XVII. ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF 



BIRDS FROM THE MISHMI HILLS, 



N.E. FRONTIER OF INDIA. 



By E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.5., F.L.5., M.B.O.t/. 



The birds mentioned in this article were collected by Capt. 

 R. S. Kennedy, I. M.S., in the Mishmi Hills during the months 

 of March and April, 1913, and though but few in number form 

 a most interesting collection. It contains a splendid specimen of 

 Ithaginis cruentus kuseri, hitherto represented by two specimens 

 only which were obtained in Yunnan. 



1. Garrulus bispecularis (Vig.). 



Blanford, Fauna of Bi-itisli India, Birds, i, p. 39. 

 British Museum Catalogue, iii, p. 100. 

 No. 25385. Not sexed. Mishmi Hills, 8500 ft., 22-iii-i3. 



This specimen is a fairly typical specimen of bispecularis, 

 rather dark above and brightly coloured. It exactly resembles the 

 type of Garrulus owstoni from Formosa, so named by Ingram, but 

 which is merely a S3'nonym of bispecularis. 



2. Nucifraga hcmispila (Vig.). 



Blanford, Fauna of British India, Birds, i, p. 41. 

 British Museum Catalogue, iii, p. 54. 

 No. 25389. ? , Mishmi Hills, 8000 ft., 5-iv-i3. 



Although now it is often accepted as such I do not consider 

 hcmispila a sub-species of caryocatactes as the former bird and midii- 

 punctata, which is a sub-species of the latter bird, overlap in their 

 breeding grounds without, as far as I can see from the material in 

 the British Museum, in any way grading into one another, Hemis- 

 pila is the common form over the North Eastern Frontier of India 

 and breeds in Tibet and further east, but I have also received 

 skins of muUipunctata killed in Tibet during the breeding season. 



The three forms of nutcracher should therefore stand as 

 follows : 



Nucifraga caryocatactes caryocatactes, 



Nucifraga caryocatactes muUipunctata (Vig.), and 



Nucifraga hcmispila (Vig.). 



