THE RESIDENT BIRDS OF SAUGOR AND D AMOK DISTRICTS. 89 



Harewa who used to go about the garden repeating this perform- 

 ance whereupon every other bird fled like Catiline who, on the 

 discovery of his conspirac}^, " abiit, excessit, evasit, erupit." Apart 

 from these two instances of what is, on the part of the King-crow^ 

 at any rate, imitation with practical intention and purpose, birds 

 produce the songs of others apparently for amusement. The Larks, 

 Indian Sky-lark, Ganges Sand-lark, Singing Bush-lark, Crested 

 Lark and Sykes's Crested Lark, are all good at imitation, while 

 one of the best of all is perhaps the Rufous-backed Shrike, who 

 when in the mood will imitate one bird after another most 

 beautifully. 



My acknowledgments, which I here gratefully record, are due 

 to v^ious people for much valuable help and information ; to 

 Mr. Tucker who gave me most material assistance at the beginning, 

 the most difficult time of my observations ; to Mr. Chenevix 

 Trench and Mr. Thornhill, both keen naturalists and bird-lovers ; 

 and lastly to Maula Baksh, most stalwart of Chaprasis, whose 

 knowledge of local birds, while requiring check, is, like Sam 

 Weller's of London, extensive and peculiar. 



N .B. — The first number given against each bird in the following list is 

 the serial number of the bird in the Fauna of British India 

 Series — Birds by Gates and Blanford. 



4. (1). CORVUS MACRORHYNCHUS. JlUlglfc CrOW. 



Pahari or Jangal Kauica. 

 7. (2). CoRVTJS SPIENDENS. Indian House Crow. 

 Kauiva . 

 16. (3). Dendrogitta rufa. Indian Tree-pie. 



Chota Mahuka. 

 43. (4). Machlolopus haplonotus. Southern Yellow Tit. 



Gulsabdaroshan . 

 Nests in June. Last year I found three nests, two with foiu- and one 

 with five eggs. As Gates and Blanford say the dimensions of the eggs are 

 not recorded. I may mention that these three clutches averaged •74X"55, 

 excluding one very small egg which only measured '69 x 'ol. 

 105. (-3). Aegya caudata. Common Babbler. 



Chota Genga. 

 110. (6). Crateropus canorus. Jungle-Babbler. 



Genga or Satbhai. 

 139. (7). Pyctorhis sinensis. Yellow-eyed Babbler. 

 These are the only Babblers that I know of in Saugor. The large Grey 

 12 



