and usually counnoiiest birds for which he asks exorbitant 

 prices. However, this particular Lahore dealer did not profit 

 himself much by forcing me to pay a visit myself to Calcutta. 



Drove back to the hotel, feeling that I had about got all I 

 could iu the time, but regretted there was no time to visit the 

 New Bazaar,where, so I was told b\' a planter who shared a room 

 with me on the roof, tliere were always lots of birds. I then 

 visited the manager and took out the birds I had marked down. 

 He told me he had one more inside, I might like it. It was now 

 getting dark, but I at once recognised the shape of a Gouldian. 

 Was it a cock or hen ? Hurrah, it was a hen. Now I felt happy, 

 but there was still lots to do. My ticca boy, hired for the day, 

 was sent out in search of string and tins, while I went out to 

 get some American cloth and do a little non-bird shopping, and 

 then we had a busy time fastening up cloth and tins to make 

 the birds comfy for their journey to colder parts. Finished 

 only just in time for a hurried dinner, and arrived a bit late at 

 the station for the Punjab mail, leaving about 9.30 p.m. I think. 

 With a little palm oil, got safely into the trian, the birds in the 

 brake and myself in a carriage full of real undiluted babu. 

 However if one pays second class, I do not see that one can 

 complain of second class company, and the\' soon got out. 

 Early the next morning got the birds in the carriage with me, 

 and had rather interesting company, who did not object to my 

 putting the birds where I could see them. Spent that day, 

 the 24th, in disposing of them in my avairies (in my mind's 

 eye of course) and imagining what they would look like flying 

 about. 



Arrived at Jullundur at about 10.30 a.m. on Christmas Day, 

 very pleased with the results of my little jaunt. To most people 

 the results will seem a very poor return for the troiible taken, 

 and even to me now, looking at the list of purchases simply as 

 purchases, they do look a bit paltry, but it does make a lot of 

 difference when one succeeds in getting anything, however 

 small, after long and fruitless labour. I think I got more 

 pleasure iu getting this little lot than out of much larger and 

 rarer lots since obtained, for the simple reason that I put in 

 much more work. Also this visit was the means of my obtain- 



