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Stray Feathers. a Journal of Ornithology for India and Its Dependencies
Stray Feathers a Journal of Ornithology for India and Its Dependencies Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Palm Swift, (C. batassiensis.) Palm trees are scarce in Berar, but wherever a solitary one rears its head there may be found the Palm Swift flying round a... more »nd round it. I once, and once only, saw several of these birds flying about a grove of mango trees where there was not a palm tree within miles. As is well known, it attaches its nest to the leaf of the cocoanut or toddy palm, but I have never succeeded in procuring either the nest or eggs. gbtfauna of $as|)pr inHintcr. BY THE LATE Dr. FERDINAND STOLICZKA, Ph. D. When I saw the last stragglers of Indian birds retracing their steps across the Karakorum towards the end of October last, I was more than ever anxious to learn what birds remain in Eastern Turkistan during the winter months. The cold during that time was represented by some people as being excessive, by others as moderately mild, with the exception of a few really cold days. We arrived at Yarkand on the 8th of November, and, leaving it again on the 28th of the same month, reached Yan- gislmr, Kashgar, on the 8th of December. Before giving a list of the birds which we observed, I shall say a few words regarding the climate and physical aspect of the country round Kashgar, in order that it may more easily be understood how it is that certain birds, which we should hardly expect to meet here, cau find sufficient comfort for their stay in winter. I shall then proceed with my enumeration according to the different local conditions. The climate of the countries around is hardly so severe as might have been expected. There were clear sunny days almost the whole winter, with slight breezes, but no heavy or cold winds. The minimum ranged in January and February between 15 above and 5 below zero, F., but the days were tolerably warm, though in perfect shade ...« less