MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 746 



The first throe are from the Khasia Hills, autl the last is an ovary egg 

 from Mussoorio. My series this year appears to be considerably smaller 

 than usual. 



Oi \5 nosisoi (i. monili<;er i\ui\ pectorali>i found, 11 contained Cuckoo's 

 eggs, and rats or crows took the eggs out of two of the rest. This means a 

 loss of l;i out of 1.5 nests, 14 per cent, being all that run any chance of 

 successfully hatching out, unless the Cuckoo's eggs were addled : in all 

 but one nest, two or more Cuckoo's eggs would have to be addled. It 

 seems extraordinary that the Laughing-Thrushes do not rapidly disappear 

 under such adverse conditions. 



For some reason, no Cuckoos appear to patronise the White-browed 

 Laughing-Thrush, Dryona tcs snnnio ; we found about 20 nests of this bet- 

 ween us, and kept one or two under observation, but they were never 

 interfered with. . Possibly the Cuckoos do not like facing the thick rasp- 

 berry brakes in which the nests are generally built. In connection with D. 

 sa7mio, of the nests found this year about half contained white eggs, and 

 half blue ; the full clutch was 3 or 4 — more commonly the latter. Mr, 

 Hopv\ood tells me that when up in Maymyo with the late Col. H. H. 

 Harington about 10 years ago, white eggs were much more common than 

 blue, and a 4-clutch was a variety. Possibly the reason may be connected 

 with the weather (the season was rather late and dry). Notes taken in 

 future years will be interesting. They may show that the bird is turning 

 into a layer of blue eggs. Of the 31 eggs of D. sannio, of which 1 have 

 notes, the average size is I'Ol" X 76"; the length varies of from "94" to 

 1-09" and the breadth from -70" to -80" ,-...;, 



J. M. D. MACKENZIE, m.b.o.u., f.z.s. 



Prome, 

 ^th December 1917, 



No. VII.— OCCURRENCE OF THE EUROPEAN GREAT BUSTARD 

 OTIS TARDA, NEAR PESHAWAR. 



It may interest you to know that I have had a specimen of the Great 

 Bustard brought in to me. Hume and Marshall state that this bird has 

 only once been obtained in the Indian Empire, but five or six years ago 

 a good many came here and this year now that this one specimen has been 

 obtained, there will probably be more. This one is a male and appears to 

 be quite typical with french grey head and neck, the top of the head French 

 grey and the breast and under body a pure white, the only way in which 

 it differs from the illustration in Hume and Marshall being that the black 

 and brow'n feathers seem to come slightly further up the back of the neck 

 than in the illustration. It measures 83" across the wings (not fully extend- 

 ed), 43" from toe to beak, wing 39 ', tail from vent 10', tarsus 6 ', foot 

 3-!o", width 3-4o", beak lavender, weight 14 lbs. It is probable that more 

 will be obtained and if you would like to have it I may be able to send 

 you a skin if 1 can get one in good condition. 



G. ROOS-KEPPEL. 

 Peshawar, \st December 1917. 



[In the cold veather of I'JlO- a number of Great Bustard appeared in N.-W. 

 India, •^tme were obtained near Mardan, one at Jacobabad, Siiid, and anothtr in 

 Chitral. Sir Georjfe's specimen appears to be a female from the weight. — Eds.] 



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