No, 1. ] jy/.i-'f. 7 ' f-.-i .v 31 



j :■ Rosy pastor; is taken from Jerdon's /:-;>> of Iuj;ia. Volume II. 

 page 333 : — 



" It usually makes its appearance in the Peccan and Carnatic about November, 

 associating in vast flecks, and commit. : g great le* stations on the strain fields, more 

 specially on those of the cLolum or jowaree {Andropogon sorgiu*), whence its 

 familiar name in the south. Mr. Elliot, in his manuscript notes quoted in my catalogue, 

 says: 'Is very Toracious and injurious to the crops ff white jowaree,' in the field- 

 which the farmer is obliged to station numerous watchers, who, with slings and a long 

 rope or thong, which they crack dexterously, making a loud report, endeavour to drive 

 the depredators away. The moment the snn appears above the horizon they are on 

 the wing, and at the same instant shouts, cries, and the cracking of, the loni- whips 

 resound from every side. The Tilliaers, however, are so active thai if they are atle I ; 

 alight on the stalks for an instant, they cm piek out several grains. About 9 or 10 

 o'clock A.M. the exertions of the watchmen cease, and the Tilliaers do not renew their 

 t'.i:.ieri-^ :iil cTr-.i _\ Arte: ~z. .--: :z. z~ :.. - -::" :i z : : : :: i_.i 7 :-<_■ ::$?.:: is re- 

 tiring to the trees and jungles for the night. They prefer the half-ripe jowaree, whilst 

 the farinaceous matter is still soft and milky, V7^ r n they can no longer get grain, 

 thev feed on various grass and other seeds, flower-buds, fruit, and also on insects, seek- 

 ing them on the ground, but tb ey are rarely seen with Battle in India, The relugu 

 name is derived from the nsme of a plant whose fruit they are particularly fond of. 

 Mr. Blyth remarks that ' they •>:: :he neighbourhood of Calcutta only at the eni : 

 the cool season, when flocks of them are not unfrequently observed upon the arboreal 

 cotton tree then in bloom.' 



B Burgess states that he has seen them bnsily feeding on the flowers of the leafless 

 caper, a shrub very common in the Peccan, on the banks of the larger rivers. Dr. 

 .A dams says that ( it is very abundant in the Punjab, committing great liavoe on the 

 grain there.' In the north-west of India, and in Afghanistan, they devour lar^e 

 quantities of mulberries in spring, hence called the • Mulberry-bird ' in the north- 



-r, disappearing afterwards. They at times, however, feed much or. insects, ani 

 called the * Iccust-^ater" in Persia, according to Chesney. They do not breed in this 

 country, quitting the south of India in March, but lingering in the north a month or 

 so. longer. It is ascertained that they breed in vast numbers in Syria and other pai 



We era Asia, in rocky cliffs. Burgess states his belief that they breed in India 

 s : ziewhere, and was informed by a native that they do breed in the Ghats. This how- 

 ever is, doubtless, totally without foundation. Mr. Xayard states that one year he saw 

 large floeks of these birds in July, that they remained only a week, and th*»n disappeared. 

 They were entirely unknown to the Natives. Burgess also states matin 1850, to- 

 wards the end of August, he saw a large flock of the rose-coloured sterlings feeding on 

 insects in an open field. These instances of their appearing so early ar« very unusual, 

 and more especially their occurrence in Ceylon in July, by which time the young could 

 •-■'.j rivr ;~z ' ..s: : .:-.". 7 delved." 



Mr. M. P. O'Drrver. Settlement Collector of Gujrauwala. quotes an 

 interesting Hindoo legend, to the effect that in response to the prayers of 

 the people, the locusts Lave been imprisoned in a deep valley, stv.-: :unced 

 impenetrable mountains in the west of the Himalayas. Tne exits 

 m this valley are guarded by I War* (rosy pastors), commissioned by 

 heaven for the purpose. Now and then, when the sentinels fail in their 

 dntv of watch aud ward, the heists escape and arc hotly pursued by the 



