Xetters to the Editor. 425 



When flushed, they seldom flew far, seeming- to trust more to 

 their leg's than their wings. After a time the cries ceased and 

 the birds were rarely seen, so T concluded they must have their 

 nests now, and set myself to find them. Day after day I waded 

 through the dirty water and long grass (in whicli I had myself 

 caught gigantic water-bugs, nearly three inches long, and other 

 horrible creatures innumerable) searching every accessible bush 

 and likely place along the edges of the fields, but all in vain. 

 The birds were there, for I often flushed them, but for a long 

 time all my efforts to find the nest were utterly baffled. 



It little occurred to me that while I was poking- among- bushes 

 and grass where orthodox birds of that class ought to breeds 

 my water-hen might be sitting over my head looking down at 

 me. One morning, however, a Native cultivator, whom I had 

 told to search also^, happened to see the bird going up a middle 

 sized date palm that stood out of the water, in the top of which 

 there seemed to be an old crow's nest. He was soon up too, 

 and after clearing away a good deal of rubbish, he took down 

 the nest and brought it to me, in triumph. The nest was rather 

 flat, but might have been an old crow's ; it contained four eggs 

 of a brownish white colour, not very thickly covered with spots 

 of three colours — light brown, dai'k rusty brown, and pale pur- 

 plish blue.- They were rather larger than a crow's. I was sorry 

 to find, however, that they were very nearly hatched; the 

 whole four were cracked, and I could hear the chicks chirping 

 distinctly inside. So I made the man go up again and fix the 

 nest securely in its place, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing 

 the old bird making its way up to it, not flying, but running 

 up the rough bark of the date like a ladder. A day or two 

 after, the nest was empty, and at the bottom of the tree I found 

 a fragment of an Qgg, which I have before me now. I was 

 anxious to know how the bird would get its young ones down, 

 but I failed to catch it in the act. — E. H. Aitken. 



Having lately obtained a fine specimen of Indicator 

 xantJionotus , the following brief notice may prove acceptable to 

 Indian Ornithologists. 



While making reparations for the start of our party from 

 Murree, I took the opportunity of examining the intricate geolo- 

 gical section along the Abbotabad road. 



