OF EASTERN TURKESTAN. 105 
the Kugiar stream. The rest of the road was over an uneven 
sandy waste to Bora which looks ver y green and fresh; several 
orchards, and numerous fields of wheat and Indian corn. The 
hills to the west and north-west of us look quite close. 
The birds here are the Hobby, the Kestrel, Crow (culminatus), 
Turtledove, Crested Lark, Sw allow, Tree Sparrow, Sacicola 
isabellina, Saxicola deserti and—a bird which I have lost sight of 
for some time—the Swift (Cypsedus acuticauda). 
7th.—Ué Toghrak.—On leaving Bora we ascended at once 
to the barren sand plain we had to cross on the day’s march; the 
whole way to Us Toghrak I did not see a vestige of indigenous 
animal life. The desert was far from being an absolute level ; 
on the contrary we passed through numerous ; low hills composed 
of sand, conglomerate or breccia, and sometimes of a coarse 
kind of sandstone. On the road I saw a two- humped camel 
which having, I suppose, got tired of its load, proceeded to 
shake off everything it had on its back—including the saddle— 
and then trotted off to some distance and survey ed its discon- 
solate owner. 
This oasis is, of course very fertile, and it is a capital 
place for birds. On dropping down from the edge of the 
desert into the valley of Ui Toghrak, the first bird I found 
among the long reeds which fringe the = eam, was Suya albosu- 
perciliaris ; it has a peculiar and sweet sort a note. Then all 
the following birds were common: 7. alaudarius, Milvus 
melanotis, LHirundo rustica, Cuculus canorus (young bird in 
ferrugineous plumage shot), Lanius arenarius, Upupa epops, 
Oriolus kundoo, Sylvia curruca, Motacilla personata, Corvus cul- 
minatus, Passer montanus, LErythrospiza obsoleta, Galerita 
magna, Turtur auritus and Turtur Stoliezke. 
8th.— Koshtak.—Last night at Ui Toghrak a very strong 
wind blew from the West, bringing clouds of dust with it; : and 
in consequence, this morning there was a dense dust haze. 
Sarted before 5 a.m. as the march to- ~day was a long one. 
The road lay over very barren ground with great level stretches 
of sand and pebbles. On nearing Koshtak I saw a solitary 
Podoces Hendersoni and a Sand-grouse (Pterocles arenarius). 
The Kilian stream which we had to ford is now of considerable 
size, and the current in it is quite strong ; its bed is composed of 
very large pebbles, and these extend for a little distance. on each 
side of the water. On the banks of the stream I found Aetitis 
ochrophus and in some bushes near Turtur auritus. 
Koshtak is a much wider and larger oasis than the former 
ones, and there is extensive cultivation about here. My Yar- 
kandi Shikari heard some news of the Little Bustard (Otis 
tetrax) being found about here, so I strolled out with my 
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