470 



RETURN TO TUSHUT. 



Hsematornes are very local, none being found here but just around a 

 village called Pillipote, a favourite station— Zaitoon trees, or naked 

 Bakkeins. Haematornis I have seen feeding on the ground, this species 

 has the same voice as that of the genus generally. 



The yellowish Bunting-like water- wagtail, is very common just 

 now : it occurs in wheat fields ; flight, chirp, and mode of getting up 

 when disturbed just as in the Buntings. 



Weather very unsettled, heavy rain and thunder last night, and 

 now threatening a gale. 



2\st. — Returned towards Pushut: a Lanius, but not the one shot, 

 was seen near the road in bushes. 



22nd. — Of the four red-billed Shrikes, two are male and female, 

 sexes alike, stomach fleshy like that of Haematornis, but food entirely 

 vegetable : the two female stomachs contained each a seed of the 

 Bukkein (Melia) : the two males contained fragments of buds, perhaps 

 of a willow, but not a vestige of an insect, so their swooping and sally- 

 ing is a mere analogical representation of Merops. In Haematornis 

 contents of stomach chiefly vegetable, partly of insects. 



26th. — Very rainy and unsettled weather, thunder and lightning. 



27th. — Clearing up : heavy rain in some parts of the night, other- 

 wise fine. 



28th. — A beautiful morning. "Went to Kooner, distance twelve to 

 thirteen miles : for three miles the road was dangerous but tolerably 

 decent, no defiles being passed, in which murderers were likely to 

 lurk, very little difference in seasons between this and Pushut. 



29th. — Returned again to Pushut. The country about Pushut is one 

 sheet of cultivation, studded with trees ; so thick are these that few 

 villages are discernible in consequence. Nothing particularly notable 

 occurred, except that a tulip is common in the fields about Kooner, 

 but not found in those about Pushut : it occurs also with Amarylli- 

 deae, which is likewise a stranger to Pushut. What is the reason of 

 the ruined forts so common in this country ? One would think that 

 it were useless to pull down or destroy a good fort, when it is the 

 intention of building another, so that they are scarcely to be- 

 accounted for from a succession of conquerors. 



The country has, and always will be, a distracted one. I observe 

 that in all parts approaching mountains, in which the chief danger 

 of robbery exists, that there are generally people and especially 

 boys tending cattle, so that they must probably be familiar with 

 robberies and murders, and seeing these done so openly, so easily, 



