MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 259 



On the 26th June I also came across a pair which were evidently on the point 

 of breeding as the male was singing incessantly. This pair were not nearly so 

 shy owing to the fact that the grass they inhabited was situated close to the 

 Railway line within a few yards of which were coolies passing up and down all 

 day carrying earth. The cock bii-d in this case let me approach to within 2 

 yards of the clump of grass in which he was singing and I watched him for 

 several minutes so there can be no mistake about the song. It is the skin of 

 one of this pair I am sending you. I came across six dilicrent pairs in different 

 localities and should say that the bii-d is probably f;iiily plentiful but escapes 

 notice easily. 



A. J. CURRIE. 

 Lahoke, 6th October 10()«. 



No. VII.— NOTE ON THE SLATY-BLUE FLYCATCHER (^CYOENIS 



LEUCOMELANUIiUS) AND THE COMMON RUBY-THROAT 



(CALLIOPE CAMTSCHATKEN SIS) IN TIRHUT. 



To-day at Anarh Factorj' in the Darbhanga District my man brought me in 

 a male of the Slaty-blue Flycatcher (Cyornis leucomdanurus) and also a male of 

 the Common Ruby -throat (^Calliope camtschatkensis). The former does not ap- 

 pear to be recorded from this part of India at all as Oates says re distribution : — 

 •'The Himalayas from Murree and Kashmir to Sibsagur and Sadiya in Assam ; 

 the Khasi Hill ; Manipur ; Karence." Its occurring down here appears to me 

 to be of considerable interest. The latter I mentioned in my "Birds of the 

 Madhubani Sub-division" as having seen at Narhar but not got, so I am pleased 

 to be able to authenticate its occurrence in this district. My man says that he 

 saw two of the latter but he only got one. 



CHAS. M. INGLIS. 

 L.vHERiA Serai, 31s/ December 1908. 



No. VIIL— THE RUFOUS-BACKED SPARROW (PASSER 

 PYRRBONOTUS^ NESTING IN THE PUNJAB. 



On the 12th August I came across a colony breeding in a large field studded 

 with acacia trees and situated on the banks of the Ravi. 



The nests wei-e in the acacia tx-ees which were situated about 100 yards 

 apart and each tree only contained one nest. 



The nests, of which I found six, were of the usual sparrow type, untidy heaps 

 (if straw, and, with the exception of one, all had the entrance at the top, the 

 egg cavity being reached by a more or loss devious passage. On the r2th 

 August one nest had 4 fairly well fledged young, one 4 fairly fresh eggs, and 

 one had 2 fresh eggs (the full clutch in this case was five) and 3 more were 

 empty. On the 20th August another nest had 4 fresh eggs and 2 were still 

 empty and apparently deserted. The eggs are of the sparrow type, consider- 

 ably smaller than the House Sparrows, and the description given by Hume fits 



