Ornithological Notes from Afghanistan. 4A7 



Picus himalayanus is the only Woodpecker observed ; it is 

 very scarce just now, although at some period of the year it 

 must be common, for every decayed pine-tree has one or 

 more of its nest-holes in it. I found it, however, very abun- 

 dant on the Peiwar Kotal, as well as Certhia himalayana, 

 which I have not, as yet, met with down here. I had hopes 

 of the possibility of meeting with the Great Black Wood- 

 pecker {Dryocopus martins), but that still remains a pleasure 

 to come. Sitta cinnamomeiventris is common, both here and 

 on the Kotal, and appears to be breeding. The Laniidse 

 furnish only two species, viz. Lanius erythronotus , common, 

 and L. vittatus, Valenc, rather rare. The latter species has 

 a very pleasing song, which I have long endeavoured to render 

 on paper, the nearest approach I can make to it being by 

 the syllables fud a whee tu, fud a whee tu, tzee, tzee, tzee, 

 foi, foi, foi, &c., quickly repeated. 



Buchanga albicaudata, A. Hay, is rather rare; indeed I 

 have only seen one specimen on this side of the Peiwar range ; 

 in the Kuram valley it is common. 



Three species of Flycatcher have been obtained, viz. Cyornis 

 ruficauda (Swains.), which is common enough in the pine- 

 forests, Butalis griseola (Linn.), and Hemichelidon fuligmosa, 

 Hodgs., which I found in the valleys in the pine-woods, and 

 is, I think, breeding, as all the specimens I have obtained 

 have been males showing signs of breeding. 



Petrocossyphus cyanus is the only Thrush as yet observed. 

 No Timelidse, not even the ubiquitous Chatarrhoea caudata. 

 Neither are there any Bulbuls or Orioles to be seen. 



Of the Sylviidse I have found Pratincola indica, Ruticilla 

 ceeruleicephala, and Saxicola niorio. S.picata, Blyth, does not 

 seem to be found here, but I saw several pairs about the fort 

 at Ali Musjid towards the end of March. 



One of the first birds I shot after arriving here was a female 

 of Ruticilla caruleicephala. I was quite at a loss to know 

 what I had got, never to my knowledge having read a de- 

 scription of the female"^. It was not until three weeks later, 



* I have since observed that Mr. Hume has described the plumage of 

 the female iu * Lahore to Yarkand,' aud again in ' Stray Feathers/ vii, 

 p. 391. 



