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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



No. I.— SOME NOTES ON BIRDS TAKEN AT COONOOR, 

 NILGIRIS, IN MAY 1904. 

 Pomatorhinus horsfteldi. — The Southern Scimitar Babbler. 

 This bird is very common about Coonoor. It usually occurs in small flocks 

 from three to eight in number. Although very partial to thick damp under- 

 growth these birds do not hesitate to enter gardens. I have seen them in 

 wayside bushes and on a comparatively open hill-side on which there was a con- 

 tinuous chain of bushes and small trees. The birds keep well to cover. They 

 are very skilled climbers, making their way with great facility through thick 

 bushes and trees, progressing in much the same way that Crow-Pheasants do. 



They are equally clever iu running up and down tree trunks, being almost as 

 nimble as nuthatches. 



This Scimitar Babbler feeds on insects which it picks off leaves, off the 

 ground, or from the trunks of trees. It uses its long bill as a probe, by means 

 of which it drags out insects which lurk in the crevices of the bark of trees. 

 On one occasion I saw one of these birds devouring something large which it 

 held with its foot as a crow does, and took pecks at it. I was unable to make 

 out the nature of the object but the bird took half a dozen bites at it before it 

 was disposed of. 



The bird has several notes, A common one is a loud Ko-ko-ko-e-e-e. 



Sometimes one bird calls Ko-ko-ko and another answers Ko-ee. When the 

 birds are feeding in company, they keep up a continuous chatter, which is not 

 unpleasing to the ear. When alarmed this bird gives vent to a harsh cry very 

 characteristic of the babbler tribe. 



Its habits are so similar to those of the Nilgiri Laughing Thrush (Trochal- 

 opterum cachinnans), also very common about Coonoor, that it is difficult to 

 determine which of the varied notes heard belong to each species. 



Zosterops palpebrosa. — The Indian White-eye is very common in this part of 

 the Nilgiris, being, in fact, almost as numerous as the Hill-Bulbul (Otocompsa 

 fuscicaudata). I found several nests belonging to this species. 



Most of them contained only two eggs. So far as I could determine, the eggs 

 take twelve or thirteen days to hatch out. 



Sitta frontalis. — The Velvet-fronted Blue Nuthatch is very numerous in the 

 Coonoor forests. 



I saw many Tailor birds (Orlhotomm sutorius) some of which were in breeding 

 plumage, Coonoor is about 6,000 feet above the sea-level. This bird therefore 

 ascends higher than 4,000 feet, the limit given by Oates. 



Cyornis tickelli. — Tickell's Blue Flycatcher is fairly abundant at Coonoor. 

 It is a noisy bird, continually uttering a characteristic note. This consists of a 

 couple of sharp chicks, followed by a little tune of about six notes, not unlike 

 that of the White-browed Fan-tail Flycatcher but harsher and not so loud. 



Stoparola albicaudata. — The Nilgiri Blue Flycatcher is numerous, not infre- 

 quently coming into gardens. Does this species feed on fruit as well as insects ? 

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