Birds of the Indian Hills 3

Birds of the Indian Hills 3

THE PSITTACIDÆ OR PARROT FAMILY The parrots are not strongly represented in the Himalayas. Only one species is commonly seen at the various hill stations. This is the slaty-headed paroquet (_Palæornis schisticeps_). In appearance it closely resembles the common green parrot of the plains (_P. torquatus_), differing chiefly in having the head slate coloured instead of green. The cock, moreover, has a red patch on the shoulder. The habits of the slaty-headed paroquet are those of the common green parrot: its cries, however, are less harsh, and it is less aggressively bold. The pretty little western blossom-headed paroquet (_P. cyanocephalus_) ascends the hills to a height of some 5000 feet. It is recognisable by the fact that the head of the cock is red, tinged with blue like the bloom on a plum. THE STRIGIDÆ OR OWL FAMILY We now come to those much-abused birds--the owls. The Himalayas, in common with most other parts of the world, are well stocked with these pirates of the night. The vast majority of owls, being strictly nocturnal, escape observation. Usually the presence of any species of owl in a locality is made known only by its voice. I may here remark that diurnal birds know as little about nocturnal birds as the man in the street does, hence the savage manner in which they mob any luckless owl that happens to be abroad in the daytime. Birds are intensely conservative; they resent strongly what they regard as an addition to the local avifauna. This assertion may be proved by setting free a cockatoo in the plains of India. Before the bird has been at large for ten minutes it will be surrounded by a mob of reviling crows. The collared pigmy owlet (_Glaucidium brodiei_) is perhaps the commonest owl in the Himalayas: at any rate, it is the species that makes itself heard most often. Those who sit out of doors after dinner cannot fail to have remarked a soft low whistle heard at regular intervals of about thirty seconds. That is the call of the pigmy collared owlet. The owlet itself is a tiny creature, about the size of a sparrow. Like several other little owls, it sometimes shows itself during the daytime. Once at Mussoorie I noticed a pigmy collared owlet sitting as bold as brass on a conspicuous branch about midday and making grimaces at me. The other species likely to be heard at hill stations are the brown wood-owl (_Syrnium indrani_), the call of which has been syllabised _to-whoo_, and the little spotted Himalayan scops owl (_Scops spilocephalus_), of which the note is double whistle _who-who_. THE VULTURIDÆ OR VULTURE FAMILY From the owls to the diurnal birds of prey it is but a short step. Next to the warblers, the raptores are the most difficult birds to distinguish one from the other. Nearly all of them are creatures of mottled-brown plumage, and, as the plumage changes with the period of life, it is impossible to differentiate them by descriptions of their colouring. The vultures are perhaps the ugliest of all birds. Most of them have the head devoid of feathers, and they are thus enabled to bury this member in their loathsome food without soiling their feathers. In the air, owing to the magnificent ease with which they fly, they are splendid objects. Their habit is to rise high above the earth and hang motionless in the atmosphere on outstretched wings, or sail in circles without any perceptible motion of the pinions. Vultures are not the only raptorial birds that do this. Kites are almost equally skilled. But kites are distinguished by having a fairly long tail, that of vultures being short and wedge shaped. The sides of the wings of the vultures are straight, and the wings stand out at right angles to the body. In all species, except the scavenger vulture, the tips of the wings are turned up as the birds float or sail in the air, and the ends of the wings are much cut up, looking like fingers. Perhaps the commonest vulture of the Himalayas is that very familiar fowl--the small white scavenger vulture (_Neophron ginginianus_), often called Pharaoh's chicken and other opprobrious names that I will not mention. This bird eats everything that is filthy and unclean. The natural consequence is that it looks untidy and disreputable. It is, without exception, the ugliest bird in the world. It is about the size of a kite. The plumage is a dirty white, except the edges of the wing feathers, which are shabby black. The naked face is of a pale mustard colour, as are the bill and legs. The feathers on the back of the head project like the back hairs of an untidy schoolboy. Its walk is an ungainly waddle. Nevertheless--so great is the magic of wings--this bird, as it soars high above the earth, looks a noble fowl; it then appears to be snow-white with black margins to the wings. Another vulture frequently met with is the Indian white-backed vulture (_Pseudogyps bengalensis_). The plumage of this species is a very dark grey, almost black. The naked head is rather lighter than the rest of the body. The lower back is white: this makes the bird easy to identify when it is perched. It has some white in the wings, and this, during flight, is visible as a very broad band that runs from the body nearly to the tip of the wing. Thus the wing from below appears to be white with broad black edges. During flight this species may be distinguished from the last by the fingered tips of its wings, by both edges of the wing being black and the body being dark instead of white. The third common vulture is the Himalayan griffon (_Gyps himalayensis_). This is distinguishable from the two species already described by having no white in the wings. The lammergeyer or bearded vulture (_Gypætus barbatus_) is the king of the vultures. Some ornithologists classify it with the eagles. It is a connecting link between the two families. It is 4 feet in length and is known to the hillmen as the Argul. During flight it may be recognised by the whitish head and nape, the pale brown lower plumage and the dark rounded tail. Usually it keeps to rocky hills and mountains, over which it beats with a steady, sailing, vulturine flight. Numerous stories are told of its swooping down and carrying off young children, lambs, goats, and other small animals. Those who will may believe these stories. I do not. The lammergeyer is quite content to make a meal of offal, old bones, or other refuse. THE FALCONIDÆ OR FAMILY OF BIRDS OF PREY First and foremost of the Falconidæ are the eagles. Let me preface what little I have to say about these birds with the remark that I am unable to set forth any characteristics whereby a novice may recognise an eagle when he sees one on the wing. The reader should disabuse his mind of the idea he may have obtained from the writings of the poets of the grandeur of the eagle. Eagles may be, and doubtless often are, mistaken for kites. They are simply rather large falcons. They are mostly coloured very like the kite. All true eagles have the leg feathered to the toe. I give this method of diagnosis for what it is worth, and that is, I fear, not very much, because eagles as a rule do not willingly afford the observer an opportunity of inspecting their tarsi. The eagles most commonly seen in the Himalayas are the imperial eagle (_Aquila helica_), the booted eagle (_Hieraetus pennatus_), Bonelli's eagle (_Hieraetus fasciatus_), the changeable hawk-eagle (_Spizaetus limnaetus_), and Hodgson's hawk-eagle (_Spizaetus nepalensis_). The imperial eagle has perhaps the darkest plumage of all the eagles. This species does not live up to its name. It feeds largely on carrion, and probably never catches anything larger than a rat. The imperial eagle is common about Mussoorie except in the rains. Captain Hutton states that he has seen as many as fifty of them together in the month of October when they reassemble after the monsoon. The booted eagle has a very shrill call. Its lower parts are pale in hue. Bonelli's eagle is fairly common both at Naini Tal and Mussoorie. It is a fine bird, and has plenty of courage. It often stoops to fowls and is destructive to game birds. It is of slighter build than the two eagles above described. Its lower parts are white. The changeable hawk-eagle is also a fine bird. It is very addicted to peafowl. The hillmen call it the _Mohrhaita_, which, being interpreted, is the peacock-killer. It utters a loud cry, which Thompson renders _whee-whick_, _whee-whick_. This call is uttered by the bird both when on the wing and at rest. Another cry of this species has been syllabised _toot_, _toot_, _toot_, _toot-twee_. Hodgson's hawk-eagle is also destructive to game. It emits a shrill musical whistle which can sometimes be heard when the bird is so high as to appear a mere speck against the sky. This species has a narrow crest. Allied to the true eagles are the serpent-eagles. In these the leg is not feathered to the toe, so they may be said to form a link between the true eagles and the falcons. One species--the crested serpent-eagle (_Spilornis cheela_)--is common in the Himalayas up to 8000 feet. This eagle is perhaps the most handsome of the birds of prey. The crest is large and imposing. The upper parts are dark brown, almost black, with a purple or green gloss. The breast and under parts are rich deep brown profusely dotted with white ocelli. On the tail and wings are white bars. The wing bars are very conspicuous during flight. The crested serpent-eagle flies with the wings held very far back, so that it looks, as "Exile" says, like a large butterfly. When flying it constantly utters its shrill, plaintive call composed of two short sharp cries and three prolonged notes, the latter being in a slightly higher key. Of the remaining birds of prey perhaps only two can fairly be numbered among the common birds of the Himalayas, and both of these are easy to recognise. They are the kite and the kestrel. The common pariah kite (_Milvus govinda_) is the most familiar raptorial bird in India. Hundreds of kites dwell at every hill-station. They spend the greater part of the day on the wing, either sailing gracefully in circles high overhead or gliding on outstretched pinions over mountain and valley, with head pointing downwards, looking for the refuse on which they feed. To mistake a kite is impossible. Throughout the day it makes the welkin ring with its querulous _chee-hee-hee-hee-hee_. Some kites are larger than others, consequently ornithologists, who are never so happy as when splitting up species, have made a separate species of the larger race. This latter is called _Milvus melanotis_, the large Indian kite. It is common in the hills. The kestrel (_Tinnunculus alaudarius_) is perhaps the easiest of all the birds of prey to identify. It is a greyish fowl with dull brick-red wings and shoulders. Its flight is very distinctive. It flaps the wings more rapidly than do most of its kind. While beating over the country it checks its flight now and again and hovers on rapidly vibrating wings. It does this when it fancies it has seen a mouse, lizard, or other living thing moving on the ground below. If its surmise proves correct, it drops from above and thus takes its quarry completely by surprise. It is on account of this peculiar habit of hovering in the air that the kestrel is often called the wind-hover in England. Needless to say, the kestrel affects open tracts rather than forest country. One of these birds is usually to be seen engaged in its craft above the bare slope of the hill on which Mussoorie is built. Other places where kestrels are always to be seen are the bare hills round Almora. The nest of this species is usually placed on an inaccessible crag. THE COLUMBIDÆ OR DOVE FAMILY The cooing community is not much in evidence in the hills. In the Himalayas doves do not obtrude themselves upon our notice in the way that they do in the plains. The green-pigeon of the mountains is the kokla (_Sphenocercus sphenurus_), so called on account of its melodious call, _kok-la_, _kok-la_. In appearance it is very like the green-pigeon of the plains and is equally difficult to distinguish from its leafy surroundings. The bronze-winged dove (_Chalcophaps indica_) I have never observed at any hill-station, but it is abundant in the lower ranges and in the Terai. Every sportsman must be familiar with the bird. Its magnificent bronzed metallic, green plumage renders its identification easy. The commonest dove of the Himalayan hill-stations is the Indian turtle-dove (_Turtur ferago_). Its plumage is of that grey hue which is so characteristic of doves as to be called dove-colour. The turtle-dove has a conspicuous patch of black-and-white feathers on each side of the neck. The only other dove seen in the hills with which it can be confounded is the little brown dove (_T. cambayensis_). The latter is a much smaller bird, and I have not observed it anywhere higher than 4500 feet above the sea-level. The spotted dove (_T. suratensis_) occurs in small numbers in most parts of the Himalayas up to 7000 feet. It is distinguished by the wing coverts being spotted with rufous and black. The Indian ring-dove (_T. risorius_) also occurs in the Western Himalayas. It is of a paler hue than the other doves and has no patch of black-and-white feathers on the sides of the neck, but has a black collar, with a narrow white border, round the back of the neck. One other dove should perhaps be mentioned among the common birds of the Himalayas, namely, the bar-tailed cuckoo-dove (_Macropygia tusalia_). A dove with a long barred tail, of which the feathers are graduated, the median ones being the longest, may be set down as this species. THE PHASIANIDÆ OR FAMILY OF GAME BIRDS The Himalayas are the home of many species of gallinaceous birds. In the highest ranges the snow-cocks, the tragopans, the blood-pheasant, and the glorious monaul or Impeyan pheasant abound. The foothills are the happy hunting-grounds of the ancestral cock-a-doodle-doo. As this book is written with the object of enabling persons staying at the various hill-stations to identify the commoner birds, I do not propose to describe the gallinaceous denizens of the higher ranges or the foothills. In the ranges of moderate elevation, on which all the hill-stations are situated, the kalij, the cheer, and the koklas pheasants are common. Of these three the kalij is the only one likely to be seen in the ordinary course of a walk. The others are not likely to show themselves unless flushed by a dog. The white-crested kalij-pheasant (_Gennæus albicristatus_) may occasionally be seen in the vicinity of a village. The bird does not come up to the Englishman's ideal of a pheasant. The bushy tail causes it to look rather like a product of the farmyard. The cock is over two feet in length, the hen is five inches shorter. The plumage of the former is dark brown, tinged with blue, each feather having a pale margin. The rump is white with broad black bars. The hen is uniformly brown, each feather having a narrow buff margin. Both sexes rejoice in a long backwardly-directed crest and a patch of bare crimson skin round each eye. The tail is much shorter and more bushy than that of the English pheasant. The crest is white in the cock and reddish yellow in the hen. Baldwin describes the call of this pheasant as "a sharp _twut_, _twut_, _twut_. Sometimes very low, with a pause between each note, then suddenly increasing loudly and excitedly." The kalij usually affords rather poor sport. The koklas pheasant (_Pucrasia macrolopha_) is another short-tailed species; but it is more game-like in appearance than the kalij and provides better sport. It may be distinguished from the kalij by its not having the red patch of skin round the eye. The cock of this species has a curious crest, the middle portion of which is short and of a fawn colour; on each side of this is a long lateral tuft coloured black with a green gloss. The cry of this bird has been syllabised as _kok-kok-pokrass_. In the cheer-pheasant (_Catreus wellichi_) both sexes have a long crest, like that of the kalij, and a red patch of skin round the eye. The tail of this species, however, is long and attenuated like that of the English pheasant, measuring nearly two feet. Wilson says, of the call of this bird: "Both males and females often crow at daybreak and dusk and, in cloudy weather, sometimes during the day. The crow is loud and singular, and, when there is nothing to interrupt, the sound may be heard for at least a mile. It is something like the words _chir-a-pir_, _chir-a-pir_, _chir-a-pir_, _chirwa_, _chirwa_, but a good deal varied." The grey quail (_Coturnix communis_) is a common bird of the Himalayas during a few days only in the year. Large numbers of these birds rest in the fields of ripening grain in the course of their long migratory flight. Almost as regularly as clockwork do they appear in the Western Himalayas early in October on their way south, and again in April on their northward journey. By walking through the terraced fields at those times with a gun, considerable bags of quail can be secured. These birds migrate at night. Writing of them, Hume said: "One moonlight night about the third week in April, standing at the top of Benog, a few miles from Mussoorie, a dense cloud many hundred yards in length and fifty yards, I suppose, in breadth of small birds swept over me with the sound of a rushing wind. They were not, I believe, twenty yards above the level of my head, and their quite unmistakable call was uttered by several of those nearest me as they passed." We must now consider the partridges that patronise the hills. The species most commonly met with in the Himalayas is the chakor (_Caccabis chucar_). In appearance this is very like the French or red-legged partridge, to which it is related. Its prevailing hue is pale reddish brown, the particular shade varying greatly with the individual. The most striking features of this partridge are a black band that runs across the forehead to the eyes and then down the sides of the head round the throat, forming a gorget, and a number of black bars on each flank. The favourite haunts of the chakor are bare grassy hillsides on which a few terraced fields exist. Chakor are noisy birds. The note most commonly heard is the double call from which their name is taken. The black partridge or common francolin (_Francolinus vulgaris_) is abundant on the lower ranges of the Himalayas. At Mussoorie its curious call is often heard. This is so high-pitched as to be inaudible to some people. To those who can hear it, the call sounds like _juk-juk-tee-tee-tur_. This species has the habit of feigning a broken wing when an enemy approaches its young ones. The cock is a very handsome bird. The prevailing hue of his plumage is black with white spots on the flanks and narrow white bars on the back. The feathers of the crown and wings are buff and dark brown. A chestnut collar runs round the neck, while each side of the head is adorned by a white patch. The whole plumage of the hen is coloured like the wings of the cock. The common hill-partridge (_Arboricola torqueola_) is a great skulker. He haunts dark densely jungled water-courses and ravines, and so is not likely to be seen about a hill-station; we will therefore pass him over without description. THE CHARADRIIDÆ OR PLOVER FAMILY In conclusion mention must be made of the woodcock (_Scolopax rusticola_). This species, although it breeds throughout the Himalayas, usually remains during the summer at altitudes above those at which hill-stations are situate. The lowest height at which its nest has been found is, I believe, 9500 feet. _THE COMMON BIRDS OF THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS_ The majority of the birds which are common in the Eastern Himalayas are also abundant in the western part of the range, and have in consequence been described already. In order to avoid repetition this chapter has been put into the form of a list. The list that follows includes all the birds likely to be seen daily by those who in summer visit Darjeeling and other hill-stations east of Nepal. Of the birds which find place in the list only those are described which have not been mentioned in the essay on the common birds of the Western Himalayas. Short accounts of all the birds that follow which are not described in this chapter are to be found in the previous one. THE CORVIDÆ OR CROW FAMILY 1. _Corvus macrorhynchus_. The jungle-crow or Indian corby. 2. _Dendrocitta himalayensis_. The Himalayan tree-pie. Abundant. 3. _Graculus eremita_. The red-billed chough. In summer this species is not usually found much below elevations of 11,000 feet above the sea-level. 4. _Pyrrhocorax alpinus_. The yellow-billed chough. In summer this species is not usually seen at elevations below 11,000 feet. 5. _Garrulus bispecularis_. The Himalayan jay. Not so abundant as in the Western Himalayas. 6. _Parus monticola_. The green-backed tit. A common bird. Very abundant round about Darjeeling. 7. _Machlolophus spilonotus_. The black-spotted yellow tit. This is very like _M. xanthogenys_ (the yellow-cheeked tit), which it replaces in the Eastern Himalayas. It is distinguished by having the forehead bright yellow instead of black as in the yellow-cheeked species. It is not very common. 8. _Ægithaliscus erythrocephalus_. The red-headed tit. Very common at Darjeeling. 9. _Parus atriceps_. The Indian grey tit. THE CRATEROPODIDÆ OR BABBLER FAMILY Since most species of babblers are notoriously birds of limited distribution, it is not surprising that the kinds common in the Eastern Himalayas should not be the same as those that are abundant west of Nepal. 10. _Garrulax leucolophus_. The Himalayan white-crested laughing-thrush. This is the Eastern counterpart of the white-throated laughing-thrush (_Garrulax albigularis_). This species has a large white crest. It goes about in flocks of about a score. The members of the flock scream and chatter and make discordant sounds which some might deem to resemble laughter. 11. _Ianthocincla ocellata_. The white-spotted laughing-thrush. This is the Eastern counterpart of _Ianthocincla rufigularis_. It has no white in the throat, and the upper plumage is spotted with white. It is found only at high elevations in summer. 12. _Trochalopterum chrysopterum_. The eastern yellow-winged laughing-thrush. This is perhaps the most common bird about Darjeeling. Parties hop about the roads picking up unconsidered trifles. The forehead is grey, as is much of the remaining plumage. The back of the head is bright chestnut. The throat is chestnut-brown. The wings are chestnut and bright yellow. 13. _Trochalopterum squamatum_. The blue-winged laughing-thrush. This is another common bird. Like all its clan it goes about in flocks. Its wings are chestnut and blue. 14. _Grammatophila striata_. The striated laughing-thrush. A common bird, but as it keeps to dense foliage it is heard more often than seen. Of its curious cries Jerdon likens one to the clucking of a hen which has just laid an egg. The tail is chestnut. The rest of the plumage is umber brown, but every feather has a white streak along the middle. These white streaks give the bird the striated appearance from which it obtains its name. 15. _Pomatorhinus erythrogenys_. The rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler. 16. _Pomatorhinus schisticeps_. The slaty-headed scimitar-babbler. This is easily distinguished from the foregoing species by its conspicuous white eyebrow. 17. _Alcippe nepalensis_. The Nepal babbler or quaker-thrush. This is a bird smaller than a sparrow. As its popular name indicates, it is clothed in homely brown; but it has a conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eye and a black line on each side of the head, beginning from the eye. It is very common about Darjeeling. It feeds in trees and bushes, often descending to the ground. It utters a low twittering call. 18. _Stachyrhis nigriceps_. The black-throated babbler or wren-babbler. This is another small bird. Its general hue is olive brown. The throat is black, as is the head, but the latter has white streaks. It is common about Darjeeling and goes about in flocks that keep to trees. 19. _Stachyrhidopsis ruficeps_. The red-headed babbler or wren-babbler. Another small bird with habits similar to the last. An olive-brown bird with a chestnut-red cap. The lower parts are reddish yellow. 20. _Myiophoneus temmincki_. The Himalayan whistling-thrush. Common at Darjeeling. 21. _Lioptila capistrata_. The black-headed sibia, one of the most abundant birds about Darjeeling. 22. _Actinodura egertoni_. The rufous bar-wing. A bird about the size of a bulbul. It associates in small flocks which never leave the trees. Common about Darjeeling. A reddish brown bird, with a crest. There is a black bar in the wing. 23. _Zosterops palpebrosa_. The Indian white-eye. 24. _Siva cyanuroptera_. The blue-winged siva or hill-tit. A pretty little bird, about the size of a sparrow. The head is blue, deeper on the sides than on the crown, streaked with brown. The visible portions of the closed wing and tail are cobalt-blue. This species goes about in flocks and has all the habits of a tit. It utters a cheerful chirrup. 25. _Liothrix lutea_. The red-billed liothrix or hill-tit, or the Pekin-robin. This interesting bird forms the subject of a separate essay. 26. _Ixulus flavicollis_. The yellow-naped ixulus. A small tit-like bird with a crest. Like tits these birds associate in small flocks, which move about amid the foliage uttering a continual twittering. Brown above, pale yellow below. Chin and throat white. Back of neck rusty yellow. This colour is continued in a demi-collar round the sides of the neck. Common about Darjeeling. 27. _Yuhina gularis_. The striped-throated yuhina. Another tiny bird with all the habits of the tits. A flock of dull-brown birds, about the size of sparrows, having the chin and throat streaked with black, are likely to be striped-throated yuhinas. 28. _Minla igneitincta_. The red-tailed minla or hill-tit. This tit-like babbler is often seen in company with the true tits, which it resembles in habits and size. The head is black with a white eyebrow. The wings and tail are black and crimson. The rest of the upper plumage is yellowish olive. The throat is white, and the remainder of the lower plumage is bright yellow. NOTE ON THE TITS AND SMALL BABBLERS Tits are small birds, smaller than sparrows, which usually go about in flocks. They spend most of their lives in trees. In seeking for insects, on which they feed largely, they often hang upside down from a branch. All tits have these habits; but all birds of these habits are not tits. Thus the following of the babblers described above have all the habits of tits: the white-eye, the black-throated babbler, the red-headed babbler, the blue-winged siva, the yellow-naped ixulus, the striped-throated yuhina, and the red-tailed minla. The above are all birds of distinctive colouring and may be easily distinguished. Other small birds which are neither tits nor babblers go about in flocks, as, for example, nuthatches, but these other birds differ in shape and habits from babblers and tits, so that no one is likely to confound them with the smaller Corvidæ or Crateropodidæ. 29. _Molpastes leucogenys_. The white-cheeked bulbul. Common below elevations of 5000 feet. 30. _Hypsipetes psaroides_. The Himalayan black bulbul. Not very common. 31. _Alcurus striatus_. The striated green bulbul. Upper plumage olive-green with yellow streaks. Cheeks dark brown, streaked with pale yellow. Chin and throat yellow, with dark spots on throat. Patch under tail bright yellow. Striated green bulbuls go about in flocks which keep to the tops of trees. They utter a mellow warbling note. They are abundant about Darjeeling. THE SITTIDÆ OR NUTHATCH FAMILY 32. _Sitta himalayensis_. Very abundant in the neighbourhood of Darjeeling. THE DICRURIDÆ OR DRONGO FAMILY 33. _Dicrurus longicaudatus_. The Indian Ashy Drongo. THE CERTHIIDÆ OR WREN FAMILY 34. _Certhia discolor_. The Sikhim tree-creeper. This species displaces the Himalayan tree-creeper in the Eastern Himalayas. The two species are similar in appearance. 35. _Pneopyga squamata_. The scaly-breasted wren. In shape and size this is very like the wren of England, but its upper plumage is not barred with black, as in the English species. It is fairly common about Darjeeling, but is of retiring habits. THE SYLVIIDÆ OR WARBLER FAMILY 36. _Abrornis superciliaris_. The yellow-bellied flycatcher-warbler. A tiny bird about the size of a wren. The head is grey and the remainder of the upper plumage brownish yellow. The eyebrow is white, as are the chin, throat, and upper breast: the remainder of the lower plumage is bright yellow. 37. _Suya atrigularis_. The black-throated hill-warbler. The upper plumage is olive brown, darkest on the head. The chin, throat, breast, and upper abdomen are black. THE LANIIDÆ OR SHRIKE FAMILY 38. _Lanius tephronotus_. The grey-backed shrike. 39. _Pericrocotus brevirostris_. The short-billed minivet. Very common about Darjeeling. 40. _Campophaga melanoschista_. The dark-grey cuckoo-shrike. Plumage is dark grey, wings black, tail black tipped with white. Rather larger than a bulbul. Cuckoo-shrikes keep to trees, and rarely, if ever, descend to the ground. THE MUSCICAPIDÆ OR FLYCATCHER FAMILY Of the common flycatchers of the Western Himalayas, the following occur in the Eastern Himalayas: 41. _Stoparola melanops_. The verditer flycatcher. Very common at Darjeeling. 42. _Cyornis superciliaris_. The white-browed blue-flycatcher. 43. _Alseonax latirostris_. The brown flycatcher. Not very common. 44. _Niltava sundara_. The rufous-bellied niltava. Very abundant at Darjeeling. In addition to the rufous-bellied niltava, two other niltavas occur in the Eastern Himalayas. 45. _Niltava grandis_. The large niltava. This may be readily distinguished on account of its comparatively large size. It is as large as a bulbul. It is very common about Darjeeling. 46. _Niltava macgrigoriæ_. The small niltava. This is considerably smaller than a sparrow and does not occur above 5000 feet. 47. _Terpsiphone affinis_. The Burmese paradise flycatcher. This replaces the Indian species in the Eastern Himalayas, but it is not found so high up as Darjeeling, being confined to the lower ranges. The other flycatchers commonly seen in the Eastern Himalayas are: 48. _Rhipidura allicollis_. The white-throated fantail flycatcher. This beautiful bird is abundant in the vicinity of Darjeeling. It is a black bird, with a white eyebrow, a whitish throat, and white tips to the outer tail feathers. It is easily recognised by its cheerful song and the way in which it pirouettes among the foliage and spreads its tail into a fan. 49. _Hemichelidon sibirica_. The sooty flycatcher. This is a tiny bird of dull brown hue which, as Jerdon says, has very much the aspect of a swallow. 50. _Hemichelidon ferruginea_. The ferruginous flycatcher. A rusty-brown bird (the rusty hue being most pronounced in the rump and tail) with a white throat. 51. _Cyornis rubeculoides_. The blue-throated flycatcher. The cock is a blue bird with a red breast. There is some black on the cheeks and in the wings. The hen is a brown bird tinged with red on the breast. This species, which is smaller than a sparrow, keeps mainly to the lower branches of trees. 52. _Anthipes moniliger_. Hodgson's white-gorgeted flycatcher. A small reddish-brown bird with a white chin and throat surrounded by a black band, that sits on a low branch and makes occasional sallies into the air after insects, can be none other than this flycatcher. 53. _Siphia strophiata_. The orange-gorgeted flycatcher. A small brown bird with an oval patch of bright chestnut on the throat, and some white at the base of the tail. (This white is very conspicuous when the bird is flying.) This flycatcher, which is very common about Darjeeling, often alights on the ground. 54. _Cyornis melanoleucus_. The little pied flycatcher. A very small bird. The upper plumage of the cock is black with a white eyebrow and some white in the wings and tail. The lower parts are white. The hen is an olive-brown bird with a distinct red tinge on the lower back. This flycatcher is not very common. THE TURDIDÆ OR THRUSH FAMILY 55. _Oreicola ferrea_. The dark-grey bush-chat. Not so abundant in the Eastern as in the Western Himalayas. 56. _Henicurus maculatus_. The Western spotted forktail. 57. _Microcichla scouleri_. The little forktail. This is distinguishable from the foregoing by its very short tail. It does not occur commonly at elevations over 5000 feet. 58. _Rhyacornis fuliginosus_. The plumbeous redstart or water-robin. Not common above 5000 feet in the Eastern Himalayas. 59. _Merula boulboul_. The grey-winged ouzel. 60. _Petrophila cinclorhyncha_. The blue-headed rock-thrush. 61. _Oreocincla molissima_. The plain-backed mountain-thrush. This is the thrush most likely to be seen in the Eastern Himalayas. It is like the European thrush, except that the back is olive brown without any dark markings. THE FRINGILLIDÆ OR FINCH FAMILY 62. _Hæmatospiza sipahi_. The scarlet finch. The cock is a scarlet bird, nearly as large as a bulbul, with black on the thighs and in the wings and tail. The hen is dusky brown with a bright yellow rump. This species has a massive beak. 63. _Passer montanus_. The tree-sparrow. This is the only sparrow found at Darjeeling. It has the habits of the house-sparrow. The sexes are alike in appearance. The head is chestnut and the cheeks are white. There is a black patch under the eye, and the chin and throat are black. The remainder of the plumage is very like that of the house-sparrow. THE HIRUNDINIDÆ OR SWALLOW FAMILY 64. _Hirundo rustica_. The common swallow. 65. _Hirundo nepalensis_. Hodgson's striated swallow. THE MOTACILLIDÆ OR WAGTAIL FAMILY 66. _Oreocorys sylvanus_. The upland pipit. This is not very common east of Nepal. THE NECTARINIDÆ OR SUNBIRD FAMILY 67. _Æthopyga nepalensis_. The Nepal yellow-backed sunbird. This replaces _Æthopyga scheriæ_ in the Eastern Himalayas, and is distinguished by having the chin and upper throat metallic green instead of crimson. It is the common sunbird about Darjeeling. THE DICÆIDÆ OR FLOWER-PECKER FAMILY 68. _Dicæum ignipectus_. The fire-breasted flower-pecker. THE PICIDÆ OR WOODPECKER FAMILY 69. Of the woodpeckers mentioned as common in the Western Himalayas, the only one likely to be seen at Darjeeling is _Hypopicus hypererythrus_--the rufous-bellied pied woodpecker, and this is by no means common. The woodpeckers most often seen in the Eastern Himalayas are: 70. _Dendrocopus cathpharius_. The lesser pied woodpecker. A speckled black-and-white woodpecker about the size of a bulbul. The top of the head and the sides of the neck are red in both sexes; the nape also is red in the cock. 71. _Gecinus occipitalis_. The black-naped green woodpecker. This bird, as its name implies, is green with a black nape. The head is red in the cock and black in the hen. This species is about the size of a crow. 72. _Gecinus chlorolophus_. The small Himalayan yellow-naped woodpecker. This species is distinguishable from the last by its small size, a crimson band on each side of the head, and the nape being golden yellow. 73. _Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis_. The red-eared bay woodpecker. The head is brown. The rest of the upper plumage is cinnamon or chestnut-red with blackish cross-bars. There is a crimson patch behind each ear, which forms a semi-collar in the male. This species seeks its food largely on the ground. In addition to the above, two tiny little woodpeckers much smaller than sparrows are common in the Eastern Himalayas. They feed on the ground largely. They are: 74. _Picumnus innominatus_. The speckled piculet. 75. _Sasia ochracea_. The rufous piculet. The former has an olive-green forehead. In the latter the cock has a golden-yellow forehead and the hen a reddish-brown forehead. THE CAPITONIDÆ OR BARBET FAMILY 76. _Megalæma marshallorum_. The great Himalayan barbet. 77. _Cyanops franklini_. The golden-throated barbet. About the size of a bulbul. General hue grass green tinged with blue. The chin and throat are golden yellow. The forehead and a patch on the crown are crimson. The rest of the crown is golden yellow. The call has been syllabised as _kattak-kattak-kattak_. THE ALCEDINIDÆ OR KINGFISHER FAMILY 78. _Ceryle lugubris_. The Himalayan pied kingfisher. THE BUCEROTIDÆ OR HORNBILL FAMILY Hornbills are to be numbered among the curiosities of nature. They are characterised by the disproportionately large beak. In some species this is nearly a foot in length. The beak has on the upper mandible an excrescence which in some species is nearly as large as the bill itself. The nesting habits are not less curious than the structure of hornbills. The eggs are laid in a cavity of a tree. The hen alone sits. When she has entered the hole she and the cock plaster up the orifice until it is only just large enough to allow the insertion of the hornbill's beak. The cock feeds the sitting hen during the whole period of her voluntary incarceration. Several species of hornbills dwell in the forests at the foot of the Himalayas, but only one species is likely to be found at elevations above 5000 feet. This is the rufous-necked hornbill.