1922.] Birds of , Than (I District. 4153 



Anthropoides virgo (L.). 



Diirinii the spring of 11)18 I was for tlio first time privi- 

 leged to see the famous migration of the < *ranes. 



It is perhaps most easily described by extracts from my 

 diary :— 



8 March. Two long' linos of (Jranes flying northward over 

 the Police lines. 



23 March. Gahr Maharaja : a])out 200 Cranes se(m flying 

 in a north-easterly direction up the river in the 

 evening at an enormous height ; they were in 

 an immense tangled skein, oxliil)iting every 

 formation; occasionally one or two birds were 

 calling. 



2-4 ]\Iarch. About 10 a.m. some 500 ('raneswere seen to rise 

 from a distant sandl)ank on the riv(M- ; the 

 majority rose into the air and circled in an 

 immense cloud at a great height until thev 

 finally disappeared from view. The remainder 

 did the same in smaller, disconnected groups. 



27 March. Shorkot. A large flock flew over in a north- 

 Avestorly direction. 



31 March. Jhang-Maghiana. A])Out 2 p.m. a flock of about 

 100 Cranes passed over my housp, "swirling"' 

 in the air and gradually moving in a northerly 

 direction. Occasionally a bird would call. 

 1 April. About 2 v.M. some 200 Cranes were "swirling" 

 iiigh over Maghiana, and then started off in a 

 north-westerly direction in small parties and 

 groups of chevrons. Then about 3 p.m. I 

 heard more Cranes calling, and went out to see 

 a stream oi' Cranes at an immense heijiht fol- 

 lowing the same line as the previous flock. 

 They were big flocks, small parties, chevrons, 

 and odd birds extendino- in one line of flioht as 

 far as the eye could reach. As I watched, the 

 loading flock commenced "swirling" until some 

 of the following parties Joined it, and then they 

 started off again, following the original route. 

 About 4.30 p.m. I again heard C-ranes calling, 

 and in the evening 1 saw a couple of flocks fly- 

 ing in the same line but rather lower. Tlic 

 servants reported that after dark they could 

 hear CJranes calling. 



SER. XI. — VOL. IV. 2 F 



