Ornithological Notts from Afghanistan. 415 



myself. Albeit the materials at hand are somewhat scanty, 

 I shall endeavour to make a commencement. 



By an Kheyl, where the regiment is at present encamped, 

 is situated at an elevation of about 7600 feet above the sea, 

 in the valley of the Keria river, in longitude 69° 50' and 

 latitude 33° 56', about eight miles to the southward of the 

 great Safed-Koh range. On the east and south it is bounded 

 by a long spur from the same range, through which runs the 

 now famous Peiwar Kotal or pass. To the north-west is 

 another spur of the Safed Koh, whilst to the south-west the 

 valley trends away towards Ali Kheyl, where the main body 

 of the force under General Roberts is now encamped. 



The hills on all sides are covered from 7000 feet and up- 

 wards with a thick growth of pine- wood, the prevailing trees 

 being the deodar {Cedrus deodar a), Pinus gerardiana, and 

 P. ewcelsa, whilst at lower elevations their place is taken by 

 the juniper [Juniperus commmiis). 



On the 18th April, when we arrived, the snow was still 

 lying thick in places, and, indeed, for ten days after that we 

 were subject to continual falls of snow, so that I was not 

 surprised to find birds scarce. My expeditions, so far, can- 

 not be said to have been productive of much result, chiefly 

 from the fact that, owing to the unsettled state of the country, 

 it has not been considered safe to venture far from camp. 

 On first entering the pine-forests, I was struck by, what ap- 

 peared to me, an almost total absence of birds ; but a little 

 search soon revealed quantities of the small Warblers {Phyl- 

 loscopi) . 0£ these I have obtained two species, both of which 

 appear to he breeding. Tomtits also M^ere particularly abun- 

 dant, as might be expected, and were apparently breeding ; but 

 three species only have as yet been obtained, Parus cinereus, 

 Lophophanes melanolophus (Vigors) , andZ. beavani (Blyth) . A 

 nest of P. cinereus, which I found in a hollow pine-tree [Pinus 

 gerardiana) on the 1st May, contained four young ones about 

 six days old. 



Round the camp, where the trees have been cleared away, 

 and nothing left but stunted juniper- bushes and sweet briars, 

 birds are very abundant, but of few species. The noble- 



