708 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XIII. 
it is common here and evidently breeds,as in the oviduct of a female shot 
20th February, 1901, was a shelled egg (unfortunately broken) of a salmon 
colour thinly spotted with brownish-red, 
I have besides shot the following birds which I have either never come 
across, or found to be exceedingly rare, in the adjoining district of Cachar, 
Falco chiquera, rather uncommon ; Pandion halietus, common ; Scops spi= 
locephalus, 9, caught on nest with 2 young ; Micropus melanocephaius, un- 
common ; Cinnyris asiatica, plentiful; Cinnyris hasselti, plentiful; Tiga 
javanensis, not rare; Crocopus phenicopterus, perhaps the commonest green 
pigeon here ; Columba intermedia, exceedingly common; Halcyon pileata, 
observed closely but not having a gun with me, I was unable to secure the 
bird. 
A. M, PRIMROSE, 
Rena T, E.,, 8. SYLHHT, 
Se ee 
No, XXI.—ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE DESERT FINCH 
(RHODOSPIZA OBSOLETA) AT CHAMAN, BALUCHiSTAN, 
The Society has lately received several specimens of the Desert Finch 
(Rhodospiza obsoleta) from Lieut. John W. Watson, I.M.S., which he has 
collected at Chaman, and as this species is not included by Mr, Oates in the 
Fauna of British India, Birds, Vol. I1., on the grounds that no instance of its 
occurrence had up to the time of publication been recorded from within the 
limits of British India and its dependencies, the present instance is worthy of 
record, This, however, is not the first occasion of the species being obtained 
within our limits, for two specimens from the Tochi Valley are mentioned 
in the Journal of the Asiatic Society, Bengal (Vol, LXIX, part 2, page 101), 
and Mr, Oates’ note as to the probability of the species being eventually 
found within our boundaries has thereby been justified. 
Regarding the species Lieut. J. W. Watson writes: ‘“ It is very common in 
“Chaman in August and September, going about in large flocks in the latter 
‘‘ month, eating the seeds of sunflowers, &c., in our compounds, and of grasses, 
“ &c., by the roads, They are fond of sitting in lines on telegraph wires and 
“ wire railings,” 
E. COMBER, 
Bompay, March, 1901, 
NO. XXII —NIDIFICATION OF RIMATOR MALACOPTILUS, BLYTH. 
With reference to Mr, de Nicéville’s note on page 531 of the present Vol 
ume of our Journal there seems to be some doubt as to my finding the 
nest and eges of Rimator malacoptilus, 
