292 LIST OF BIRDS IN MANIPUE, 



0. phayrii occurs pretty well throughout Central and Nor- 

 thern Tenasserim and throughout the Pegu and Arakan hills, 

 but it does not occur in the greater portion of the plains of Pegu! 



778.— Sphenocercus sphenurus, Vig. 



Repeatedly seen, and even more often heard (its sweet 

 plaintive whistling note being quite unmistakable), in the 

 Western hills, but never observed in the Eastern ones. 



I have this species both from Shillong and other places in 

 the Khasi hills, and from .N.-E Cachar, but I have as yet no 

 other record of its occurrence in Assam, Sylhet or Cachar. In 

 British Burmah, thus far, I only know of its occurrence in the 

 hill forests of Northern and Central Tenasserim and Pegu, 



779.— Sphenocercus apicaudus, Hodgs. 



This is the only Green Pigeon that I found really common 

 in Manipur. It abounds in both the Western and Eastern 

 hills from low down as on the banks of the Eerung in the 

 former to the highest points I visited in the latter. It is 

 never seen in the basin. 



I found them always in good sized flocks of from 20 to 

 30 birds, keeping well to the tops of the highest forest 

 trees. The consequence was that, what with having to 

 use No. 2 shot, and what with the immense height they 

 fell, and what with the facility with which their feathers 

 knock off, not one in ten of the birds I shot were fit to 

 skin. Even of these, owing to their extreme fatness, half the 

 skins are spoilt. Yet so much clean wood ashes was used in the 

 process that they might be said to have been skinned in ashes. 

 The only really perfect, dry, clean skins were treated thus : 

 After the skin had been removed, and its inside rubbed and 

 rubbed with ashes till it seemed quite dry, the skin was com- 

 pletely filled with clean ashes and loosely sown up, papered 

 and exposed to hot sun for two days. Then, the skins having 

 been relaxed, the ashes were carefully removed, and ordinary 

 stuffing substituted. All the four skins thus treated are perfect, 

 all the others are more o^ less disfigured by grease. Of course 

 this can be all removed by turpentine, but this is a most 

 laborious business, and the feathers never, I think, look quite 

 the same after it. 



I recommend this system for trial ; it is not better than the 

 hot, washed-bran process recommended in my Vade Mecum, 

 but it is less trouble, and one always has woodashes available 

 in camp in India, whereas the carrying the bran and then 

 recleaning it each time after use is a bore. 



t 



