400 Messrs. Robinson and Kloss on Birds [Ibis, 



water was to be found. Pines were scarce in the neighbour- 

 hood, and the south-western face of the Peaks, where 

 collections were principally made, was covered with mixed 

 forest with some undergrowth ; on tlie ridges and the Peaks 

 themselves (7500 ft.) occurred pines, oaks, and dense small 

 forest and shrub. 



We had a very unpleasant time setting up cauip in a 

 severe rain-storm when the hill side was flooded with running 

 water, but for the next week tlie weatlier was fine ; it changed, 

 however, when Smith left for Bangkok on the 21st, and the 

 remaining week of my stay was made unpleasant by heavy 

 rain regularly afier ujidday. The early morning temperature 

 was about 52° and that of the afternoon 65° ; cold winds 

 prevailed at night. 



The Langbian massif is not large and there were no hills 

 of equal heights in the neighbourhood, wliile the area of 

 forest is too small perhajjs to shelter many high-level species. 

 The following were, in my experience, confined to heights 

 above 6000 ft., and I do not think that future ornithological 

 visitors will add much to the list : — Chalcophaps indica, 

 Muscicapa strophlulu, Coclioa viridis, Sylviparus modestus, 

 Dlcaum iynvpecius, and new species of "Cryptolopha^ Pseudo- 

 minla, and Cissa. 



Between 5500 ft. and the summit of the Peaks, 7500 ft., 

 a total of fifty-seven species was obtained in a fortnight's 

 sojourn. 



From the Peaks I returned to Saigon, stopping to collect 

 again as narrated above, at Dalat, Dran, and Tour Cham. 



The Langbian region lies very near the southern extremity 

 of the Annamite mountain-chain, which except for several 

 narrow gaps, the most important of which lie behind Quang- 

 Binh, Quang-Tri, and Cape Varella, maintains a respectable 

 height throughout its course from where it leaves the 

 elevated regions of northern Laos and Yunnan. At several 

 points it rises to over 8000 ft. 



Of collecting-grounds knowai to British ornithologists the 

 plateau perhaps most closely resembles — in its pine and oak 

 forests, bracken, and open grass stretches — the Shan States ; 



