MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 157 



highest bridge in the world). All the nests were inaccessible without the 

 aid of ladders, being built against the roof or sides of the caves overhang- 

 ing the river. Although so well protected from enemys from below, they 

 appear to be victimised by bats, which simply swarm in the caves, making 

 their presence known by their noise and stench, as I picked up a number of 

 eggs which had clearly been sucked. I also picked up a fully fledged 

 young bird, and a nest. This was saucer-shaped and composed of 

 leaves and grasses, and lined with a few feathers, the whole being cement- 

 ed together with saliva. I have been told that they also breed in the rail- 

 way tunnels on the far side of the Gorge. The eggs I picked up were a 

 glossless white, and in shape very long elongated ovals, and measured 

 I'Ox "67 inches. 



I was informed in Maymyo in 1912, that early in the year a large number 

 of Swifts appeared and haunted one of the bridges in the B, I. Lines, and 

 then suddenly disappeared again. Whether they belonged to this species, 

 or were the Malayan House-Swifts {M. subfurcatus) I could not discover. 



I hope that members stationed at Maymyo, will report if these Swifts 

 appear again, — and also whether M. p. cooki is found in the Goteik during 

 the winter months. I should also be extremely grateful for any eggs, 

 which I was unable to procure myself. 



London, January 1914. 



H. H. HAEINGTON, Maj. 



No. XVII.— NOTES ON DOVES IN THE PUNJAB. 



A perusal of "Indian Pigeons and Doves" shews that there is apparently 

 but little on record with regard to the Punjab, so the following remarks 

 may be of interest. No mention is made of the migratory habits of the 

 Red Turtle-Dove {(Enopopelia t. tranquehanca) which in the northern Pun- 

 jab at least are very pronounced ; for it is a summer visitor arriving in 

 considerable numbers for the purpose of breeding. To judge by my own 

 observations (which I should be very glad to have either refuted or 

 strengthened ), the movement north must be a very leisurely one, there 

 being a slight corresponding difference in the dates of commencement of 

 nidification between in the north and south portions of the Punjab. 



In Ferozepore District (1912) I noticed the first bird on 25tli February, 

 and at Phillaur (1910) I found the first nest with eggs on April 9th, but 

 failed to note how much earlier the species had arrived. Here in Jhelum 

 district this year the first bird was heard on 20th March and they were 

 numerous before the end of the moath. Whereas in Rawal Pindi district 

 (1911) I first noticed them on April 23rd on which date they were numer- 

 ous, and at least a few must have arrived a little earlier as I found two partly 

 incubated eggs in a nest on May 4th. Capt. Whitehead records the species 

 as a summer visitor at Kohat from the second week of April until August. 



The return movement in Jhelum takes place about August ; practically 

 all the birds have gone by the end of the month, the last bird noted being 

 seen on 2nd September. 



In this connection it would be interesting to learn on what date Mr. 

 Pitman saw the large flocks of males in Chanda district, C. P. as the fact 

 may have had some connection with this annual migration. 



The usual note is a long sustained purring coo— very distinctive in 

 character. Another highly migratory species in these parts is the Indian 

 Turtle-Dove Streptopelia turtur ferrago, which breeds commonly in the 

 Murree and Hazara hills occurring in the neighbouring plains districts on 

 migration. 



