94 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
brings clouds of particles of earth and sand with it; in the 
second class the dust and wind arrive together, as in the Punjab, 
and in the manner’ I have before described. The result is 
equally unpleasant in both cases: everything in one’s room 
gets covered with a layer of fine dust, owing to the very 
clumsy misfits of the doors and w indows. 
Yarkand, 30th June.—In addition to my daily morning rides, 
I have this month devoted several entire days to shooting 
excursions in the directions of Sughuchak, Taskhama, Tokkuz 
Kubruk, &e. On these occasions, although the weather has 
been hot, I have marvelled at the slight ‘effect produced by 
exposure to the direct rays of the sun. On two occasions 
when I was out the whole day long, the black bulb thermo- 
meter in vacuo registered the maximum heat of the sun’s 
rays at 149°; yet, although my head was only protected by a 
thin felt cap, I experienced no inconvenience whatever ; 
and the same may be said about the servants and _ horses. 
Of course in India, where the heat of the sun acts very much 
more powerfully than in this country, an exposure to the sun, 
such as I have indicated, would have been fraught with danger 
to every Kuropean. The enormous number of water-fowl 
met with this month in the lakes at Sughuchak, has been 
very striking. Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, “Brahminy Ducks, 
Pochards, Grebes and Coots swarm in hnndrads: but as no 
boat could be obtained, I have, tor the most part, only been 
tantalized by the sight of these birds, without being able to get 
well at them. Waders too have been particularly numerous, 
especially the Redshanks and the Stilt; the latter frequenting 
the small salt lagoons—I may safely say in thousands— 
and being, of course, very easily shot on the wing. Then 
the Terns, with their harsh cry, swarm everywhere over rice 
fields, marshes, and lakes. 
On the 6th a young Turkish Effendi from Constantinople 
paid usa visit. He did not know the Turki dialect spoken in 
Kastern Turkestan, nor yet Persian ; but as he could speak Arabic 
I acted as interpreter, and we had a long conversation. He 
had left Stamboul about three months ago to travel in Central 
Asia—-the aim of his life being the acquirement of learning. 
He was captured by Turkomans—who, he said, were all vile 
thieves—and liberated again, had visited Tashkend, Samareand 
and Bokhara; and then passing through Khokand had arrived 
in Kashghar. He seemed to have been greatly disappointed 
in his search for learned men: “ In Bokhara,” he said, “ there 
is little learning, none in Khokhand, and as to this miserable 
country (Kashgharia) the people are too much occupied in 
trying to escape having their heads cut off to devote any time 
