350 Mr. R. W. Ramsay's Ornithological Notes 



almost equally noisy but more melodious Meyalcema hodgsoni 

 of the plains. 



The extraordinary want of birds of prey throughout the 

 whole of the Karen -nee countrj^ w^as very marked ; I can 

 safely say that from the time that we left the banks of the 

 Sittang, where an Osprey was fishing, until we arrived at our 

 destination, the only birds of prey that we met with were 

 a Kesti^el, a Ninox, and a dark-coloured Falcon, which I 

 met with but failed to obtain on several occasions in the 

 stunted teak-forests, and which may have been Erythropus 

 amurensis. 



Day by day interesting birds kept falling to my gun, and 

 also to that of Major Lloyd's, who was a most indefatiguable 

 collector. At the higher elevations I naturally met with 

 many species for the first time, and consequently the collect- 

 ing was more interesting. 



At Kyai-pho-gyee itself, which is situated in the midst of 

 au open, undulating, grassy country dotted over with patches 

 of low scrub-jungle, at an elevation of 3300 feet, I had more 

 time to look about me; for the party was to halt for a week. 

 The first thing that struck the ear on emerging from the 

 jungles into the open country was the note of Cuculus ca- 

 norus, whose " cuckoo " resounded on all sides. The painted 

 Franeolin [Francolinus sinensis) was another bird which was 

 very abundant, and always denoted its whereabouts by its ex- 

 traordinary call, which, when rendered on paper, somewhat re- 

 sembles the syllables kuk-kuk-kuich, kd-kd. These birds, to- 

 gether with Quail of three diff'erent species, and a hare {Lepus 

 peguanus, Bl.) afforded very fair sport to our party. 



The weather during our stay in Karen-nee Avas exceedingly 

 pleasant and cool, the thermometer ranging from 50° at night 

 to 96° Fahrenheit in the sun during the day. 



The patches of jungle on the hill-sides and on the borders 

 of the ravines proved to be the most rich in birds ; and many 

 species were there found that I hardly expected to meet, such 

 as Sibia, Actinodura, Niltava*, and Garrulus leucotis. The 

 latter was far from common ; but the beautiful Urocissa mng- 



* Sihia pianoides, Actimira rammtji, Walden, and Niltava swidara. — W. 



