240 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



locality. Perhaps, however, C. gallicus is only a winter visitant, 

 or this may be the exact spot where the territorial limits of the 

 two species meet. 



The European Raven, Corvus corax, is common everywhere at 

 Jhelum, Rawul Pindee, Lahore, Ferozpoor, and Sirsa. I cannot 

 understand Captain Hutton's saying (as quoted by Dr. Jerdon) 

 that he had never seen it in India. It is most common about 

 stations and large towns ; but a few are found everywhere about 

 the upper portion of the Punjaub, even in the bare wastes of the 

 Sirsa district. 



The Willow- Sparrow, Passer salicarius, is found thoughout 

 the Sirsa and Hansie districts. In the Duab, at Etawah, and 

 near Gwalior, I have shot single specimens ; but about Sirsa it 

 is found associated in immense flocks with the Common Sparrow 

 (P. indicus). In some flocks these latter are mere stragglers, 

 in others they form nearly one-half of the party. Wherever 

 grass, seed, or bajera-fields are plentiful, bunches of these Spar- 

 rows are to be seen, now spreading wide over a field, now set- 

 tling in a dense crowd on some large thorny caper-bush. Yes- 

 terday I got over fifty in three shots. All had fed on the seeds 

 of the bajera (the bullrush-raillet, as I have elsewhere called it). 

 I had never killed so many Sparrows at a time, at least since I 

 was a boy ; and the very great diversity in plumage of the males 

 struck me forcibly. The general tone of the mantle varied from 

 a dingy rufous or sandy-chestnut to a regular maroon, while, as 

 regards the extent and intensity of the black on the throat and 

 breast, no two specimens agreed. I feel certain that any one 

 comparing the two extremes of the series would have been in- 

 clined to separate them as distinct races ; but there was not the 

 slightest gap in the chain, and one and all were unquestionably 

 Passer indicus. Whether our bird deserves a separate specific 

 name, you will, I hope, be able soon to decide for me, as I am 

 going to send home a large series killed at diff'erent seasons and 

 places. 



Of the Willow- Sparrow the males are very easily distinguished 

 from those of the common bird. The black comes much lower 

 down on the breast, and is much wider there ; and the sides and 

 flanks have numerous somewhat lanceolate blackish dashes. The 



