Coniriduiions to the Ornithology of India, S,-c. 129 



ed and rejjorted that, before getting quite up to the hills, they 

 saw several desert larks, four of them appeared to be in pairs, 

 and one lighted on a bush ! Inside the first low range, they found 

 Saxicola Kingi, Ammoperdix Bonhami, A. lusitania, and several 

 Sylvia delicatuta. Also noticed both immediately inside the first 

 range and in the interior of the hills, large fiocks of a whiter 

 backed blue pigeon similar to the pigeon which he brought me from 

 the sand hills of Rooree and which is, I consider, livia. Otocompsa 

 leucotis C. caudata, the lesser white throat, and H. rufiventris and 

 black and white wheatears were also noticed. This was din-iiig 

 the first march to Seeta, 34 miles. The next day's march was to 

 Peer Bungla, a rise of a few hundred feet. Common redstart, 

 an Alctdo, Bonham's partridge and chickore were the only birds 

 noticed, besides those already mentioned. The next march was 

 to Meera, height about 3,500 feet. Here Dr. Day observed all 

 the birds already mentioned, excepting Sylvia delicatuta and the 

 pigeons ; and he shot in an acacia tree there one of a little Sylvia 

 Melizophilus* striatus, as I propose to call it if new, and a P. 

 neglectus. Later he got another of these little Sylvias in a bush, 

 and a third in a low tree about the same elevation near water. 

 He saw ravens, a pair of lammergeyers, a kestrel, and a few of 

 my pale crag swallow which is, however, uncommon so high up 

 as this and more common lower down. On the way back at the 

 Muzaranee Nuddee, they saw numbers of this crag martin,, 

 Lanius isabellinm, and most of the others already mentioned. 

 Between Aree and Peer Godria, they obtained a night heron. 



The natives said that a huge black wood-pecker, with a red 

 head comes at certain seasons to the trees near the top of Duryalo. 

 This must apparently be Bryocojms martitts. 



At the highest point at Duryalo, is a tomb known as Ktite 

 Tea hibhher, the dog's grave. The legend attaching to it is cui'ious ; 

 it is one that in different forms plays a part in the traditions af 

 every section of the Aryan race. An inhabitant of the hills^ 

 near Duryalo, coming down to the plains to borrow grain from 

 a merchant there, left as his pledge, a favourite and peculiarly 

 intelligent dog. When he first offered the dog as a pledge, the 

 trader laughed at the idea. " There is no scarcity of curs in this 

 country yet,'' he said, " what good will the brute be to me ?" but 

 at length the hill-man so expatiated on the extraordinary merits 

 of the dog, that he accepted it as a pledge and gave the grain. 

 " Stay here," said his master " and see that no harm befalls my 

 friend or his goods, until my pledge is redeemed." The dog wao- 

 ged his tail, sat down at the door of the house,. and his master went 



* Subsequently obtained by Capty Cock in the salt range, and published by Mr. 

 Brooks under this very name. 



