MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 159 



No. XIX.— THE SNOW PIGEON {COLUMBA LEUCONOTA) 

 AT A LOW ELEVATION. 



I saw in February 1913 at Rajpur, Dehra Dun, a flight of 30 birds, elevation 

 2,200'. There was at the time a heavy storm going on in the hills. 



When staying at Lambatch bungalow (about 7,500' )I saw often as many as 

 50 or 60 of these pigeons on a patch of scrub 20 yards square, The birds 

 were feeding on the berries of the Bekhla, and many of them were taking 

 the berries while hovering over the thin branches which were not strono- 

 enough for their weight. The places where the birds usually fed were about 

 6,000' to 6,500'. The birds are known locally as Bekhla, the same name as 

 the plant. 



The forest thereabouts is closed and is leased from the Eaja of Tehri and 

 consists mostly of Kail (Pinus excelsa). 



Though I offered rewards and also had two orderlies out I was unable to 

 obtain any nests. 



H. F. FULTON, Ma job. 

 Dehka Dun, March 1914. 



[Mr. J. Donald writes us that this shrub is probably Prinsepia ^itilis called in 

 Jamsar ' Bhekoii ' or ' Bhek ' or in Gharwal ' Bhekal ' or ' Bhekar- ' — Eds,] 



No. XX.— IMPERIAL SANDGROUSE (PTEROCLES 

 ARENARIUS) IN CHITRAL. 



I am sending you the enclosed skin of a bird which I shot here on the 

 15th March out of a party of three. I also put up a single bird on the 

 14th. It appears to me to be that of an Imperial Sandgrouse, and I would 

 like to know if this bird has been recorded from Chitral. The Ohitrali has 

 no name for it and apparently does not know it. 



For the last five or six days there has been a strong north wind blowing, 

 but the weather on the whole has been good for the last two weeks. 



H. D. STIRLING, Captain. 

 Chitral, IQtJi March 1914. 



[The skin sent is that of an Imperial Sando'rouse, and as far as we knoA' it has 

 not been recorded from Chitral before. It has however been obtained by Colonel 

 Biddulph in Gil git and Major Stone in Kashmir and breeds in Afghanistan, so 

 its occurrence in Chitral was to be expected. — Eds.] 



No. XXI.— NOTE ON THE HABITS OF THE KALIJ PHEASANT. 



It may be of interest to note that on 30th ultimo, I came across a cock 

 Kalij pheasant {G. horsfieldi) looking after a flock of young a few days old. 

 I saw no sign of the hen, though I watched the cock for several minutes. 

 Probably she was absent looking for food. The cock was very aggressive 

 and ran around demonstrating, often coming within ten yards of me. The 

 chicks were hiding in the leaves, one within a few inches of my feet. 



H. W. A. WATSON. 



MoGOK, BuKMA, Qth April 1914. 



No. XXII.— BEWICK'S SWAN SHOT NEAR QUETTA. 



I have to report that a female Bewick's Swan {Cygnus beivicki) was shot 

 by Mr. A. Aitken at Khushdif Khan, about 40 miles from Quetta, on 17th 

 December 1913. I think there can be little doubt about its identification, 



