138 



Additional gates on the lids d| jfenassmw and 

 an/matl]* on thou of the Whomx^een $ altejr. 



By Captain C. T. Bingham. 



For the last two years I have been almost continuously in 

 the forests of the western half of the Thoungyeen valley, 

 and during this time have had many opportunities of collect- 

 ing the birds of this region and taking notes of their habits 

 and geographical distribution. I have, therefore, in the heading 

 to my paper, specially referred to this tract, the more 

 readily that it has heretofore remained omithologically almost a 

 terra incognita. Mr. Davison, it is true, passed through 

 the upper half of it, but he was en route to Mooleyit, and did 

 not spend any time in the valley itself. 



I have not, however, confined myself to noting the birds 

 that occur in the Thoungyeen valley alone, as previous to 

 the period referred to above I had, in the course of my official 

 duties, to visit several places in the province from Hpapoon 

 to Tavoy and Mergui, and had all along collected as diligently 

 as I could. 



I have to apologize for the meagre information supplied under 

 the great majority of species noticed, but the fact is, that 

 nearly all that could possibly be said about their habits, etc., 

 has already been so well told by Mr. Davison in Vol. VI. of 

 Stray Feathers, that I have had scarcely anything left to 

 add. When I have said nothing it will be understood that 

 my observations coincide with what he has recorded. 



It should be noted throughout this paper that when I speak 

 of the Thoungyeen valley, I refer only to the western half of 

 it. All to the east of the stream being foreign territory, I have 

 had no opportunity of exploring there. 



A few remarks on the natural features, etc., of the valley 

 may be acceptable. 



Five streams — the Golee, Popee, Oukreen, Oukra, and 

 Megla combine to form the Thoungyeen river, which has its 

 origin in their junction in about (the country has never been 

 accurately surveyed) Lat. 16° 20' K, Long. 98° 40' E. 



These five streams drain the western and northern flanks of 

 a high, almost unexplored, mass of mountains comprised between 

 the Pawan-Kyan range in Shan territory, and the well known 

 peak of Mooleyit, from whence the hills run north-west, spread- 

 ing out to form the Taoo plateau, and thence continuing in 

 an almost unbroken range north-north-west to the Salween 

 river near its junction with the Thoungyeen. 



