ASSAM, SYLHET AND CACHAR. 55 



1495is.— -Palaeornis cyanocephalus, Lin. 



I never saw this wild myself in Manipur, but one of my 

 taxidermists did, and whilst in Manipur a Naga brought in a 

 much injured live bird that he had knocked down near 

 Langtabal, the old capital, and I also saw two caged specimens 

 that had been captured in the neighbourhood, and I learnt that 

 later in the year, as well as I could make out about the time 

 the rice ripens, this species is tolerably common. 



This species occurs at one season or another throughout 

 Assam, Cachar and Northern Sylhet hills and plains except 

 upon the highest ranges. It is very common right up to the 

 extreme head of the valley beyond Sadiya. 



In British Burmah it is equally generally distributed, except 

 in the southern portion of Tenasserim (the Mergui district), 

 to which it does not extend. 



152.~Palseornis fasciatus, P. L. S. Mull. 



I first shot this species in Manipur in the Eastern hills at 

 Aimole, where at from 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation they were 

 very common, and I met with them here and there from 3,000 

 feet elevation upwards everywhere in the Eastern hills. I 

 believe I saw them on the Manipur bank of the Jhiri, but 

 did not shoot any there, as I had just shot three on the 

 Cachar bank of the river. They keep in small flocks, and 

 frequent particular trees which are in fruit day after day 

 until the tree is cleared. When occupied thus feeding they 

 are not easily disturbed. They are very difficult to see, 

 as they crawl about the branches in a slow stealthy way, 

 keeping well hid by the foliage and the dense clusters of 

 tree ferns and orchids. But when you do spy out and shoot 

 one, if he drops dead, the others only flutter a little inside 

 the tree but do not fly out. I have thus, in the course of 

 half an hour, killed five out of the same flock by patient 

 watching and persistently staring up into the tree ; but if the 

 bird shot is only wounded, and the poor thing falls screeching 

 as they do, then the flock flies off with loud outcries, but 

 still returns within half an hour. 



It is everywhere a semi-migratory species, changing 

 its locale Avith the seasons, according as the fruits and grains 

 on which it feeds ripen here and there. Thus we never once 

 saw it in the basin of Manipur, but found it abundant 

 in the Eastern hills, while when the rice is ripe and cut 

 it is said to swarm below and to desert the hills. 



