131 
Birds of Kohat and Kurrarn. 
[528.] Pastor roseus. The Rosy Pastor. 
Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 338 (Thall: passing through 
in vast numbers); Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 602 (common at 
Chaman at the end of April). 
Major Magrath has written the following note on this 
species in Kohat:—Passes through this district in vast 
flocks during the spring and autumn migrations. At the 
spring passage the birds are slaughtered in hundreds by the 
natives, every man possessing a firearm turning out for the 
sport. They arrive about the middle of April and the rush 
continues till the middle of May. The mulberries, which 
are ripe at this season, are eagerly devoured by them, and 
the ripe corn also suffers from their depredations. A few 
young birds remain in the district throughout the hot 
weather. The return passage begins about the end of July, 
being at its height by the middle of August, and lasting into 
September. Very few adult birds are to be seen at this time. 
The direction of the flight through the district is N.W. and 
S.E. for spring and autumn migrations respectively. The 
vast flocks which roost in and about the cantonments become 
an unmitigated nuisance while they are with us/” Since 
writing the above, Major Magrath has noted the appearance 
of small flocks of adult birds in the middle of summer, as 
also have Captain Keen and I ; in fact, between us we have 
noted them at short intervals throughout the summer, and it 
seems probable that some of them at least breed a good deal 
nearer India than Asia Minor. Small flocks of immature 
birds stay with us till November. Curiously enough, in the 
spring of 1907 only a few small flocks were observed passing 
through the Kohat district. The migration appears to have 
been diverted elsewhere, though whether this was due to the 
district being invaded at the time by vast armies of locusts 
in the crawling stage, I cannot say. One would have 
imagined that this would have had an opposite effect. 
[529.] Sturnus humii. The Himalayan Starling. 
Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 338; Marshall, op. cit. 
xiv. p. 602 (rare at Quetta, shot in March and April); Ward, 
k 2 
