64 Capt. H. J. Walton on the 



along the Tsang Po (Erahraapoutra) Valley, and that those 

 birds which visit the Plains of India during the cold weather 

 come and go via Assam, and do not take the shorter 

 routes through Sikhim or the Chumbi Valley. It is well 

 known that birds on migration are very apt to follow river- 

 courses ; and in travelling along the Tsang Po (the valley 

 of which, as far as we observed it, is broad and fertile, with 

 a gentle gradient) the birds would be relieved from the 

 necessity of crossing the lofty and exposed mountain-passes 

 at the heads of the other two routes. 



Owing to the comparatively well-wooded nature of the 

 surrounding country, many resident birds were found at 

 Gyantse that had not been observed at Khamba^ Jong or 

 Tuna. Ravens were as common there as elsewhere, and 

 many Red-billed Choughs came down daily from the sur- 

 rounding hills to feed in the fields of the Gyantse plain. 

 Kites (Milvus melanoiis), Tits (a new species of Parus of the 

 type of P. minor), Cinnamon Tree- Sparrows (Passer cinna- 

 momeus), Skylarks, and Magpies were all common, and, 

 with the exception of a very few individuals of the last-named 

 species, had not been met with previously. The earliest 

 migrants were Red-throated Ouzels (Tardus ruficollis) and 

 Redstarts (Ruticilla hodgsoni and R. rufiventris) . A little 

 later, towards the end of April, Rose-Finches, Bush-Chats, 

 Hoopoes, and Wagtails began to arrive. The latest comers 

 of all, of which none were seen before the beginning of May, 

 were Willow- Warblers (Phylloscopus affinis), Sparrow- Hawks 

 (Accipiter nisus), Kestrels (Tinnunculus alaudarius) , Hobbies 

 (Falco subbuteo), Swallows (Hirundo daurica), Terns (Sterna 

 fluviatilis), and Shrikes (Lanius tephronotus) . 



The Turtle-Dove (Turtur orientalis), which is very common 

 at Gyantse, is probably, for the most part, a very early 

 migrant, though I am inclined to think that some individuals, 

 at any rate, are residents throughout the year. 



Just as the rush of migrants was at its height, the re- 

 newal of hostilities and the investment of the Commission 

 at Gyantse rendered impossible all but the most desultory 

 ornithological observations. Thus I missed noting the dates 



