1^^ 'F-'Finn — Baer's Pochard in India, [April, 



to Qandahar and there take his rest and repose. Meanwhile the govern- 

 ment of Sihrind was made over to Najibu-d-daulah and he took posses- 

 sion of its castle. 



Now Amr Singh was the grandson of Alah Singh Jat, the first of 

 the Sikhs who rose to power. One day Najibu-d-daulah said to Amr 

 Singh, " Rajah I This foot of yours, Patiyalah, is nothing, I will show 

 " you a much better one, Shergajh, which I have made at Najibabad, it 

 " is very strong." Amr Singh inferred that it was intended to send 

 him as a prisoner to Najibabad ; his heart sunk, and the colour left his 

 face. But Fato, widow of Alah Singh and grandmother of Amr Singh, 

 was a clever woman. She went secretly and fell at the feet of Shah 

 Wall Khan (Ahmad Shah's chief minister), placed her shawl on his 

 feet, and bare-headed petitioned that for God's sake he would rescue 

 her grandson from the claws of Najibu-d-daulah, promising to present a 

 fitting tribute {nazaranah) , Shah Wall Khan was a man of probity 

 and of very kindly disposition, and during the night at a private inter- 

 view made some statement to the king. 



In the morning the king sent for Amr Singh from the encampment 

 of Najibu-d-daulah, gave him a robe of honour, and conferred on him 

 the title of Bdja-i-Bdjagan, which is held by his descendants to 

 this day. And the coinage of Ahmad Shah, shelter of the faith (Din- 

 panah), is current in Patiyalah ; and whoever sits in the throne of that 

 territory issues his coin in the name of that exalted king (i. e., Ahmad 

 Shah), and announces himself as a servant of that exalted house. 

 Amr Singh caused the words Haja-i-Mdmzai to be engraved on his 

 sicynet ring, Ahmad Shah being a Manizai. In return for the kindness 

 of Shah Wall Khan, Amr Singh counted himself a servant of Ahmad 

 Shah. 



7. On a third invasion of India hy Baer's Pochard (Nyroca baeri.)— 

 By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S., Deputy Superintendent of the Indian Museum 

 (with exhibition of specimens.) 



[Received and Bead April 6th, 1898v3 



In the Society's Proceedings for 1896 (p. 61), and in the Journal 

 for 1897 (Ft. II, p. 525), I have already recorded two incursions into 

 India on the part of the East-Asiatic duck mentioned in the title 

 of this paper. 



I have now to communicate the fact that Nyroca haeri has again 

 visited India, during the past cold season, in numbers, which, if they 

 do not compare with those recorded on the last occasion (see Journal, 

 loc. cit.), at any rate show that the bird was not at all uncommon. The 

 two specimens exhibited to-night form part of a series of seven secured 



