BIRDS COLLECTED AND OBSERVED AT THULL. 339 



532. Sturnus menzbieri (Sharpe.)— The Common Indian Starling. 

 This is our commonest starling all through the cold season. It was found 

 at Shinowari about 25 miles from Thull, and at the latter place till the end 

 of April. 



549, AcRiDOTHERES TRiSTis (Linu.)— The Common Myna. 

 Common at all seasons, and breeds eVerj'where in houses and holes in 

 trees. 



608, Pratincola caprata (Linn.)— The Common Piod Bush-Chat. 

 Not common, but a pair or two maybe met with in a day, it stays to 

 breed in patches of reeds near the river bed. 



610, Pratincola maura (Pall.)— -The Indian Bush-Chat. 



These birds appeared in great numbers, at the end of March ; during 

 April it was the commonest bird at Thull, but by the beginning of May 

 every bird had gone. They, however, breed freely at Parachinar, 54 miles off, 

 at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, 



619, Saxicola capistrata (Gould,)— The White-headed Chat, 



Common winter visitant, I notice that Mr. Gates says it is a constant 

 resident in the plains of the Punjab, but I have most carefully watched this 

 bird during the last eight or nine years at various Punjab stations but have 

 never seen a single specimen during the hot season. My experience is they 

 disappear in the beginning of May and return to their usual places in October. 

 I searched all the hill sides round Thull during May and could not find them. 

 In July at Parachinar they were common and breed freely. I saw numerous 

 young birds about. 



625. Saxicola isabellina (Cretz.)— The Isabelline Chat, 



Common in winter ; a few birds however remain to breed. I was lucky 

 enough on 7th June, 1898, to find a nest with two eggs ; unfortunately the 

 native with me handled the nest rather roughly, before I could stop him. I 

 left the nest three days in hopes of more eggs being laid, but I found it 

 deserted ; I, however, saw the bird originally fly off the nest. Ihe nest was 

 a neat cup of grass under a stone with a deep egg cavity lined with finer 

 grasses ; eggs, two, of a clear pale blue, marked all over with rusty red spots 

 like dried blood ; shape, long narrow ovals slightly pointed at the small end ; 

 elevation about 4,000 feet. These birds breed freely at Parachinar about 

 5,700 feet. I found a second nest in a similar situation with young ready to 

 fly on 24th July, 1898. 



628. Saxicola chrysopygia (De Fil.)— The Red-tailed Chat. 



Appears in Thull about the middle of May and is fairly common. On 25th 

 May, 1898, 1 saw a pair of birds building, and on 2Ed June I visited the nest, 

 and found four fresh eggs, which I took, shooting the female. I have already 

 described nest and eggs in a note in this journal. I subsequently found other 

 nests. These birds do not seem particular as to situations. The first nest was 

 in a dense wild olive bush, about 18 inches from the ground ; another, on the 



