JUN E. 



THE breeding season is now just past its height. In all parts of 

 the country the shrikes, the paradise flycatcher, the common bul- 

 buls, weaver birds and sparrows, the black-bellied finch lark, doves, 

 the common sandgrouse, and the little grebe are breeding every 

 where ; and throughout the plains the purple coot and waterhens are 

 pairing and building. 



In the HIMALAYAS, a few of the hawks and one of the swallows 

 are still laying. The goatsuckers, bee eater, and roller all have eggs. Also 

 the little kingfishers and broadbills in the low valleys. The Marshall's 

 barbet begins to lay. All the cuckoos and honey suckers have eggs, and 

 in the far west nuthatches' and tree creepers' eggs may still be found. 

 Most of the mini vets, drongos, flycatchers, wrens, thrushes of all kinds, 

 blackbirds, most of the babblers, laughing thrushes, bulbuls, orioles, robins, 

 chats, reed warblers, hill warblers, tree warblers (except the abrornis group, 

 which are early breeders), white throats, forktails, wagtails, pipits, all 

 the hill tits (Leiotrichina) , the carrion crow, the jays and magpies, the 

 mynahs, munias, sparrows, buntings, skylark, pigeons, doves, a few of 

 the pheasants, partridges, grouse and quail (these latter only at the 

 higher elevations), sandpipers, coots, rails, bittern, and some ducks are 

 laying throughout the month. Towards the end of it the red-winged wall 

 creeper, striated jay thrush, white-throated bulbul, fulvous-breasted and 

 large hill warblers, tree sparrows, most of the finches, and the ruddy 

 rail are pairing and building. The " sacfa" or Hodgson's partridge also 

 pairs at the end of this month, in the alpine Himalayas. 



In the PUNJAB, the crested honey buzzard, and possibly also some 

 of the eagles and kites have eggs. All the bee eaters are laying. The 

 roller, white-breasted kingfisher, koel, concal, sirkeer, the white-eared 

 bulbul, golden oriole, treepie, mynahs, bush larks, finch larks, black 

 partridge, bustard, plovers, stilts, white-necked storks, and king curlew 

 are all breeding. While the egrets, pond herons, cattle herons, bitterns, 

 night herons, and spoonbills are beginning to pair and build. 



In the NORTH-WEST PROVINCES, the true engles, buzzards, kites, 

 and screech owl, are still breeding. The mosque swallow has eggs also. 

 The goatsuckers and rollers, the little kingfisher, the common gold 



