NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 13 



Captain (now Colonel) Butler shot a pair between Ahmedabad and 

 Deesa. 



I feel sure that a few at least remain to breed, both in Sind and 

 Cutch ; a friend of mine avers that he has seen eggs in the latter place, 

 but as he did not preserve them, he may have made a mistake, but he 

 is too good a sportsman not to know a Houbara when he sees one. 



Mr. Doig had excellent reasons for believing that the Houbara 

 bred in the desert between Godra and Renahoe. 



Colonel Butler long ago placed on record, that a perfect egg had 

 been extracted from the oviduct of a female, at the island of Han jam 

 oil the Mekran Coast, in the month of April, and that one or two 

 pairs were breeding there. 



Mr. Cumming had eggs brought to him at Fao in Persia, said to 

 belong to the Houbara ; I examined five of these eggs, and also four 

 others that had been sent to Major Babington Peile from somewhere 

 in Persia. 



They were intermediate in size between eggs of the Indian 

 Bustard and those of the Lesser Florican, and they resembled a 

 common type of the former in colour, but the markings are more 

 decided. They are in fact what one would call typical bustards' eggs. 



The}- are broad oval in shape, very slightly pointed at one end. 

 The ground-colour is a dark reddish-, or greenish-brown, in some 

 inclining to a darkish drab ; the markings consist of clouds and 

 blotches of reddish-, and blackish-brown. 



The average of the nine eggs was 2*4 inches in length and 1*8 in 

 breadth. 



839.— THE LESSER FLORICAN. 



Si/pheotidcs aurita, Lath. 



The Likh or Lesser Florican, if it occurs at all in Upper Sind, must 

 be very rare ; in the lower portion near Karachi, a few couples are 

 phot annually during the rains. 



It is very common at this season in suitable places throughout 

 Rajpootana and Gujerat. 



It is apparently a permanent resident in many parts of the 

 Dcccan, but occurs very rarely in Ratnagiri and Kanara. 



It frequents grassy plains and growing crops, avoding thick tree- 

 jungle, and does not ascend the hills to any great height. 



