Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



wings and tail. He is quite a dandy. The hen 

 is a reddish brown bird with a pale grey eye- 

 brow. This species likes to pretend it is a fly- 

 catcher. The flycatchers proper do not object 

 in the least ; in this country of multitudinous 

 insects there are more than enough for every 

 kind of bird. 



Brief mention must be made here of the 

 Indian bush-chat (Pratincola maura), because 

 this chat is common at Almora, and breeds 

 there. I have not seen it at other hill stations. 

 It does not appear to ascend the Himalayas 

 higher than 5500 feet. In the cock the upper 

 parts are black (brown in winter) with a large 

 white patch on each side of the neck. The 

 breast is orange-red. The lower parts are 

 ruddy brown. The hen is a plain reddish 

 brown bird. 



We now come to what is, in my opinion, one 

 of the most striking birds in the Himalayas. 

 I refer to the bird known to men of science as 

 Henicurus maculatus, or the western spotted - 

 forktail. Those Europeans who are not men 

 of science call it the hill-wagtail on account of 

 its habits, or the dhobi bird because of its un- 

 accountable predilection for the spot where the 



grunting, perspiring washerman pursues his de- 



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