Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



colour. It might be possible to condense an 

 accurate description of the plumage of this 

 bird into half a column of print. I will, how- 

 ever, refrain. There is a limit to the patience 

 of even the Anglo-Indian. 



THE CAPITONID^E OR BARBET FAMILY 



The only member of this family common in 

 the Himalayas is that fine bird known as the 

 great Himalayan barbet (Megalcema marshal- 

 lorum). As this forms the subject of a separate 

 essay, detailed description is unnecessary in the 

 present one. It will suffice that the bird is 

 over a foot in length and has a large yellow 

 beak. Its prevailing hue is grass green. It 

 has a bright red patch under the tail. It goes 

 about in small flocks and constantly utters a 

 loud plaintive dissyllabic note. 



THE ALCEDINID.E OR KINGFISHER FAMILY 



The Himalayan pied kingfisher (Ceryle 

 lugubris) is a bird as large as a crow. Its 

 plumage is speckled black and white, like that 

 of a Hamburg fowl. It feeds entirely on fish, 

 and frequents the larger hill streams. Its 

 habit is to squat on a branch, or if the day be 



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