6 Mr. J. Davidson—^ Short 



snow-capped on the right bank of the river, but bare on the 

 other side. Its elevation is 8600 feet, and the hills around 

 must be at least 3000 feet higher. On the 1st June we 

 found birds, as a rule, only completing their nests ; but 

 towards the close of our stay we obtained ten or fifteen nests 

 daily, mainly on the very steep wooded hills to the right of 

 the river. Oddly enough, we did not find anything of the 

 least value on the right bank of the tributary joining the 

 Sind River on its right bank, though the forest seemed very 

 tempting. 



Leaving Sonamurg on the 17th of June, we marched back 

 to Gandarbal, giving up a day (the 19th) to visit our old 

 haunts at Gund. We found there, however, that the nest- 

 ing season was over, and that birds had young, in most cases 

 already flying. 



We reached the foot of the Sind River at Gandarbal on 

 the 20th, and had a day on the marshes, which we found 

 were full of birds breeding. We then spent a couple of days 

 at Srinugger, one devoted to the Tukht-i-Suliman, and the 

 other to the Dal Lake. The former was not a success, but 

 the morning we spent on the Dal Lake produced some 200 

 eggs, though we did not molest the common species, such as 

 Gallinnla chloropus and Podicipes minor. We then returned 

 the way we had come, reaching Bombay on the 6th July. 



In a trip of this description, extending over such a short 

 period, of course very many birds must have been over- 

 looked, and the notes as to the birds we observed must be 

 very sparse j still during our trip we worked hard, leaving 

 our tents generally soon after 6 in the morning, and 

 working till 12 or 1, when we returned to breakfast. 

 Between then and 4 we were generally fully employed 

 blowing eggs (for we blew the rarest ourselves, not trusting 

 them to my skinner), putting insects in papers, and making 

 notes. After 4 we used to spend the time till dark in 

 collecting. On such days as we had not enough to keep us 

 employed at home from 1 to 4 we used to go for a stroll 

 near the tents. We thus managed to get a good many 

 hours' hard work every day, and noticed the following birds. 



