104 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
latter bird breeds here in the cave-like holes of the surrounding 
loéss banks. Circus wruginosus was again particularly numerous 
at this spot, and one youngish bird of the species, which I shot, 
is in a beautiful stage of plumage. The weather having got de- 
cidedly hot, I left Tungtash, and rode off to Kar chalik, 1 noticing 
by the way ‘the Crow (C. culminatus), the Hoopoe, the Ringdove 
and the Wagtail (J. personata). 
At Kar chalik I found a fair going on, with crowds of people 
about the “streets, and was glad to get into the cool shade of 
the old quarters we occupied on our way up last year. 
3rd.—Halted at Karghalik.—Occupied all the morning in 
writing letters, &c., and spent the Ena at Tungtash. In 
addition to all the birds mentioned yesterday I found the Cor- 
morant (Graculus carbo ) quite common, and bagged a couple. 
Gallinula chloropus too was numerous amongst “the rushes, and 
I noticed Budytes citreola, Aigialophilus cantianus, Avgialitis 
fluviatilis and a large species of Duck called by the natives 
Palbash aurdak, of which I have no specimen. 
5th.—Besharik.—Yesterday we halted for a second day at 
Karghalik and to-day we have come on a short march of about 
five miles to this little oasis of “five streams.” On riding out 
of Karghalik I heard Quail calling in the fields, and Savicola 
isabellina was tolerably numerous just where the cultivation 
ceased. Ina little bit of loéss ground, before getting on to the 
stony desert, 1 found Saaicola deserti very numerous, and shot 
five of the birds there. 
Here at Besharik the Tree Sparrow, Swallow, Hoopoe, 
Turtledove, Ringdove, Crow (C. culminatus), Galerita magna 
and the two Saxicolas mentioned above—are common. No 
Starlings or Orioles are to be seen about. In the evening 
I went out for a walk over the gravelly steppe, which 
extends in its dreary barrenness as far as the eye can reach. 
Here I saw the Large Sand-grouse (Pterocles arenarius), but 
the birds were so wild and the country so flat and open that I 
was not able to getashot. On the way back to camp I saw 
a Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Maximum temperature in the shade 
to-day 942°; in the sun’s rays 140°5°. 
6th.— Bora.—Started at half past five this morning, to avoid 
the heat on the desert, and reached this valley-oasis at 11 
o’clock. First part of road over rough gravel, evidently, I 
think, a very large low angle alluvial fan. Came across 
several small streams with bushes and reeds growing along 
their banks, and saw three Sand-grouse (P. arenarius)—very 
wild. Isaw one Podoces Hendersoni, but it ran so swiftly 
and dodged so in amongst the bushes that I could not get a shot 
at it. Alaudula pispoletta and Sylvia curruca, common near 
