Bakloh Aviary Notes. 241 



Baklob Aviary Notes. 



By Major Perreau, F.Z.S. 



Part I. — I have been away from Bakloh except 

 sliort spells since October 191 4. In February 191 6 I was 

 there recruiting from a bad go of malaria when the Regiment 

 in Kohal got orders to mobilise for Mesopotamia. Of course 

 I dashed back lat once, but the Kohat doctors were obdurate, 

 and gave !me jio hope of going out till say October or Novem- 

 ber, if then. Thus was I left with the Depot to return to 

 Bakloh our own permanent station in the hills. We arrived 

 rJiere i ith March and though our own doctor played up for 

 me (having known me nearly all my service) I had little 

 hopes of getting out before Septienil:)er 1 determined to try 

 and broed a few Indian birds. However, to my great joy 

 and surprise our doctor had hardly expected so rapid a re- 

 sponse — to hi^ report on me, on 19th April I got my orders 

 to g:> and I loft with a draft on 24th. 



While in Kohat I had left a fe'w birds in charge of a 

 pensioned Gurkha sepoy ("ineligible"), whom my servants 

 call bird orderly. I had also caught a few birds, most of 

 which I iet go on departure. When I left my wife took over 

 charge of the bird orderly — Dila Ram by name. Gurkhas 

 (of W. Nepal at any rate) do not make good bird men, the 

 work is too light and requires too much thinking, also as a 

 rule the pensioner who remains in British territory is not the 

 best. 



In a very short time my wife had taken almost entire 

 charge of the birds, and in my opinion she has had a most 

 successful seas(Mi. ( >f course, she knows more than she pre~ 

 lends to, and has often given me invaluable help, but she 

 has never had Ijirds on her own before, excej)t for short spells 

 at a l-mie, and those were seed-eaters. Out of the few pairs in 

 the aviaries two species have successfully reared young and 

 anothcM- got as far as feeding young for ten days. She has 

 Ncni me copious notes in jier letters, and also kept a rough 

 diary, which I have now with me. 1 {»upix)Se I ought to write 

 a separate account of the doi/ngs of each species and this I 



