1922.] the Birds of Sind. 547 



which animals they will take up their perch. In the evening 

 these Drongos flight in from the desert, flying high in twos 

 and threes to their accustomed roost, at which time quite 

 large flocks congregate on some bare tree or on any perch 

 near the ground to partake of their last meal. Little insect- 

 life comes amiss, and I have seen them successfully hawk 

 dragonflies. Pugnacious at all times, in the breeding 

 season I have seen one bully even a Pallas' Fish-Eagle ! 



The nest is usually of the slung Oriole-type, but I once saw 

 one in a four-forked prong of a guava, which was quite round 

 and cup-shaped. 



Agrobates galactodes familiaris (Menetr.). 



The Grey-backed Warbler is a passage migrant through 

 Sindj taking the " Arabian route " to reach its winter 

 quarters ; I only met with it, and that regularly, on autumn 

 migration. The passage lasts but a short time^ — 3 to 24 Sep- 

 tember, first and last dates, — and it may then be found usually 

 singly in thin scrub-jungle out on the desert, haunting the 

 small shady tracks which goats have made through the 

 bushes ; here, hopping about with tail erect searching for 

 beetles, it is quite tame and quite unmistakable. Those I 

 procured were always exceedingly fat. 



It has been recorded in several places in north-west India 

 on autumn passage, and I doubt the correctness of the 

 statement that it is a cold weather visitor. The only record 

 that I know of in the cold weather is that of Murray, who 

 stated that he got one at Trainhee on the Manchar Lake on 

 30 November. Very likely Murray mixed up the dates (he 

 was very careless in labelling), or possibly it was a delayed 

 migrant (see note under Rock-Thrush). 



Why the spring migration of this species should miss Sind is 

 not clear, but several other species which take the same route, 

 such as the Common Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Red- 

 backed Shrike, etc., and which I observed at each autumn 

 migration, never came under notice during spring passatre. 

 The statement that this bird breeds in the Multan district of 

 the Punjab should, I think, be verified by breeding specimens. 



2 N 2 



