652 Dr. C. B. Ticeluirst 07i [Ibis, 



Mr. Bell writes that this Sparrow is fairly common in the 

 jungles of the Indus from north of Sukkur down to the 

 Sadnani forest in the Karachi coUectorate, and occasionally 

 as far as the junoles in the Hyderabad district. He found 

 it frequenting fairly tall tamarisk-jungle round jiieels and in 

 mixed jungle of tiiis and acacia. The nests are often great 

 globular depressed masses of tamarisk-twigs, with a hole in 

 the side or top leading to a central chamber which is lined 

 thickly with feathers ; the external diameter varies from 

 90-180 mm. Many nests in the Sadnani forest on 23 April 

 mostly contained young, one clutch of four, the rest three ; 

 in one nest the young were about to fly. 



I found this little Sparrow in winter at Jamrao Head on 

 the Narra Canal not very unconnnon, in little flocks of five 

 or six individuals feeding with Amadavats on the seeds of 

 the "khan'' grass, in a forest of which^ mixed with 

 "babooP' and "kandi," it was exclusively met. This jungle 

 had been flooded at one time, and was so still in parts. The 

 birds seemed particularly fond of the tall grasses growing 

 up through a "kandi" bush, into which they could retreat 

 at the slightest alarm. Here I found two old nests, one at 

 the top of a pollarded tamarisk supported by the sprouting 

 branches, the other in a fork of tamarisk, and both about 

 15 feet from the ground in mixed "khan" grass and acacia 

 jungle which had been inundated. The nests were rather 

 like those of P. domesticus, but more depressed. 



I again met with this bird in similar jungle at Sukkur, a 

 flock of about fifteen, apparently all males. I also found a 

 few pairs on a tamarisk-covered island in the Manchar 

 Lake on 10 March, where they were, I think, about to breed, 

 from which locality Becher has also recorded tliem. They 

 are rather noisy little birds, and the note reminded me 

 rather of a Wagtail's call-note. 



Dr. Hartert (Vog. pal. F. p. 151) is undoubtedly in error in 

 making this Sparrow a race of domesticus (and Mr. Stuart 

 Baker (.J. Bombay N. H. S. xxvii. p. 731) has recently fol- 

 lowed him). From the writings of Doig forty years ago it was 

 evident that this could not be so, as he then recorded both 



