PAL^ORNIS. 89 



Palseornis schisticeps, Hodgs. The Slaty -headed Paroquet. 



Palaeornis schisticeps, Hodgs.. Jerd. B. 2nd. i, p. 261 ; Hume. Roucih 

 Draft N. $ JE. no. 150. 



The Slaty-headed Paroquet breeds throughout the Himalayas, 

 south of the first Snowy Kange, at heights of from 4000 to 7000 

 feet. During the winter they keep much lower down, but about 

 March they begin to come upwards to breed, and the majority lay 

 during the latter half of March and April, though I took one nest 

 of fresh eggs on the 5th of May. 



They nest at times in natural hollows of trees ; in fact, this I 

 think is more usual, but not uufrequently in holes cut by them- 

 selves. The tree in which I have most commonly found them is 

 the hill-oak. The eggs are often very deep down and difficult to 

 secure, especially when, as is often the case, the tree is a sound 

 one. The egg-chamber is at times very large, but is never less 

 than 4 or 5 inches in diameter. They lay from four to five eggs, 

 which are commonly placed on chips of wood ; the nest has no 

 other lining. The female sits very close and will not leave her 

 eggs, though you may be ten minutes hacking away with an axe 

 to get down to the nest. 



Colonel C. H. T. Marshall, writing from Murree, says : " These 

 nests were invariably very high up in tall trees, most of them in 

 newly-made holes. All that we found this year contained young 

 birds. We got the egg last year. It is 1*15 long by 0*95 inch 

 broad. This species breeds at the latter end of April. Elevation 

 6000 to 7000 feet." 



Captain Hutton remarks : " Although a true mountaineer, it 

 descends in the winter season to the gardens and groves around 

 Dehra, and is often mixed up with the flocks of P. purpureus and 

 P. torquatus ; but in the early spring they return to the hills, which 

 they never at any season entirely quit, and breed in April and 

 May. The tree most usually selected is a large species of gum- 

 yielding BauJiinia, each tree harbouring but one pair of birds." 



The eggs are rather broad ovals, pure white when fresh, and 

 glossless. In size they are intermediate between those of P. pur- 

 pureus and P. torquatus. They appear to be often much soiled and 

 stained during incubation, as is not uncommon with those of 

 P. purpureus, but which is less common with those of P. torquatus. 



In length these eggs vary from 1*08 to 1*17 inch, and in breadth 

 from 0-89 to 0-94 inch ; but the average is about 1-12 by 0-92 

 inch. 



Palaeornis columboides, Vigors. The Blue-winged Paroquet. 



Palaeornis columboides, Viy., Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 261 ; Hume, Cat. 

 no. 151. 



Mr. F. Bourdillon informs me that he has taken several nests 

 of this species in the Assamboo Hills in Travancore. He says : 



