1922.] duriiuj the First Mt. Ererest E.rpedition. 400 



in a country much more Nepalese than Til)etan in cha- 

 racter. Birds noticeable in that region were the Himahiynn 

 Greenfinch, Indian Tree-Pipit^ and AVhite headed Dove. In 

 a valley near Nyenyam at 14,000 ft. I found a pair of Ibis- 

 bills (^Ibidorlujnchus strutliersi), which appealed by their 

 behaviour to have 3'oung birds on an island in the river ; 

 unfortunately the water was too deep and swift to make a 

 crossing- possible. 



The country in the neighbourhood of Kharta (12,000 ft.), 

 about 25 miles east of Mt. Everest, is partly dry Tibetan 

 and partly wet Nepalese in character. The month of August 

 was spent at Kharta, whence we made excursions fjouth to 

 the Kama Valley, descending to an altitude as low as 0000 ft. 

 In the month of September we ascended the Kharta Valley, 

 making camps at 17,000 ft., where a considerable number of 

 birds were collected, at 20,000 ft., and at 22,400 ft., in the 

 innnediate vicinity of Mt. Everest. It is interesting to 

 note that at our 17,000 ft. camp, besides Temminck's Stint, 

 of which a specimen was obtained, the Painted Snipe and 

 Pin-tailed Snipe were both seen, and other migrating birds 

 were heard passing over at night, the cries of C'Urlews and 

 God wits being clearly recognisable. 



Among the more conspicuous species, of which specimens 

 were not obtained, may be mentioned the following : — 

 Magpie : a pair or two generally to be found near most 

 villages, breeding at Khamba Dzong, June. Raven : very 

 common in all villages, seen up to 21,000 ft. on Mt. Everest. 

 Alpine Chough : common in rocky valleys, seen at 20,000 ft. 

 on Mt. Everest. Himalayan Vulture: in the gorges of the 

 main Himalayan range up to 14,000 ft., not seen on the 

 Tibetan plateau, where its place is taken by the Lammer- 

 geier, of which a pair or two may be seen in every district 

 above 14,000 ft. Erom our camp at 22,400 ft. on Mt. Everest, 

 a Lammergeior was seen flying liigli over the top of a peak 

 of not less than 24,000 ft. Black-eared Kite: fairly jjlentiful 

 about villages in Arun Valley ; one of these birds frequented 

 our camps in the Kharta Valley up to 17,000 ft., but did not 

 appear to venture farth<'r. 



2 1^2 



