286 ASTOLA, A SUMMER CRUISE 



a Noddy and three Phalaropes. The former was fishing in 

 company with a large flock of Terns, principally S. albigena and 

 S. minuta, with a few S. bengalensis, and the latter I shot as they 

 flew past the boat at long ranges. 1 also observed a few of 

 Lams lambruschini in the bay, the only ones we saw during the 

 trip, and these even had all left when we returned ten days later. 



In the evening, after dining on shore, we weighed anchor and 

 steered for Henjam, about 120 miles further up the coast in the 

 Persian Gulf. During this portion of the voyage we noticed 

 S. albigena, 8. anosthatus, Pufjinus persicus, Lobipes hyperboreus, 

 and an occasional pair of Sterna bengalensis. All of the first 

 four species were particularly plentiful off Has Mesendom ; and, 

 as we passed through the channel that separates the island 

 from the mainland, a fine old eagle, that was sitting on the 

 rocks, came and paid us a visit, and after sailing two or three 

 times round the ship returned to shore. I did not recognise 

 the species ; but, as far as I could judge, it was about the size, 

 or rather larger than, Aquilavindhiana, with a whitish head, the 

 upper parts including tail, brown, the latter appearing to be 

 barred dusky, and the lower parts white * 



I saw another pair of the same species at Henjam on the 

 following day, but unfortunately could not get a shot at them. 



We reached Henjam late in the evening, and the following 

 morning, whilst Captain Stiffe was engaged in telegraph work, 

 I took a stroll round the island, shooting a fine pair of Sterna 

 bengalensis and a Kentish Plover (vEgialophilus cantianus), the 

 latter having the testes much developed as if breeding. The only 

 other birds I saw on the island were a solitary Shrike ( Lanius 

 lahtora), a few Larks (Galerida cristata), a pair of " Pity- 

 to-do-its" (Lobivanellus i?idicus), and the pair of the Eagles, 

 I have already alluded to. On the water outside, Sterna albigena 

 and Sterna anosthcetus were fishing in abundance; and occasional- 

 ly we noticed Sterna minuta {?) and Sterna bengalensis. 



Mr. Scroggie, however, who resides at Henjam, imparted an 

 important piece of information which I must not omit, and 

 that is that one or two pairs of Houbara macqueeni were 

 breeding on the island, and that about six weeks before our 

 arrival, i.e., about the first week in April, a pair (<$ & ?) were 

 shot there, and that he extracted a perfect egg from the oviduct 

 of the female, and put it under a hen to hatch, but that subse- 

 quently it was destroyed by rats. I am inclined to think that 

 the greater portion of the Houbara that visit Sind in the cold 

 weather breed in Persia and Afghanistan. 



Mr. Scroggie also mentioned a species of crow that I had 

 never heard of before. He said that it was plentiful at Fao 



* ProbuMy Haliccctus leucogaster, immature. — A. 0. H, 



