MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 57» 



No. VII.— OCCUREENCE OF THE MAETIN {CHELIDON 

 URBICA, L.) IN THE PUNJAB. 



On the evening of 16th May this year in the midst of a dust-storm at 

 Hissar I observed two birds flying in a northerly direction, which were 

 clearly House Martins ( Chelidon urbica, L.). About an hour later near the 

 same spot I observed a third Martin following the same line of flight and 

 succeeding in shooting it. The specimen which was a female, fat and 

 moulting, has been compared with English specimens and is an undoubted 

 example of the typical British race. 



HUGH WHISTLEE, m.b.o.u., 



Indian Police. 

 SiKSA, HissAK District, Punjab, 

 nth October 1914. 



No. VIII.— VULTUEES FEEDING AFTEE SUNDOWN. 



In a recent number of the Society's Journal, a member shooting in the- 

 Gir Forest noted that kills had to be covered with branches on moon-light 

 nights (as far as I can remember), otherwise the vultures fed during the 

 night and picked them clean. In regard to the preceding, what happened 

 last night (9th December 1914) may be of interest. My old pony died on. 

 the night of 8th December of tetanus, so I decided to let the body be 

 picked clean by vultures and to burn the bones. 



The body was put out on an open piece of ground about 250 yards from 

 my tent, and the vultures came in due course. 



A little before sunset there were then about 100 birds round the body.. 

 I asked the villagers " how soon will the vultures clear off to roost and 

 leave the body," as I wanted to sit up in case a leopard came. Their reply 

 was " the only birds that will go are those that have already filled them- 

 selves, the others will remain and go on feeding all night." I pointed out that- 

 it was a dark night. Their reply was " that doesn't matter, they won't 

 leave that body until it's picked clean." 



So I didn't sit up over the body. At intervals I went outside and. 

 heard the screeching of the birds as they fed on the body, and this con- 

 tinued until moon-rise when they were disturbed by a leopard who 

 dragged the body away a short distance. 



I personally did not previously know of this habit of the ordinary 

 vulture (grifion ?). I saw no red-headed vultures near at sunset. The^ 

 moon was first day of the last quarter. 



O. A. SMITH, Majok. 



Hazaribag, IQth December 1914. 



No. IX.--NESTING OF THE HOBBY {FALCO SUBBVTEO, 

 LiNN^us) NEAE SIMLA, N, W. HIMALAYAS, WITH SOME 

 GENEEAL EEMARKS ON THE GENUS FALCO 

 AND ALLIED SPECIES. 



As the breeding of this Hobby within Indian limits is of somewhat rare 

 occurrence, I venture to give an account of a nest which I found on August 

 the 16th, 



This nest was in a deodar forest, at an elevation of 6,000 feet and with- 

 in 2 miles of Simla. I may here remark that this, or another pair of 



