BIRD NOTES FROM MUEREE. 149 



615, Oreicola ferrea (The Dark-grey Bush-Chat). — A nest of " The Dark- 

 grey Bush-Chat " found in Murree in the vicinity of one of the Hotels was 

 composed almost entirely of human hair (native). The lining was of horse- 

 hair. The nest contained a full clutch of 5 eggs which were deserted. In July 

 I use to see constantly a pair of these birds feeding their young of a second 

 brood and accompanied by a fully fledged young bird of the first brood. This 

 young bird " geezed " at me just like its parents whenever 1 went near the nest 

 or near the young after they had left the nest and were in the surrounding 

 scrub. I was almost prepared to see it helping its parents to feed its smaller 

 brothers and sisters. I one day surprised two adult males hopping one after 

 the other along the roadway like two sparrows, an action I had never before 

 observed in this species. The incident was probably the prelude to a fight. 

 The present was a bumper breeding -season for this little bird and numbers 

 of young were successfully reared. 



638. Chimarrliornis leucocephalus (The White-capped Redstart). — To see at 

 Dunga Gali a pair of " White-capped Redstarts " with a brood of three young 

 on the stream immediately below the engine house of the Murree water supply 

 station was a pretty sight and especially gratifying as there were three ardent 

 egg collectors in Dunga Gali at the time. Captain Skinner found the nest, just 

 after the young were hatched, on a bank above the engine house. The natives 

 in charge of the water supply station took quite an intelligent interest in these 

 particular birds. While still feeding their brood the parents again started 

 nesting in a weephole of the revetment wall of the embankment on which the 

 engine house and tanks stood. This second nest was not more than 15 yards 

 from the engine and within a foot of the top of the embankment where men 

 were constantly passing to and fro. I learnt subsequently that this nest was 

 never completed and that a third was built close by in another weephole of the 

 same embankment. I had to leave Dunga Gali before the eggs were laid but 

 I fear this handsome pair were not so lucky with their second establishment. 

 These were the only birds of this species observed in the locality. 



654. lanthia rujilata.— (The Red-flanked Bush-Robin). — Captain Skinner 

 informed m3 that he came across a female " Red-flanked Bush-Robin " in 

 Dunga Gali. 



673. Menda ca&tanea. — (The grey-headed Ouzel). —The chorus of song 

 of " The Grey-headed Ouzel "' around Dunga Gali in June was delightful to 

 listen to Here this bird appeared to be highly successful in its nesting 

 operations, but at Murree this and particularly the next species have their nests 

 hurried and plundered by hillmen, gujars and others for the sake of the young, 

 which are sold to natives, only to eke out, if they survive to maturity, a wret- 

 ched existence behind the bars of a small cage in some foul bazaar. I appealed 

 to the Forest Officials and the Murree Cantonment Committee for protection for 

 these birds in Murree, with, I trust, some but fear, not much, measure of hope 

 for the future. In addition to harrying by human beings the thrush family 

 Jiave to put up with another pest in Murree in the shape of monkeys {Macacus 



