NATURAL HISTORY AND SPORT IN THE HIMALAYAS. 445 
the Chesnut Woodpecker, Micropternus phaioceps fly past. Of 
most of these I had plenty specimens at home, so I did not fire 
at them. Saw two or three small parties of the beautiful Lesser 
Minivet, Pericrocotus brevirostris, the males and females apart. 
These birds leave for the plains in October, breeding on the hills 
inJune. Mr. P. says they are very common. The large species, 
P. speciosus, he does not appear to have recognised, but it is 
occasionally seen at Kussowlie, and is common in the Dhoon in 
winter. After a couple of hours pretty hard fagging, for the 
ascent was steep and the way rugged, I sat down to have a smoke, 
thereby missing a chance at a party of Cheere Pheasants which 
caine into the open to feed, and ran in all directions back to cover 
when they observed me. Capt. T. had better luck; he went off 
at daybreak; and on my rejoining him in the afternoon I found 
him arranging his spoils, which consisted of a Ghoral, three Cheere, 
two brace of Wood Partridge, and a Chicore. He had seen a 
Kakur, or Barking Deer, but could not get a shot, so impervious 
was the jungle. The only bird to add to the collection was a 
noble Horned Owl, Bubo bengalensis, which he flushed when 
beating for Wood Partridge. Mr. P. informs me this Owl is not 
rare about Koteghur in summer, and his collection contained 
several specimens. I did not at the time know that it was 
obtainable off the plains. Capt. T. said he had seen a pair of 
large very dark Eagles questing the face of a deep ravine,—most 
likely N. malaiensis. 
Koteghur, Oct. 21st.—I find the Himalayan Tree Pie, 
Dendrocitia sinensis, is very common hereabouts. You get him 
at about 5000 feet elevation, but I have not seen him much above 
that; at higher altitudes the beautiful Blue Pie replaces him; 
and in the sub-Himalayan forests and the plains generally you 
get the red species, D. rufa or vagabunda, of some writers. A 
deluded acquaintance of mine once put a young D. sinensis into 
his aviary, which held no end of small dicky-birds; but it was not 
a success, as far as their fraternising went: the Pie killed half 
of them the first day, beginning with some Java Sparrows and 
Munias, daintily eating their heads off first. I did not go far from 
our quarters to-day, but managed to pick up some rather scarce 
birds, besides a few Chicore. Flocks of the Lark Finch, 
Fringilauda nemoricola, have made their appearance, and will 
be still more abundant as the cold season advances. I have seen 
