342 
Birdu of llic JlicUini District. 
evident th;it the nest, contained j^oiing. However I sent a man 
up to exaiiiini' and secured 3 very stained and addled eg^s 
with a nestling. The latter was apparently about a week 
old, so I ke]i( it with a view to rearing it if possible. Itl 
was clothed in half-grown down, white and sooty in colour, 
the distribution of the colours following those of the adult 
very closely ; the crown, however, instead of true down was 
covered with feathers of a somewhat degenerate type. 
A large! Bee-eater or two, perhaps Mi'ropn philip- 
pitiKS, a female Pratiticclii caprala. and some Pied Crested 
Cuckoos seen ; also two or three Sandpipers (Tolanus 
O(hroptis), and a Painted Stork {Psti(do(ini1aln>i Ji'itfocr- 
phalufi) . 
IJeached His.^ar in the evening, where I saw some 
parties of Eose-coloured Pastors and some Rain-Quail. A 
Nightjar (sp. ?) flushed, was the first I have .seen in this 
district. 
July y. — Great numbers of Doves {Ti(rfiir r'sorius) flying high in 
flocks in the evening. Also maii3' flocks of Yellow -throatt*^ 
Sparrows (Gi/mnicrh's jl<ivi<oU;s ^ no!ed flying owr, all fol- 
lowing the same line of flight -roughly west to east. 
A few Eain-Quail about. Two pairs of White Ibis, 
a pair of Pied Mynahs, and a Green Sandpiper noted. 
The Kufous -backed Shrikes (noted on the 6th July) 
are still in the same place. 
July lU. — Went by train to Hansi, noting from the carriage a small 
party of Coursers (Cursorius, sp. ?) on some rough 
ground. Also la White-necked Stork. 
Prom Hansi to Bhiwani. 
July 12. — At Bhiwani I saw that a pair of Red -headed Merlins (JEsalnn 
chicquera) were haunting the trees in front of the rest- 
house. They had been in the same place when I was there 
before in May . 
July 13. — Returned to Hissar. A pair of Syke's Striated Swallows 
{Hirundo cryfhrcpyyia) were noted hy one of the stations, 
where they evidently had a nest. 
July 1 -J . — Two eggs found in the nest of the Indian Robin (Thai)niohia 
canthaicnHis) placed in one of the barholes in my stable.. 
The same nest had been found on 11th ,Iune to contain 
eggs which had afterwards disappeared . 
A Rufous-backid Shrike {Lanius cr iilhroiiol m ) seen. 
July 1(J. — Examined a couple of nests of the Pond Ilcron {Ardcola 
grayi) built in some kikiir trees by my house. They 
were found to contain four eggs and young respectively. 
Jul}' IS.— Went to examine the nest of the Rufous Fantail -'Warbler 
found in course of construction on 6th July. It was 
now deserted and contained a few broken egg-shells, which 
were being devoured by a swarm of tiny red ants ; ants 
