BIRDS IROM NORTHERy AND WE^CER}} PERSIA. 877 



Ph il2croGorax: pi/gmxiis (Pa;! ") Pyg.iiy Coraiorant. 

 1 2 , 30th January — R3sht. 

 The Pygmy CoraiDrant is co.n-.non in the lagoons in winter and was seen as 

 late as 17th April. T was on ths la,goon in a launch for several hours on 2nd Jun3 

 and never saw it. Zarudny does not state that they breed in this part of Persia, 

 but one would have certainlv expected them to do so. 



Pterodes orlentalis arenarius (L.) — Imperial Sandorouse. 



Id, 18th June— Tehran (R. E. C). 



IS , 1 ? . September — Qazvin. 

 The Imperial Sand Grouse appeared at Qazvin in early Februarv (Ingoldby). 

 Chsesman found it paired and apparently breeding in various places in the 

 plateau, from Hassanabad to Qazvin and Tehran. The male (18th June) had 

 '' organs not very advanced, iris brown, bill plumbeous, toes whitish grey." 

 It is almost inconceivable that Sand Grouse should suddenly appear at Resht 

 in spring, in view of the general swampiness of the ground and the constant 

 rain : nevertheless a flock of a species which I could not identify certainly lit 

 on the aerodrome at Resht on 5th JMarch, and at that time the aerodrome 

 was partly under water : this party of birds only stayed for a few hours. 



Columba, pilumhus, L. — Wood Pigeon. 



I saw Wood Pigeons between 3rd March and 27th April at No^kbar, En2eli 



Streptopelia turtur (L.) (sub-sp. ? ) Turtle Dove. 



The Turtle Dove arrived at Enzeh on 27th April and remained all through 

 the summer : I saw it also at Astara in the beginning of July. It is exceedingly 

 unfortunate that I did not secure skins : we may I thhik safely presume that 

 they belong to the European race, 



Burhinus (xdicnemus oeiicnemus (L.) — Stone Curlew. 



1 sex ? 21st September — Qazvin. 



1 5 , 16th October — Enzeli harbour. 

 Both the specimens of Stone Curlews belong to the typical race, which 

 Zarudny has already recorded breeding and on migration in the Caspian 

 Provinces and N. W. Persia. The specimen from Enzeli harbour was of course 

 on passage, and I believe the one from Qazvin also ; at any rate I never saw 

 the bird there until the day on which I killed this specimen out of a flock of 

 20. I have a specimen of B. oz, astutus from Khaniqin in Mesopotamia, close 

 to the Persian border. 



Hrinutopus ostralegus ostrahgus, L. — Oyster Catcher 



Oyster Catchers were plentiful at Enzeli throughout the last three weeks 

 cf April : they occurred in large flocks. 



Cursorius gallicus (Gm.)^Oream-coloured Courser. 



I saw Cream-coloured Coursers in October between Qazvin and Teheran, 

 They always frequented desert overgrown with Liquorice {GlycerrMza) and were 

 extremely ^vild. Specimens are very desirable. 



Chiradrius asiaticas. Pall. — Caspian Plover. 



Id. 1 2 , 1st May— Enzeli. 



The pair shot were the only Caspian Plovers I ever saw. Enzeli was a most 

 disappointing place for Waders, 



Chiradriiis dubius, Scop. — Little Ringed Plover. 



The Little Ringed Plover breeds at Enzeli, and at Astara, on the banks of 

 sand along the edge of the Caspian- I have no note or recollecfon of its pre- 

 sence in Avinter. 



