2 Mr. J. Davidson — A Short 



which we had access, decided that we should leave Bombay 

 on the evening of the 13th April. This season seemed the 

 best, according to the results of the trip of the late Major 

 Cocks and Mr. Brooks in 1872, and the notes on birds in 

 Mr. Lawrence's recent work on Kashmir ; unfortunately, 

 however, we had not taken into account the fact that the 

 seasons in the Himalayas vary from year to year, and that 

 1896 was remarkable for a heavy snowfall, with the conse- 

 quence that flowers, fruits, and birds were nearly a fortnight 

 later than usual. We therefore, on our arrival, found that 

 for the first fortnight hardly any birds had commenced to 

 build, and we had to leave Sonamurg (the furthest point we 

 reached) at a time that we were taking forty or fifty eggs a 

 day, and when several of the most interesting birds were only 

 building their nests. This was a great disappointment, but 

 notwithstanding we were very successful ; and as I can find no 

 previous records about some of the birds found breeding, I 

 think it worth while to give a short account of our trip. 



Leaving Bombay on the night of the 13th April, we 

 reached Lahore on the morning of the 16th, and spent the 

 day there visiting the Zoological Gardens, which were prin- 

 cipally interesting from the number of wildfowl on the 

 sheet of water in the centre. In the station we saw nothing 

 noteworthy except that Palaornis magnirostris, which I had 

 only previously seen as a wary inhabitant of the Satpura 

 Hills, was in pairs, and flying about as devoid of fear of man 

 as the familiar P. torquatus. 



We left Lahore in the evening, reached Rawal Pindi 

 at noon next day, and left again before daybreak on the 

 18th, reaching Murree in time for a late breakfast. We 

 found Murree intensely cold during the three days we spent 

 there, while our servants and tents were being carried by 

 " ekka'' along the Jhelum. Birds were numerous, though 

 the only ones we saw breeding were Stoparola melanops and 

 ^githaliscus erythrocephalus. The former were busily 

 employed in making nests in holes under the culverts 

 along the roads on the hill, and we saw a pair of the latter 

 carrying feathers in their mouths. We were, however, 



