26 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



the first was killed. It was very cold over the north of India 

 about Christmas, the thermometer falling to within half a degree 

 of the record, which accounts for their presence here, and also for 

 some Mute and Bewick's swans which have lately been seen on the 

 Kabul river near Risalpur. In north China I once saw a large 

 number of the European and the Great Indian Bustards on the 

 same ground. It was interesting to note the difference between 

 them ; the latter were always scattered when feeding, and rose and 

 flew independently like houbara, the lesser bustard, but the former 

 did not separate so much when on the ground, and rose and flew 

 together more like geese, although, of course, not in V formation. 

 We do a great deal of hawking round here, especially Houbara, 

 and it is the greatest ambition to kill one of the great European 

 bustards with a saker falcon, but up to now no flight has been 

 obtained of this fine species." 



To this record Col. Fooks adds %n ejnstola : — " The Great European 

 Bustards were first seen here about the 20th December 1910, and 

 migrated northwards again about the first week in February. I 

 went after them several times to try and get a complete skin for 

 the Bombay Natural History Museum, but was usually unable to 

 find them when I had a gun, although I saw them several times 

 when hawking Houbara. We flew a Goshawk at a flock ( I don't 

 know the right term) of eleven of them which we saw one day, 

 but as the Great European Bustard keep together when on the 

 wing, and do not separate like the Great Indian Bustard or Hou- 

 bara, I rather fancy the hawk was afraid to come to close quarters, 

 although we had a flight of about 3 miles and nearly lost the hawk. 

 A duffadar of this regiment shot 2 females on the 6th January, 

 they were both females and weighed 9^ lbs. each. It is interest- 

 ing to note that these were killed in the same neighbourhood as 

 the only previously reported one was, 40 years ago. I should 

 think that probably about 25 of these birds were seen in this 

 district, all told. I was able to recognize them before any were 

 shot by their mode of flight, as they always keep more or less 

 together on the ground and rise and fly together." 



The fourth specimen which has been shot within Indian limits 

 was killed by Capt. H. M. Symonds at Jacobabad, Sind, on the 



