120 Contributions to the Ornithology of India, 8fc. 



Porzana marnetta, Hydrochelidon indica, Falcinellus ignem, 

 Phjllopseiiste neglecta, and Laticilla Burnesi. 



I also here met my collector who came down the Indus from 

 Kusmore. He has brought numerous other birds already met 

 with; but the only ones deserving" notice are other fine specimens 

 of Larits argentatns, and a splendid adult H. albicilla. 



There is a hig-h stone tower here^ of which the natives tell 

 an absurd story. A certain wealthy trader had long pestered 

 with his addresses a lady of his own caste. This was of course 

 in old days, such as those to which the Sakoontala introduces 

 tis, when men and women chose their own life partners, and 

 were not, as now, married off by their parents while still mere 

 children. Wearied by his importunities, the damsel at last 

 promised to marry him if he would endow her with all his 

 property and do two things that she would enjoin upon him. 

 This most unbusiness-like bunniah lover was overjoyed (so the 

 story goes, but I don^t believe it, if you do.) Repairing at once 

 to the necessary authorities, he made over to her formally all his 

 property, and presented himself to her the very next day ta 

 learn what were her further behests. Now the lady never for 

 a moment intended to marry him, and had fondly imagined, 

 for she didn't know her man, that he would rather resign 

 his pretensions to her hand, than the money he had so long 

 and patiently toiled to amass. At first she was rather nonplussed, 

 but after a minute's thought, requested him to build a stone 

 tower on the highest point in Sukker, a hundred cubits high. This 

 she thought would at any rate defer the evil day for some years 

 and give her time to devise some plan for escape. She did not 

 however yet know her man. Within a week relays of workmen, 

 the best the country could boast, were toiling night and day at 

 the appointed task, and within a month the ardent swain again 

 appeared to announce the completion of the tower and to ask for 

 her final order. Quite confounded at this unexpected and 

 sudden return to the charge, the lady could only falter out, 

 " The tower is finished, is it ? Then the only thing remaining' for 

 you to do is to throw yourself off the top of it V It is lament- 

 able to have to record that straightway he went and did as he 

 was bid, being consequently " bi'oke all to little pieces," so that 

 nothing- more remains to be said about hi7n, while tradition has 

 indignantly ignored the lady's after life. We considered this 

 pathetic case most patiently, in solemn conclave, at the base of 

 the tower, and then unanimously returned a verdict of " served 

 him right" — first because he was manifestly and transparent- 

 ly a hopeless idiot unfit to live, and secondly because he palpably 

 tried to cheat the lady, the tower not being a hundred cubits high 



