666 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



complete the survey of the district. Bii'd life is rich and varied, and 

 of peculiar interest as comprising several distinct types of distribu- 

 tion. Kasauli is high enough to provide many of the typical 

 Himalayan species ; Kalka and the tracts about Chandighar afford 

 opportunities of meeting submontane species ; while the plains of 

 the greater part of the district appear to be the meeting place of ths 

 typical Punjab and United Provinces faunas, with a most distinct 

 bias towards that of the latter. 



Ambala is the district of the Punjab about which there appears 

 to be most on record in Ornithological literature, although what 

 there is is scanty enough. Without being able to give a complete 

 list of the men who collected there, I may note the more important 

 records that I have come across. 



First and foremost in importance come the notes made there by 

 Captain R. C. Beavan, Bengal Staff Corps, who died at sea in 1870 

 at the early age of 29. These are incorporated in a general series 

 of notes entitled " On Various Indian Birds" which appeared in the 

 volumes of the "Ibis" for 18G7, 1868 and 1869 and "Additional 

 Notes on Various Indian Birds" in the " Ibis " for 1869 and 1870. 

 A few short notes by him also appeared in the "Ibis" about the same 

 time. These notes did not include the Raptores which appeared 

 separately as " Sundry Notes on Indian Raptores", published in 

 the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1868." 



Capt, Beavan appears to have been a friend and correspondent of 

 Dr. David Scott, h.e.i.C.S., who was stationed at Ambala and died 

 there about 1868. The latter collected a number of birds and 

 mammals for the Montrose Museum, Scotland, and the majority of 

 these specimens appear to have come from Ambala. In answer to 

 my enquiry the Hon. Curator of the Museum very courteously 

 informed me that the collection was still in existence in fair con- 

 dition. He kiudly gave me a copy of the catalogue printed in 1868, 

 entitled " A, list of Indian Birds, collected b}^ the late Dr. D. Scott, 

 H.E.I.C.S., and presented to the Montrose Natural History Society, 

 1867, corrected and revised by Lieut. R. C. Beavan, c.M.z.s., 

 Bengal Staff Corps." Species contained in this list, with the 

 locality ' Ambala ' are indicated by an asterisk placed after the serial 

 number of my list. 



I have found no published notes by Dr. Scott beyond a couple of 

 notes on the habits of the Hoopoe at Ambala (' Ibis," 1866, p. 222 

 and 1867, p. 135). 



Colonel Tytler appears to have resided or collected at Ambala, 

 but I have not been able to trace many notes by him. The 

 remains of his collection have, however, recently come to light and 

 been presented to the Lahore Museum ; when these skins are made 

 available for study — they are at present in packing cases — I hope 

 to ascertain more about Colonel Tytler's activities at Ambala. 



