118 
Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the 
September); Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 686 (very common 
in Seistan in summer). 
246. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 6th May. 
Fairly common up to 3500 feet, from April till September, 
in dry scrub-jungle; round Thall it is particularly com¬ 
mon. In the breeding-season the male may often be seen 
perched on the top of a bush, pouring forth its sweet song. 
In many of its habits it resembles the Indian Robin ( Tham - 
nohia camhayensis) , especially in the way it flirts and spreads 
its tail, and also in its tame and confiding habits. If the 
intruder happens to approach the nest, the pair will follow 
him about uttering their alarm-cry— ivutch, wutch. If the 
nest be found they get terribly excited, and will sometimes 
remain hovering in the air within a few feet. Of five nests 
taken, three were placed in thorn-bushes close to the 
ground, the other two on the ground under low shrubs. They 
were cup-shaped and loosely constructed of coarse grass and 
roots. I looked in vain for the bit of serpent-skin which 
Mr. Dresser, in the f Manual of Palsearctic Birds/ states is 
always found in the nest of this species. 
The specific title ( familiaris ) is very appropriate, but the 
trivia] name (Grey-backed) seems to be only misleading, 
for the back is fulvous-brown, the most noticeable feature 
being the bright red, white-tipped tail which the bird is so 
fond of displaying. 
[362.] Locustella straminea. The Turkestan Grass- 
hopper-W arbler. 
742. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 25th March. 
749. Sex ? „ „ 26th March. 
776. S ad. „ „ 2nd April. 
Passes through the District in fair numbers from the third 
week in March till the middle of May. Not observed in 
autumn. It is chiefly found on the grass-farms and in 
young crops, occasionally in the gardens. It is not such 
a skulker as one would expect ; there is no difficulty in 
flushing it, but it is not easy to observe or to shoot, except 
on the wing. 
