798 JOURIS'AL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Fol. XXrill. 
Tree-shrews eat fruit picked up off the ground as well as insects, as an 
examination of their interior economy shows. 
From the article which appeared in the last number I gather that Mr. Fitz- 
patrick is a keen collector of animal folklore stories and if he wishes to add to 
his collection I have the true story as to exactly how the tree-shrew came about 
and why he is, what he is, a little brown, furry, longnosed, nerve ridden beast. 
Unfortunately the Editors tell me it is too long for inclusion here. 
Mergui, C. primrose. 
20th March 1922. 
No. VI— FOUR-HORNED FAT-TAILED SHEEP. 
Can anyone tell me whether they have seen alive or dead a fat-tailed sheep 
with four horns ? I came across a passage in a book called a Summer in High Asia 
(Thacker 1899) by Capt. Adair, late Rifle Brigade. He says on page 199 that he 
saw in the possession of two travellers (mentioned only as “ P & C ”) who had 
wintered in Yarkand and were biinging down some flne heads of 0. poll from the 
Pamirs, where they had been deserted by their coolies in attempting to cross 
the Mustagh Pass, a four-horned sheep, one of the fat-tailed, from the Pamir. 
In addition to its ordinary ram’s horns it had two horns rather hke those of an 
Ibex, but straight and some 20 inches in length. It was quite tame and would 
eat from the hand. I possess the head of a four-homed ram from Kishtwar 
and have seen others from various parts of China but none of these were fat- 
tailed sheep and if such a thing now exists in any museum or collection I should 
be very glad to procure a photograph or measurements of it. 
, H. J. ELWES. 
COLESBORNE. GlOS., ENGLAND. 
1th Janimry 1922. 
No, VII.— DESTRUCTION OF BIRDS’ NESTS. 
IFe publish below a number of letters received in response to Mr, R. O. Bolster's 
appeal for information on the above subject : — 
It is with interest that I have read Mr. Bolster’s account of mysterious dis- 
appearance and destraction of nests. This must be very common in India and 
has been noted by several people. Colonel Butler in the seventies recorded 
that if a nest with eggs was left for future visit, they always in the interval 
disappeared. During 2^ years in Sind I only remember one nest which on being 
left came to anjdhing, and that was a nest of the Indus Sand-Lark, which I spot- 
ted as I was riding across the Desert and looked at without dismounting. Every 
other nest disappeared, or at least, the eggs were taken ; I have even known a 
nest from which I had taken the eggs completely vanish. 
I think that there are several causes, firstly in many places, unless very lonely 
spots, there is a native about, and his curiosity, natural at all times, is aroused 
by the (to him) strange behaviour of anyone interested in natural history, and 
one is constantly being watched; when the coast is clear, he goes to see what the 
sahib was doing and takes the eggs of larger birds for food, and smaller ones 
possibly, I fear, from spite. 
Round Karachi I know crows and heron’s eggs were always taken, but there 
are other enemies to small birds, and I think Mr. Bolster is quite correct in ac- 
cusing lizards, but the worst thief of all is the House Crow. In the nesting season 
I always had a flock following me about all day in the cultivation and I am cer- 
tain they watch one’s doings with an eye, to future evil intent: so certain was I 
that they did this, that I have fooled them by being very interested in nothing 
