1920.] Birds of Quetta. 137 



March to the middle of May, small parties can be seen. I 

 saw a pair at 9000 feet on 7. vi. Large flocks of birds 

 of the year were seen near Ziarat at an altitude of above 

 7000 feet from 1-i. vii. to 2. viii. in two successive years, 

 and small flocks of adults and young appeared in the 

 Quetta Plains on 10. vii. A female obtained on 8. vii. at 

 Ziarat had lately been sitting on eggs. It is possible that 

 they nest in some of the hills of northern Baluchistan. 



Oriolus oriolus. 



(>. o. kundoo Sykes. 



A summer visitor in small numbers, arriving in late April 

 and nesting in orchards and gardens, my first eggs being- 

 found on 11. v. They leave Quetta in August, and even in 

 summer are seldom found above fiOOO feet. 



Coccothraustes coccothraustes. 



(/, c. hidiui >Shar[)e. 



A nude ol)tained at Quetta on l.iii. was the only one 

 seen, and there are none in the Quetta Museum. Though 

 reported to be common and resident at ( Jhanian I never saw 

 it there. 



Mycerobas carnipes (Hodgs.). 



A connnon resident in the hills, feeding un juni])er 

 l)erries and collecting into small parties in winter, but never 

 descending to the })lains. A nest found on 7.vi. at 11,000 

 feet contained four eggs. Tht! nest was a large cup-shaped 

 structure composed of snuill twigs and coarse gras-^, lined 

 with fine fibre, iind placed on the branch of a juniper five feet 

 frou-i the ground. The eggs were dull white with bold 

 streaks of dark brown round the larger end. 



These birds are very noisy when feeding, but if alarmed 

 will sit motionless and silent in a bush. If hunted out 

 the}' scatter in all directions with clumsy dipping flight, 

 and do not stop their i-asping alarm-note till the party is 

 reunited. 



