BIRDS NESTING ON THE EASTERN NARRA. 281 



recognize, and which I had noticed fly past me two or three 

 times towards some small acacia trees growing in the water. 

 On going to these trees, I found three nests exactly similar 

 to nests of P. domesticus, only rather smaller, placed in the 

 topmost branches, and about 12 feet over water line. All the 

 nests had young ones more or less fully fledged ; in order to 

 have a pair of the birds, 1 shot a female." 



Had 1 only known at the time of the importance of my prize 

 t could have got all the birds — nest, young and all. The pair 

 I shot, along with another male obtained some days after in 

 another part of the Narra, I sent to Mr. Hume, who corrobo- 

 rated my identification. The second male, I shot out of a flock, 

 which were migrating south, flying from tree to tree along the 

 bank of the Narra. 



760 fo's.— Pyrrhulauda melanauchen, Cab. 



This bird, wherever there are sand drifts, is very common, 

 and is never, as far as my experience goes, found in company 

 with P. grisea. They breed at the end of February and begin- 

 ning of March, at the end of May and commencement of June, 

 and again in the end of August and beginning of September. 

 One breeding place I found in this latter month was situated 

 away from the Narra, some 10 miles out in the desert near some 

 salt deposits, and where evidently rain had fallen, as there was 

 a considerable growth of grass. The nests were very similar to 

 those of P. grisea both in size and description, and were invaria- 

 bly placed at the root of some tuft of grass, on the north side, 

 evidently to be sheltered from the hot wind. In this place I 

 collected over 40 eggs. They are very similar to those of P. 

 grisea, perhaps as a rule more boldly marked, and some of them 

 had well defined rings of colour round the larger end. The 

 normal number of ecjcrs j s two. 



no 



770.— Certhilauda desertorum, Stanl. 



On the 3rd June I found a nest and young of this species on 

 a large, open plain on the borders between the Narra and 

 Hydrabad districts. Since then I have to thank my friend, Mr. 

 Ffinch, for an egg of this bird taken at Jask. The nest I 

 found was similar to those of P. grisea, but larger. The egg in 

 my collection is in markings very similar to eggs of P. mela- 

 nauchen, the markings being bolder and the egg about twice 

 the size. 



837.— Houbara macqueeni, J. F. Gr. and Eardw. 



My egg collector told me in July last that one year, while 

 travelling through the desert from Gudra to Renahoo, he had 



