BIRDS IN BRITISH GARHWAL, 145 
many other warblers. It also possesses a song, if such it may be called, composed 
of a single note uttered some 4 to 6 times in rapid succession and preceded 
by a single rather higher pitched note. In the first week of August nesting is 
almost complete and at this time I could only find one nest with half-fledged 
young, two from which the young had already flown, and one deserted nest with 
eggs. These eggs were pure white and the average measurement of three of 
them was *6” x *45”. The nests were all placed from 6” to 1’ above the ground 
in low dense willow bushes which were growing in a gregarious manner on a 
piece of level ground bordering the stream. They were almost round in shape 
with a side entrance and were constructed of rough dry grass and lined with 
feathers. 
Phylloscopus pulcher (414).—The Orange-barred Willow-warbler. 
This species breeds in considerable numbers in the birch (Betula utilis) forests of 
the interior, and is abundant during the breeding season in forest of this species 
at elevations between 11,000’ and 12,000’ situatedin the Dhauli valley. They seem 
to be entirely arboreal in their habits and do not frequent bushes. Their note 
during the breeding season is very characteristic and when once learnt readily 
serves tc distinguish them from their many relations of somewhat similar appear- 
ance. The song is composed of rapidly vibrated notes forming a high pitched 
trill in a slightly descending cadence and is a very perfect imitation of a similar 
trill uttered by the wood-wren in England. The only nest I succeeded in finding 
was placed against the trunk of a birch where it had been securely wedged 
between the trunk itself and some loosely attached pieces of the bark. The tree 
was in the middle of fairly dense birch forest, and the nest was placed about 
10’ from the ground. It was domed and composed externally of a few strips of 
birch bark, a little moss, and grass, and lined with monal feathers. It contained 
three hard set eggs which were white with pale reddish brown spots mostlycentered 
round the larger end. Two of the eggs were so damaged in the process of blow- 
ing that they could not be accurately measured, but the third egg measured 
"ae 342", 
Phylloscopus proregulus (415).—Pallas’s Willow-warbler. 
I found two nests of this bird in forests up the Dhauli valley. One nest con- 
tained 3 fresh eggs on 12th June and was placed about 10’ above the ground on 
a horizontal deodar bough in open deodar forest at 9,500’ elevation. The other 
nest contained 2 fresh eggs on 25th June and was placed about 10’ above the 
ground near the top of a young silver fir in a fairly dense mixed silver fir and birch 
forest at 11,000’ elevation. Both nests were domed, and whilst one was composed 
of grass and blue pine needles with a little hair, the other was composed of moss 
and grass with a few strips of birch bark. Both were copiously lined inside 
with feathers. 
Acanthopneuste lugubris (426).—The Dull-green Willow-warbler. 
It appears that Blanford had no definite record of the occurrence of this spe- 
cies anywhere west of Sikhim, but I found it not uncommon during the breeding 
season in the birch (Betula utilis) forests of the Dhauli valley from 11,500’ to 
12,500’ elevation. Two of the specimens I obtained were identified for me at 
the British Museum and there can therefore be no doubt about the identification 
being correct. During the breeding season the bird utters a loud sparrow-like 
chirp repeated once or several times together. On 26th June I found a nest 
with two fresh eggs. It was placed in a crevice in the side of an old birch tree 
about 6’ from the ground, the tree being so situated that birch forest extended 
in one direction and open grassy slopes in the other. The nest was domed and 
was composed outside of moss with a little lichen, This was followed by a 
mixture of grass lichen and moss, and there was a final lining of fine moss 
mixed with just a few hairs and one or two small feathers. The eggs which wero 
pure white average ‘62” x °46”. 
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