Contfihttions to the Ornithology of India, Sfc. 101 



January 1871, p. 29). I am strong-ly inclined to believe that this 

 is the species represented in Burnes's drawings, and which 

 Blyth identified with Cercomela melamcra, from, which of course, 

 now we have the bird, it proves wholly different. 



Since leaving- Jhelum, we have daily seen one or two of the 

 Punjaub raven flying- over the river, but they never seem to 

 come down to the water's edge or sit upon the banks. 



Later in the day I came upon four female smews, of which I 

 shot one. These birds are rare in most places in the North- 

 West Provinces, but every cold season larg-e flocks are to be met 

 with at the Nujjufg-urh Jheel. Killed three cranes and seven 

 g-eese. Might have killed many more, but all the boatmen and 

 rest of the party had g-ot as many as they could eat. Also saw 

 two grey curlews which I shot. Came upon a huge party of 

 mallard in which there was one male Fidigula rujlna, which I 

 picked out and shot as they rose. 



One curious thing occurred. The left banks, for a couple 

 of miles, are fringed with a dense sheeshum plantation. When 

 passing opposite this, the boatmen picked up a tiny dead bird, 

 water-logged, a mere rag. I could not make it out, so had it 

 most carefully dried. It became a very fair specimen aiid 

 turns out to be P. nitida, Latham, freshly moulted, very brightly 

 coloured, and easily to be mistaken for trochilus, with which I 

 at first wrongly identified it. 



%%tJi. — We hoped last night to reach the confluence of the 

 Jhelum and the Chenab, but had to pull up about 10 p. m., 

 some miles north of it, as although it was full moon, the water 

 was so low, and the river so full of trees and stumps, that we 

 kept sticking and striking every ten minutes. 



Soon after starting this morning, I saw a solitary duck, which 

 I dropped as she rose, an extraordinarily long shot, of course 

 with green cartridge (No. 1.) It proved to be a female Fuligula 

 rufina. Then shot a pair of curlews, and soon after, from close 

 under the bank where they had escaped unnoticed, out sprung a 

 brace of grey duck, which I brought to book right and left. 

 One, however, was only winged, and swimming and diving, he 

 led us a great chase, till, fairly tired out, I gave him another 

 shot. Both were males. This species both flies, swims, and dives 

 more briskly than the mallard. Later I came upon a party of 

 Brahminies. Killed three sitting, and dropped a fourth, a long fly- 

 ing shot. I say killed three, but one was only, kilt entirely, and 

 he led us a chase in the water, diving backwards and forwards, till 

 I was almost induced to fire at him again ; however, at last he 

 rose within about fifteen feet, and I was lucky enough to knock 

 him on the head with the last paddle (I had thrown two others 



