180 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NA TURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV, 



Runn, on one of the many small islands, a curious bird the like of which 

 he had never seen before. He is not clever .it noting the colouration 

 of the birds but on this occasion he had noticed that the bill was slightly 

 curved and that the legs were white ; he further added that the bird has 

 a curious way of throwing itself up into the air and at the same time utter- 

 ing a shrill whistle. He had found the nest and there was one egg in it 

 which he had not taken as he supposed more would be laid. Strongly sus- 

 pecting that this must be the Desert Sand Lark, 1 sent him out:a few days 

 later with my gun, telling him to shoot the bird as it left the nest 

 and to bring me the bird and eggs. Two days ago he brought in the 

 bird (which is undoubtedly Alaemon desertorum) and a nice clutch of 3 

 eggs which are now in my collection. I have had the bird's skin pre- 

 served and hope to send it to you for inspection. From the notes on 

 the breeding of this species to be found in " Hume Gates" and '' Blanford 

 by Gates" I find that the breeding season ia in May and June, whereas ray 

 clutch was obtained on 19th Augnst, The lateness of the monsoon this 

 year (and consequent extension of the hot weather) may account for the 

 late breeding of this bird in the present case. 



The eggs are white with bold yellowish-brown spots, the shell rather glossy 

 and they are rather larger than any of the other lark's eggs. 



HARRINGTGN BULKLEY, 



KharAGHORA, 22wf/ August, 1901. 



No. XXIX.— THE BANDED CRAKE AT KHANDALLA. 



Last year my shikari, at Khandalla, brought me a clutch of seven creamy 

 white eggs, in the middle of August, together with a nest and said they 

 belonged to a bird which he described as a "burra bhagne wallah" that 

 lived in grassy swamps. He called the bird " lekhir. " As I could not iden- 

 tify the eggs, I sent them to Mr, Stuart-Baker for an opinion. He 

 returned them saying he thought they were the eggs of the Little Bittern 

 (Arclea minuta). They certainly are of that type. My shikari said the bird 

 was fairly common at Khandalla and says it is not a " bagla " at all. I gave 

 him orders to look out again this year, which he did and towards the end 

 of August brought me a nest of the same bird containing 8 eggs and a bird, 

 which I could not identify, but on sending it to the Bombay Natural History 

 Society it was found to be the Banded Crake No, 1395 {Rallina superci- 

 liaris). The shikari says he shot the bird with an arrow on the nest ; as 

 he is not reliable I cannot accept his word, but merely record the fact. The 

 nest looks more like a Bittern's than a Rail's. Early in September, I went to 

 Khandalla myself as the shikari told me he had another nest marked down. 

 Gn iirriving at the place, I Was disappointed as the nest contained no 

 eggs. It was situated in swampy ground and. I believe, was the nest of 



