602 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



mentioned in the Fauna of British India. One of the places frequently 

 mentioned below is Kaisapur Jhil, that well known Mecca of Punjab 

 sportsmen during the cold weather. 



The Jhil which is about five miles from Gurdaspur is roughly from two to 

 three miles in length and perhaps a mile across at the widest part and is 

 thickly covered with aquatic vegetation, the tallest of which consists of a 

 sort of cane which in places rises 12 feet above the water. 



The other places mentioned, viz., Malikpur, is approximately 20 miles from 

 Grurdaspur and 5 from Pathankote, which is at the foot of the hills. 

 Malikpur is on the tributary of a canal and the country round about is 

 very well watered, the Gurdaspur district generally abounding in jhils. 

 With this brief description of the localities, I will proceed to mention the 

 birds found therein, the numbers and nomenclature followed being those 

 given in the Fauna of British India. 



4. The Jungle Crow (Corvu^ macrorhi/nchus). 



I found a nest of this species in the course of construction at Gurdaspur 

 in March. At Malikpur where I noticed the Koel and where this Crow is 

 the only corvine species, the Koel must victimise it and not Corvus splendens 

 as it usually does elsewhere. In the Fauna it is stated that this Crow 

 occurs in every portion of the Empire, but it certainly does not occur at 

 Lahore, nor have I seen it anywhere west of Gurdaspur, Ambala and Karnal, 

 in the Punjab, nor any where in the North- West Frontier Provinces. This 

 only applies to the plains as it is common in the hills. Whitehead however 

 records it as a cold weather visitor to Kohat. 



104. The Striated Babbler (Argya earlii). 



1 was very surprised to find this bird on the middle of Kaisapur Jhil and 

 displaying decided aquatic habits by building its nest suspended between 

 reeds about 2 feet above the level of the water, for all the world like an 

 enormous Reed- Warbler's nest. I found nests of this description containing 

 eggs on 13th and 1.5th August 1914 and shot the bird in one case for identi- 

 fication. 



The nearest locality to the Punjab where this bird is found is according to 

 the Fauna Sind and Saharunpur, so the present instance forms an extension 

 of its range. I cannot recall having met with this bird elsewhere in the 

 Punjab though Col. Magrath has observed it at Bannu, in the North-West 

 Province. 



243. The Common lora {ALgithina tiphia). 



I have met with this species at Hoshiapur in March and Gurdaspur in 

 August, while at Malikpur I found a nest with three young in a small 

 thorny tree on the bank of the canal on 1st August 1914. A peculiarity in 

 the Punjab birds of this species that I have so far seen is that the cock 

 birds do not appear to assume the black upper xjli^nfiage in the hot weather, 

 which led, I regret to say, to my shooting the cock bird in the case of the 

 above-mentioned nest, as I had no idea that he could be breeding. 



However when I visited the nest a week later all the young birds were 

 doing well. 



This is a considerable extension in the range of this species as in the 

 Fauna it is stated as not occurring west of a line drawn from the Gulf of 

 Cambay through Abu to Dehra-Dun. 



348. The Wall-Creeper [Tichodroma muraria). 



I have only come across this species on one occasion at Gurdaspur in 

 December, when it was climbing over the cemented boulders, which formed 

 the side of the canal. 



363. The Indian Great Reed- Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus). 



This bird breeds in large numbers on Kaisapur Jhil. Between the 9th 

 and 18th August 1 found 15 nests, all built in the reeds from 2 to 5 feet 



