32 Indian Museum Notes. [ Vol. 1IL 



Tilliars, who, unable to drive them back to their prison in the hills, slay 

 them wholesale. 



The origin of this legend is supposed to be the fact that the locusts 

 and Tilliars generally arrive in Gujranwala from the direction of the 

 hills at about the same time in the spring. It has been noticed also 

 that when the locusts enter a grain field the Tilliars do not pursue them 

 into it, but station themselves all round its borders and kill the locusts its 

 they issue forth. 



The following are abstracts of the information that has been received 

 upon the subject of this bird : — 



The locusts in parts of Sind in 1889-90 were reported to have been exterminated 

 hyjowari birds, which did not attempt to eat the locusts, but snipped them in two 

 and left them. In Khandesh also, in 1883, the jowari bird or rose pastor was men 

 tioned by Mr. Ommanney as a great enemy of the locusts. 1 (Annual Report, Di- 

 rector of Land Records and Agriculture, Bombay, 1889-90). 



In the Civil and Military Gazette of 24th July 1891 it is reported that a bird 

 known by the Afghans as Sanch has appeared in vast numbers in the provinces of 

 Jellalabad and Lataband, and done much good in destroying locusts. 



Major H. P. Leigh, Deputy Commissioner, Kohat, writes (27th August 1891), 

 that all the natives he has questioned agree in describing the Sanch bird, said to have 

 appeared in such large numbers in Afghanistan, as a Tiliar (starling or rosy pas- 

 tor). This hird appears in Kohat in large numbers, mixed up witli large flocks of Kabu! 

 sparrows, when the mulberries are ripe, and migrates down country, re-appeariug in 

 the autumn on its way north. The flocks chatter tremendously and dash from tree to 

 tree, but have not been noticed on the ground. The bird is known in Kohat as Kan- 

 gira, and it preys on the locust, though curiously enough it has been almost a stranger 

 in Kohat during the past year, perhaps because it found such abundant food among the 

 locust swarms in Afghanistan and adjacent countries. It is said that the Kangira 

 if iu small numbers, will not face a dense flight of locusts. 



In a letter, dated 29th August 1891, Major H. P. Leigh, Deputy Commis- 

 sioner, Kohat, recorded the alleged destruction of a flight of locusts by the rosy pastor. 

 Specimens of the bird were at the same time forwarded to the Indian Museum and 

 identified by ?.lr. W. L. Sclater. The Tehsildar, who was sent from Kohat to arrange 

 for the destruction of some locusts which has appeared in the neighbourhood, reported 

 that the swarm had been destroyed by the starling. He watched them for some time, 

 and noticed that, after killing a dozen or so of insects, the bird would fly off to water, 

 cleanse its bill, and begin again, appearing rather to kill the locusts for amusemeut 

 than for food, as it left them in the most mutilated condition. 



The Deputy Commissioner, Dera Ghazi Khan, wrote (26th August 1891) that the 

 common Tilliar or starling (rosy pastor) eats locusts greedily. On one occasion in 

 July, when flights of lccusts invaded the station of Dera Ghazi Khan, the Tilliars were 

 said to have flown out in a swarm to meet them and attacked them fiercely. The 

 locusts tried to avoid them but did not succeed in doing so, and were beaten off. The 

 damage done in tho station was consequently very slight. The Tilliars are most numer- 

 ous in Dera Ghazi Khan from about the middle of July to t^e end of August. 



1 The locusts referred to by Mr. Ommanney probably belonged to the species Acri- 

 dium mccinctum Linn., which invaded the whole of the Bombay, Deccaii and Konkaniu the 

 years 1882-83. 



