to the Birds of Lucknow. 599 



has made his race almost arboreal, and where he shrinks to 

 go I wouki advise no one to make the attempt. 



The natives of Oudh, on the other band^ are practically 

 useless as finders o£ nests. When Vultures, Herons, Egrets, 

 or the like breed in colonies near their villages, they will 

 sometimes inform you of the fact, and occasionally a small 

 urchin, who is looking after the cows, will point out to you 

 a clutch of Plover's eggs, but that is all. I was fortunate 

 enough to find an excellent climber in my chowkidar, but it 

 is not often that a villager will risk his life or limbs over a 

 difficult nest. 



In my notes I have left out all reference to the Great 

 Indian Stone-Plover (^^acMS recurvirostris) , the Indian Spur- 

 wing [Hoplopterus ventralis), and the Small Indian Swallow- 

 Plover [Glareola lactea). These birds were already known to 

 have occurred within the limits of the Division, though they 

 had not actually been seen near the city. However, I have 

 myself shot examples of the first two species on the banks of 

 the Goomti close to La Martiniere, and have seen the third 

 bird in the same locality. 



On the other hand, I have given short notes on the Sociable 

 Lapwing [Chettusia gregarid) and the Black Partridge [Fran- 

 colinus vulgaris), because, although on the " list," they had 

 evidently been included with a certain amount of doubt. 



Before concluding, I cannot but refer to the loss that Indian 

 ornithology has sustained though the death of Mr. George 

 Reid, who passed away at Lucknow early in the present 

 year. Though I never had the good fortune to make his 

 acquaintance personally, we corresponded regularly, and, up 

 to the last, he took a keen interest in everything connected 

 with his hobby. His list of the Lucknow birds is extremely 

 complete, particularly when it is remembered that he had to 

 compile it at odd moments and practically unaided. The 

 Lucknow Civil Division is now far larger than it used to be. 

 The number of Commissionerships in Oudh has been reduced 

 to two — Fyzabad and Lucknow. The size of the new 

 Division and the limitations imposed by my scholastic work 

 have quite i)revented me from treating of nearly the whole 



