MISCELLA^EOUS NOTES. 
607 
No. XII.— THE FOOD OF THE SHIKRA {ASTUR BADIUS). 
On the morning of 6th February a Shikra caught a little Indian Kingfisher 
under a babul tree 4 or 6 yards from me. The kingfisher gave the shikra a useful 
peck but the latter was just attacking the former’s throat when I ran up and the 
shikra let go. The kingfisher flew off apparently unharmed. Somehow one 
does not connect a kingfisher with the idea of game for a small hawk. I felt 
rather virtuous at having saved the kingfisher from its cruel enemy but I 
smiled afterwards at my hj^crisy as I was on my way to my stand for a duck 
shoot. 
I see the Field has been giving instances of a variety bag with one shot. I got 
a quail and a field rat on the 3rd with one shot which seems unusual. 
E. O’BRIEN, Lt.-Col. 
Bhuj, Cutch, 
8th February 1922. 
[The usual food of the shikra appears to be lizards, but it is not averse to 
seizing small birds, rats or mice, or even large insects. — E ds.] 
No. XIII.— THE MARBLED DUCK [MARMARONETTA ANGUSTI- 
ROSTRIS) IN THE PUNJAB. 
From what is said in Stuart Baker’s Game Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon 
(V ol. I, page 242) regarding the distribution of the Marbled Duck I gather that 
records of its appearance in the Punjab may be of interest. 
I have shot single specimens of this bird in the Punjab on four occasions : — 
15th November 1908 'j 
>Ferozepore District. 
28th February 1909 J 
20th November 1918 "I Jhelum District (on the salt lake at Kallar 
> Kahar in the Salt Range, altitude 2,100 
1st November 1921 J feet.) 
H. W. WAITE, 
Indian Police. 
Jhelum, Punjab, 
2‘ith March 1922. 
No. XIV.— THE OCCURRENCE, HABITS AND BREEDING OF THE 
SPOTTED SANDGROUSE {PTEROCLURUS SENEGALLUS) IN 
THE BAHAWALPUR STATE, PUNJAB. 
The spotted Sandgrouse (Pteroclurus senegallus, Blanford) is, within my 
experience at any rate, sufficiently uncommon in the Punjab to justify my 
writing to you to record the fact that Col. O’Brien and I have recently shot 
it in this State. 
On one occasion these sandgrouse (the only kind of sandgrouse about) were 
from 200 to 300 in number. The weather here has been rather unusual (cool 
and rainy) which perhaps brings these birds. 
After writing the above I have had further opportunities of observing these 
birds and I am now able to give a definite assurance that this species breeds 
here also. 
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