242 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



Bill with the upper mandible orange yellow, the lower black ; 

 irides white, whitish, or hoary ; feet pale ding-y greenish ; claws 

 grey horny, in one specimen dusky horny ; head rich peach- 

 bloom red, shaded with delicate blue on the occiput, nape, 

 and cheeks ; black mandibular stripes continued as a narrow 

 collar round back of neck ; wing spot dark red ; wing-coverts and 

 axillaries verditer blue, contrasting with the colour of the breast. 



Young bird, Hetoura, 2bth December. — Length, 10"2; expanse, 

 15'8 ; wing, 5*4; tail, 4*4; tarsus, 0*4; bill from gape, O'bV ; 

 from anterior mai'gin of cere to point of bill, 0*65 ; depth of 

 closed bill at cere, 0*68 ; cere on culmen, 0*15 ; closed wings 

 short of tail, 1*95. 



Bill horny yellow, dusky at tip ; the upper mandible darker 

 than the lower, and slightly mottled dusky ; irides very pale 

 yellow; feet greenish; forehead, lores and cheeks bluish grey; 

 the forehead tinged brown ; top and back of head green like 

 the back ; a yellow collar most prominent at sides of neck and 

 faint on the nape ; tip of middle tail feathers blue ; no trace 

 of a wing spot ; under wing-coverts the same colour as in the 

 adults noted above. 



This beautiful species is very common in the Nawakot dis- 

 trict and in the Dun about Hetoura. It does not occur in the 

 valley except possibly as a mere straggler. It is usually seen 

 in large flocks, flies most swiftly, and has a very pleasant call ; 

 the note of the bird when perched is sometimes most musical. 

 On several occasions I have had reason to be astonished at the 

 way in which this Paroquet can conceal itself in a tree : a large 

 flock will fly into a tree in full foliage, and at once become 

 invisible to the keenest scrutiny. 



Two Paroquets of this species were purchased in Nepal, in 

 February. The birds were alike, and had the head plum blue, 

 a yellow collar and no black ring round the neck ; they were 

 supposed to be either adult females, or else young birds. 

 About the middle of March I was surprised to see them in 

 coitu; on the 20th March one of the birds laid an egg in the 

 cage ; a second egg was laid on the 25th, and a third on the 30th. 

 The eggs were pure white and of normal shape and size for the 

 species. 



In '' Stray Feathers," I., p. 343, foot-note, and again in 

 " Nests and Eggs," p. 117, Mr. Hume says that P. ct/anocep7talus 

 (bengalensis) is found in Nepal ; if so this must refer to the ex- 

 treme east of the State, on the borders of Sikira. 



150.— Palseornis schisticeps, Hodgs. 



Male, December. — Length, 14"2 ; expanse, 18*4 ; wing, 6*35 ; 

 tail, 7*8 ; tarsus, 0*6 ; bill from gape, 0*7 ; anterior margin of 



