OOLOGY, WITH NOTES ON THE BIRDS. 351 



an indication of the field, this country offers to the ornithologist, 

 I may mention, en passant, that even in this brief period no less 

 than 250 species of birds came under my observation. 



516.— Acrocephalus dumetorum, Blyth. 



On the fifth day after leaving Naini Tal — ever mindful of 

 my friend Mr. Brooks' parting advice to me (in reference to the 

 part of the country which required to be investigated) " avoid 

 the lower hills as the plague" — I reached Takula, which is the 

 first march beyond Almora on the road to the Pindari glacier, 

 late on the evening of the 10th of May. It rained heavily all 

 that night, so that I was obliged to halt the next day, my tents 

 being far too wet to be struck, and the distance to the next 

 halting place necessitating a start the first thing in the morning. 



Takula is at an elevation between 5,000 and 6,000 feet ; 

 it is beautifully wooded with a small mountain stream flowing 

 right under the camping ground, and the climate is delightful. 

 All things considered, I was not sorry at having an opportunity 

 of exploring such productive looking ground ; and before it was 

 fairly daylight the next morning operations were commenced 

 in right earnest. To each of my collectors I apportioned off 

 a well-wooded mountain slope, reserving for my own hunting 

 ground (as I had not yet got my hill-legs) the water-courses 

 and ravines in the immediate vicinity of my camp. 



Not more than 20 yards from where my tent stood, there 

 is a deep ravine clothed on both banks with a dense jungle of 

 the larger kind of nettle {Girardinia heterophylla,) such nettles 

 too ! the hill-dock (Rumex 7iepalensis), and wild rose trees. 

 Wending my way through this dark, damp, and muggy nullah 

 to the best of my ability, I came upon the nest of this interest- 

 ing little bird ; it was placed in the centre of a rose bush, at an 

 elevation of some two feet above the bank and about four feet 

 from where I stood, but yet in a most tantalizing situation inas- 

 much as it was necessary to remove several thorny branches 

 before an examination of the nest was possible. 



The act of cutting away the branches alarmed my sombre 

 little friend (I knew that the nest was tenanted, as the bill and 

 head were distinctly visible through the lateral entrance), and 

 out she darted with such a " ivhir " that any thing like satis- 

 factory identification for a bird of this sort was utterly hopeless. 

 The nest contained four beautiful little eggs, so that to bag 

 the parent bird was a matter of the first importance ; all my 

 attempts, however, first to capture her on the nest and next to 

 shoot her as she flew off, were equally futile, her movements being 

 rapid and erratic as forked lightning. And here let me give a 

 Avord of advice to my brother ornithologists : Never attempt to 

 shoot a wary little bird in the act of leaving its nest, as you only 



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