458 



lEIGPiATION NOTES FROM A PASSENGER STEAMER. 

 By Hugh Whistler. 



On April 25tli this year I sailed for England from Karachi 

 in one of the passenger steamers belonging to the City Line, and 

 during the voyage kept notes of all birds seen ; as many of these 

 "were land-birds on migration, it may be of interest to place on 

 record the ornithological diary of the voyage. 



AjJril 2,5th. — Embarked at Karachi, and started during the 

 afternoon ; in the harbour ^Yere many Brown-headed Gulls 

 {Lams hriuineicephalns) and a few Black-backed Gulls {Lams 

 offinis) ; a single individual of the Sootj^ Gull (L. hcmprichii) 

 was also noted ; a few other birds seen were perhaps Terns. 



April 26i/i. — Land visible in the distance during the greater 

 part of the day. A single Swallow {Himndo mstica) appeared 

 and accompanied the ship for some time. A few Tropic birds 

 w'ere probably Phaethon Jiavirostris ; a siDecies of Tern were 

 noted, with black cap and bill and upper parts ; this I presume to 

 have been the Sooty Tern {Sterna fuliginosa).^ A female Rose- 

 ringed Parroquet {Palceornis torquatns) flew about round the ship 

 for a time, but this perhaps had escaped from one of the many 

 cages in which Lascars were taking Parroquets to England 

 for sale. 



April '27th. — Entered Bombay Harbour about 2 p.m. ; no 

 birds were seen until we entered the harbour, where Lams 

 hmnneicephalus was found to be numerous ; a few had already 

 assumed the chocolate mask. 



'^' No doubt ; it was a very familiar species on the voyage to and from 

 Judia in our own experience. [Ed.] 



