THE BROWN ROCK-CHAT 17 



Bhopal, Bimdlekhand, extending towards Gwalior and 

 the United Provinces." Gates says, ** The western 

 Hmits of this species appear to be a Hne drawn from 

 Cutch through Jodhpur to Hardwar. Thence it ex- 

 tends to Chunar, near Benares, on the east, and to 

 Jubbulpur on the south, and I have not been able to 

 trace its distribution more accurately than this." 

 Nevertheless, this bird is very abundant at Lahore, 

 some two hundred miles north-west of the occidental 

 limit laid down by Gates. Brown rock-chats are so 

 common at Lahore, and the locality seems so well 

 suited to their mode of life, that I cannot think that 

 the species is a recent addition to the fauna of the 

 Lahore district. It must have been overlooked. It is 

 scarcely possible for one individual to have a personal 

 knowledge of all parts of so extensive a country as 

 India : we cannot, therefore, expect accuracy in 

 describing the range of birds until an ornithologist 

 does for each locality what Jesse has done for Lucknow, 

 that is to say, compiles a list of birds observed in a 

 particular neighbourhood during a period of observa- 

 tion extending over a number of years. 



Let us now pass on to the subject of this essay. The 

 brown rock-chat is a dull-reddish-brown bird, slightly 

 larger than a sparrow. There is no outward difference 

 between the cock and the hen, both being attired 

 with quaker-like plainness. They are, however, 

 sprightly as to their habits, being quite robin-like in 

 behaviour. As they hop about looking for food they 

 make every now and again a neat bow, and by this 

 it is easy to identify them. They seem invariably to 

 c 



