MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 525 



In April 1905, a party of strange tits was observed by me in Kohat, but un- 

 fortunately I failed to secure a specimen. I however recorded in my note- 

 book a description of the bird, and trusted to meet with it the following year 

 and to obtain specimens for identification. But early this year I was ordered 

 away from Kohat, so I gave my friend Mr. C. H. T. Whitehead, 56th Infan- 

 try F. F., a description of the bird and asked him to keep a sharp look-out for 

 it. I am glad to say he was most successful, meeting with several flocks and 

 obtaining specimens. I am indebted to him for the identification and for the 

 pair of skins, $ and $, which are now being sent to our Museum. 



The specific name suits this little bird well. He is even more tit-like in his 

 habits than " Parus " and seems to be as happy hunting the leaves and bark 

 of his favourite trees upside down or hanging abdomen uppermost from the 

 slenderest of leaf stems, as in the normal position of birds in trees. His note, 

 which is constantly uttered when searching for food, is very similar to that of 

 the " White-eye." 



So far this rare species has only been noted on spring migration, the passage 

 taking place in Kohat in April. 



II . A. F. MAG-HATH, Ma job, 



51st Sikhs F.F. 



Fort Lockhart, 18th April 1906. 



[ The occurrence of this tit in Sind was recorded in the last number of our 

 Journal, page 244, by Mr. T. R. Bell, so that the above is not the first notice 

 of its being found within Indian limits. Its occurrence however in Kohat 

 and the notes on its habits are none the less interesting. — Eds.] 



No. XVII.— FLOCKING OF KITES. 



If I can trust my memory, not having the numbers with me in camp, twice 

 during the past year notes have appeared in our Journal on the unusual flock- 

 ing of kites. Perhaps a similar occurrence I witnessed yesterday and to-day 

 at this place may throw light on the matter. The bungalow here is in a well 

 wooded valley in a very small clearing. Yesterday morning I noticed some 

 70 to 100 ordinary kites (Milvus govinda) on the ground within 30 yards of 

 the verandah and busy pecking np some food from an open :bit of turf. On 

 approaching the flock they rose and settled on a similar piece of ground on the 

 other side of the bungalow. I could at first see nothing to attract them, there 

 being only a few (not more than normal) black ants and a red bug or two about. 

 However after a little search I found round the woody stems of some small 

 plants dense masses of the shed wings of termites and turning these over I 

 found the termites had gone into the soil, but could easily be routed out as 

 there were many close to the surface. There had evidently been a flight the 

 night before after a heavy downpour of rain. At first there were only kites 

 but later a jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchus) and a " Pharaoh's chicken " 

 (Neophron ginginianus) and a few common mynas (Acridotheres tristis) and 

 later there were six Neophron which kept all the others at a respectful distance. 



