BALUCHISTAN NAT. HIS. SOC. PROCEEDINGS. 545 



Read following extracts from letter, dated the 16th April 1910, from 

 Major F. O. Webb Ware, CLE. :— 



" In the year 1907, when passing the same place (along Trade route 

 between Nok Kundi and Tratoh) I picked up alive, but with broken wings, 

 three duck and one teal, and the levies who carry the mail tell me that this 

 place is an almost certain find for maimed duck, etc., at a certain season of 

 the year. The matter is of some little interest, as it would tend to show 

 that under certain circumstances, firstly, birds flighting at night keep far 

 closer to the ground than is perhaps generally supposed ; and, secondly, 

 that they favour certain definite paths of flight, being guided in these by 

 the surface conditions of the ground over which they fly. 



" Although scarcely falling within the limits of Natural History research, 

 I think that it also interests some of your members to learn that measure- 

 ments were taken last year to ascertain the rate of progress south of the 

 Sand Barkans, which cross the Trade route between Ohah Sandan Tratoh 

 and from the connection between the Sandy desert north of the Koh-i- 

 Sultan Range and that lying west of Kharan, and it was found that the 

 progress made was 100 feet. It is more than probable that the distance 

 these Barkans cover varies according to the year and it may be noted 

 that common report has it that the winds which blow across this stretch of 

 country from the north were last year rather below their normal strength.'' 

 In addition to the above observations on bird migration, Mr. Clements 

 remarked that he had once seen a brown Cobra at Khost. This was 

 confirmed by the Hon'ble President, who stated that he had seen Cobras at 

 Sharigh, and remarked that one had also been secured at Duki. He added 

 that one of Col. Drake's servants was bitten by a Cobra in Quetta and 

 died in about 25 minutes, but it is very doubtful whether the snake 

 belonged to these parts. 



The Hon'ble Sir Henry McMahon further mentioned having seen during 

 the week large numbers of tortoises, 5 and 6 together, along the Railway 

 track between Quetta and Nushki and again between Quetta and Chaman . 

 The Honorary Secretary then passed round, for the information of the 

 members, a set of 4 volumes of Seebohm's " History of British Birds " pur- 

 chased by the Museum during the month. 



In conclusion, the Hon'ble President proposed that a special vote of 

 thanks be conveyed to Mr. F. W. Townsend for his very valuable gifts to 

 the Museum, and urged upon more of the members to record their observa- 

 tions as to the migration of birds, those already received being most 

 useful. He also impressed upon members the necessity for reporting the 

 exact locality where found when sending specimens to the Museum, this 

 being especially important in the case of snakes and fishes. 



J. W. N. CUMMING, 



Honorary Secretary. 



