22 Mr. J. Davidson—^ Short 



in the hole of a thin tree only 12 feet from the ground, while 

 the last was over 25 feet, in a rotten branch of a dead tree. 

 The nests were of moss, lined with a few fibres of wood, and 

 the eggs were 5, 4, and 5 respectively. These were taken 

 between the 20th and 28th May. 



44. Alseonax RUFicAUDUs (Swains.). 



This was much the commonest of the Robin-Flycatchers 

 about Gund ; higher up, at Sonamurg, we found it rare, 

 only seeing one pair, the nest of which we took on the 

 12th June with four eggs at the junction of the lowest branch 

 of a spruce fir with the trunk, some ten feet from the ground. 

 At Gund we found many nests ; they were large solid cups, 

 generally built within reach or at the most fifteen feet or so 

 from the ground on the stumps of pollarded trees, the 

 branches of which had sprouted and were covered with leaves. 

 In one or two cases we found nests placed against the trunks 

 of large fir-trees. They were composed of moss and lined 

 with hair and feathers, and bound round the outside with 

 spiders' web. The number of eggs was either three or four ; 

 they were of a uniform pale olive-green, faintly tinged with 

 pink at the larger end, forming a cap. The birds, though 

 very common, were shy when breeding, and deserted several 

 of the nests we found ; they also took so long a time to 

 build that on the 31st May we had to leave nests, which had 

 been found in process of building a fortnight before^ either 

 unfinished or without a full complement of eggs. 



45. Terpsipuone paradisi (Linn.). 



This bird was common in the Jhelum Valley at an elevation 

 of from 4000 to 5000 feet, and about Srinugger and in the 

 Valley of Kashmir generally ; we did not notice any in the 

 Sind Valley. The nests about Srinugger and Gandarbal 

 contained well-grown young towards the close of June. 



46. Pratincola caprata (Linn.). 



We found this bird common both in April and June along 

 the Jhelum, between Kohala and Uri. We did not see it 

 further north or in the Valley of Kashmir proper. At the 

 end of June most of the nests contained fresh eggs. 



