630 Dr. C. B. Ticeburst on [Ibis, 



and measured 4^ incbes in external, 2| in internal diameter, 

 and 1| incbes deep. It contained tbree incubated eogs. 

 Anotber nest witb one young one was placed under a clod 

 and made of dead grass and a few Partridge featbers ; 

 anotber day be found two more nests witb two eggs and tbree 

 young respectively, and several otber pairs were undoubtedly 

 breeding ; all of tbese were in an area of 200-300 acres. 

 The song of tbe male, be says, is sbort and lark-like, not at all 

 like tbat of cajyrata, and tbe alarm-note of botb sexes is a 

 "peep-cbaaa.^' After tbe young are flown tbe birds take to 

 the edge of tbe jungle. In a precisely similar locality at 

 Kairo Dero ii on 14 March, 1*J05, Mr. Bell found a nest in a 

 depression of tbe ground quite covered in by tbe leaves and 

 stems of tbe vetches ; it held tbree fresh eggs of tbe same 

 type as those of indica. Mr. Bell has seen this bird early in 

 March at Dalipota in tbe north Hyderabad district in dry 

 cultivation surrounded by dry canals with high grass along 

 them, and he thought tbe birds were building. He has also 

 met with it in Larkhana and Jacobabad districts, but not in 

 Lower Sind. 



In December 1918 I was very close to where Mr. Bell and 

 Brooks both found this Chat (at Sukkur), and hunted places 

 which exactly fitted their descriptions, but in vain ; the 

 whole place was very parched and there were no crops any- 

 where owing to the low level of the Indus ; I mention this to 

 show bow a locally distributed bird may, owing to local 

 conditions, alter its habitat. It is also worth remarking for 

 bow long a time the status of a bird, even in India, may be 

 unknown if it is local, though it is rather surprising to see it 

 referred to (Ibis, 1922, p. 20) as a straggler to Sind witb tbe 

 above information of Hume and Brooks available. I have 

 no doubt that wherever it occurs it is resident, e.g. Lower 

 Punjab, Ferozepore, etc. 



Sind birds are topotypes ; I cannot separate from them 

 birds from Bhutan. The white in tbe tail-feathers of tbe 

 male varies in extent and differentiation according to age, it 

 being less in birds of the year, while tbe lower parts are 

 suffused witb the chestnut colour of tbe breast in winter, 



