and M. bimaculata, Pipit (A, 

 trivial is) . 



One of the features of an Afghan landscape is the enormous 

 number of ravens (C. Lawrenci). They sit everywhere uttering 

 their peculiar notes, one a deep guttural bell-like note, and the other 

 much more musical, resembling the noise made by pouring wine out 

 of a bottle. They come into Quetta to roost in enormous numbers, 

 as there are no trees worthy of the name to be found outside, but 

 before roosting they sit about on the ground in flocks, perfectly 

 blackening the ground where they are. In the early morning before 

 sunrise they may be seen quitting their roosting-place to disperse 

 themselves all over the country in quest of food. 



In company with the latter, or sometimes associating with pigeons, 

 fly flocks of the Hymalayan Chough (Fregillus graculus) with their 

 peculiar cry and wild eccentric flight. The familiar English magpie 

 too (P. rus'ica) is exceedingly plentiful at Pisheen, though I never 

 saw one at Quetta, and may be seen in the Surkhab by sixes and 

 sevens at a time, flitting from rock to rock. 



I was rather surprised to see one day, so late as December, a 

 common green parrot (P. torqnatus) flyiug overhead. I had 

 never heard ot them being fouud so far north before, so concluded 

 it must have been an escaped bird. However, a few days later, I 

 saw a pair flying together, apparently enjoying the severe weather, 

 and these had not the appearance of recently caged birds at all. It 

 would b9 difficult to say what they could have found to eat, as the 

 trees were perfectly bare at the time, unless they subsisted on what 

 grain they could pick up in the bazaars. 



One small bird which I saw up there particularly attracted my 

 attention, and though I tried very hard to procure a specimen for 

 identification, I was unable to do so, chiefly owing to its restless 

 habits, and to the fact that it went over tha worst ground on the 

 side of the hills which it could have possibly picked out. Perhaps 

 some of our readers may be able to recognize it from my descrip- 



