682 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, fol. XXIII 



attention was attracted by an unknown black and white bird which was 

 standing and occasionally jumping into the air, in a grass field on the 

 Government Cattle Farm at Hissar. It was shot and proved to be a male. 

 The stomach contained grasshoppers. Other specimens were seen in the 

 grass lands of the Cattle Farm Bir by Mr. Blanford, i.c.v.s., as follows : — 

 ■8th August, one, probably a male ; 23rd August, a male ; 6th September, 

 male and female found separately. One of these latter specimens is 

 believed to have been seen again on 24th September. 



HUGH WHISTLER, m.b.o.u., 



Indian Police. 



SiKSA, HiSSAE. DiST., PuNJAB, 



nth October 1914. 



No. XIII.— 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 10 yards of me. The 

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



H. W. A. WATSON. 



MoGOK, Burma, Qth April 1914. 



No, XIV.— EGRET FARMING IN SIND. 



• With reference to Mr. Birch's interesting article on this subject I should 

 like to mention one or two points which appear to require further elucida- 

 tion. I have heard a good deal about Egret farming lately, and though 

 never having seen an Egret farm myself I have interested myself in the 

 subject and have endeavoured to gain as much information as possible 

 regarding the methods followed in collecting Egret plumes. 



As a rule the so-called Egret farms are situated in localities difficult to 

 access in the hot weather, and so far I have never met a European oflicial 

 who has seen one except in the cold weather. 



All officials, however, whom I have questioned on the subject, have told me 

 that the birds they have seen are kept for breeding purposes, but the only 

 evidence they had to support their statement was that the owners of the 

 farms had told them so. 



On several occasions I have observed natives catching Egrets by means 

 of decoy birds that had their ej^es sewn up by means of a feather passed 

 through the eyelids. These birds were placed in a spot frequented by 

 Egrets and not being able to see, remained where they were put down. 

 The ground round about being strewn with loops any birds that alighted 

 near them stood a very good chance of being entangled. On one occasion 

 last year also I saw some 50 or 60 birds being despatched by rail, every 

 one of which bore evidence of having had their eyes sewn up, some were 

 quite blind with their eyelids so swollen that they could not open them, 

 while in others, though they could open their eyes, one could distinctly see 

 where the eyelids had been pierced. I questioned the man in charge of 

 them, and at first he told me that the birds were for breeding purposes and 

 that he plucked their feathers every year and sold them to a " Sahib " at 

 Es. 18 per tola, but eventually he allowed that they were decoy birds being 



