THE IBIS. 



SIXTH SERIES. 



No. II. APRIL 1889. 



XIII. — On the Birds of Southern Afghanistan and Keldt 

 By Lieut.-Col. Sir O. B. St. John, R.E., K.C.S.I. 



When I was ordered to join the army proceeding to Southern 

 Afghanistan in October 1878, my friend Mr. A. O. Hume 

 placed an experienced bird-skinner at my disposal, with whose 

 assistance I made as good a collection of the birds about 

 Quetta and Kandahar as my somewhat onerous duties per- 

 mitted. In the autumn of 1879, the evacuation of Kandahar 

 appearing imminent, I sent the skinner and the collection to 

 Mr. Hume at Simla. He returned me a rough list of them, 

 but it did not find its way into print. A year or two pre- 

 viously. Dr. Duke, Residency Surgeon at Quetta, had sent 

 Mr. Hume a few skins obtained in Northern Baluchistan, and 

 Mr. Hume himself had made a large collection on the coast 

 of the same country. With these materials Mr. Hume had 

 designed to publish in ' Stray Feathers ' as complete a cata- 

 logue as possible of the birds of Baluchistan; but that useful 

 periodical had lived its life before he had time to carry out 

 his purpose. 



Events, as will be remembered, prevented the evacuation 

 of Kandahar in 1879 ; I remained with the army of occupa- 

 tion, and continued to collect and take notes, having tauglit 



SEH. VI. VOL. I. L 



