Descriptive List of Birds 



A feathered exquisite. 



A snow-white cap ; remainder of head, 

 whole neck, breast, wings and upper back 

 rich velvety black. Tail, rump and abdomen 

 bright chestnut red, so that, as the bird leaps 

 from a boulder in mid-stream into the air, 

 it looks as though it were on fire. 



Common in Kashmir and the Western 

 Himalayas at all elevations above 6000 feet ; 

 in summer up to the glaciers. In the Eastern 

 Himalayas, it does not occur as a rule at eleva- 

 tions lower than 7000 feet. 



A frequenter of mountain streams. 



81. Ruticilla frontalis: The Blue- fronted 

 Redstart. F. 639, J. 503, I. E. W. K. 



Cock : Head and shoulders blue, brightest 

 on forehead. Rump, breast and abdomen 

 chestnut, as is the tail except the middle pair 

 of feathers which are black. Wings brown with 

 reddish margins. 



Hen : A brown bird with a ring of pale 

 feathers round the eye. Tail as in cock. Lower 

 plumage suffused with orange. This redstart 

 is usually found away from water. In the 

 summer it usually keeps to elevations higher 

 than those of the hill stations, but it is occa» 



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