430 Captain A. G. L. Sladen on Birds [Ibis, 



take to be their summer plumage. I shot two of these birds 

 in December and one on March 31, the last of wliich was 

 then just assuming this plumage. 



Of the Tunlidee there are, so far as my observation goes, 

 none left in tlie district now, but during the winter Tardus 

 musicus, T. meriila, T. viscivorus, T. iliacus, and T. pilaris 

 all put in an appearance. Tiie Corvidae are Avell represented. 

 Corvus corax is common and remains throughout the year, 

 almost certainly i)reeding in the high ranges of mountains. 

 Corvus comix is common during the winter months, but, 

 though I suspect him to be a resident, I cannot say that 

 I have noticed him for the last two months. There is a 

 bird which closely resembles the Hooded Crow ((7. corone), 

 but as pairs of them are still common and I have not yet 

 liandled a specimen, I hesitate to say anything more about it. 

 C. fniijilegus was during the winter the commonest of all 

 the family. I have seen dense black masses of thousands 

 feeding on a few square yards of horse-lines in an abandoned 

 camp or whilst the horses were at exercise. They all appear 

 to have migrated. The Jackdaw is particularly worthy of 

 notice because this species appears to be a variety of the 

 British species. It differs by having in almost every case a 

 very light, almost white ring round the neck where the grey 

 feathers end. It is no doubt C. monedula collaris. Another 

 curious variety which I constantly notice has a dull rusty- 

 red colouring extending over the primary, secondary, and 

 tertiary wing-feathers. The species is exceedingly common, 

 remains throughout the year, and breeds. Pica rustica is 

 everywhere ; when there are no trees it nests in thick low 

 bushes. A native interpreter brought me a nest contain- 

 ing eight eggs and declared that three of them were laid 

 |jy " the lazy one,''^ which I assume referred to the Great 

 Spotted Cuckoo [Clamator ghndarius), but, as I have not 

 seen this hi id up to the present, I cannot vouch for the 

 accuracy of this. Garrulus glandarius is not uncommon in 

 suitable localities, hut I am unable to say if it remains to 

 breed. Of the Alaudidae the only species which I have 

 identified arc the Skylark (Alauda arvensis), Crested Lark 



