BIRDS IN BRITISH GARHWAL, 151 
Pycnorhamphus affinis (742).—The Allied Grosbeak. 
Blanford gives the distribution of this species as Nepal and Sikhim, whilst he 
includes Garhwal within the distribution of P. icteroides. I found P. affinis 
widely distributed all over central and upper Garhwal and locally quite common 
in some of the larger forests of this tract such as Dudatoli and Dasoli, whilst I 
never succeeded in procuring a single specimen of P. icteroides. If Blanford’ 
based his “ Garhwal” on specimens collected in Tehri Garhwal, then I think P. 
icteroides is probably not found at all in British Garhwal. I have seen P. affinis 
at all elevations from 6,000’ up to 11,500’. They usually frequent forest con- 
taining a certain percentage of one of the conifers, namely, spruce, silver fir, blue 
pine, or chir, though I have also come across them in almost pure karshu (Quercus 
semecarpifolia) forest. They probably feed mainly on coniferous seed though T 
have watched them eating the kernels of the unripe fruit of Machilus Duthiet, 
and on one occasion I extracted two hairless caterpillars from the gizzard of a 
specimen I had shot. The alarm call is a double note somewhat resembling 
the striking together of two stones, and might be written “ kurr”, They have 
also a fine loud musical whistle of either 5 or 7 notes. When the full 7 notes 
are uttered, the first six fall into two series of 3 ascending notes each, the seventh 
note being pitched much lower. When only 5 notes are uttered the second and 
third are omitted. The call might be written ‘“ Ti-di-li-ti-di-li-um”, emphasis 
being placed on the first and fourth syllables. From what Ihave seen they 
appear to commence building the end of May or beginning of June. 
Mycerobas melanoxanthus (744).—The Spotted-winged Grosbeak. 
I have only met with this bird on three occasions, and all three places where 
it was seen were in upper Garhwal. On two of the three occasions I came on a 
flock of these birds feeding on the fruit of “ kaphal ” (Myrica Nagi) the stones 
of which are cracked and the kernel extracted. As the stone of this fruit is 
extremely hard the bird’s bill must be very powerful indeed. 
Propasser pulcherrimus (755).—The Beautiful Rose-Finch. 
This is another species which I found breeding in the Girthi valley bordering 
Tibet. It was not nearly so common as Carpodacus erythrinus, but there were 
quite a fair number of birds about, and I managed to find three nests with eggs 
between the 3rd and 8th of August, The nests were at 13,000’ to 13,500’ eleva- 
tion and were placed 6” to 18” above the ground in bushes of Juniperus 
pseudosabinus. They were fairly deep cups composed outside of the fibrous 
bark of juniper and Lonicera with or without a little grass ; this was followed 
by a layer of fine roots mixed with a little sheeps’ wool, and there was a final 
lining of hair mixed in one case with red moss fructifications. All the nests 
contained full clutches of 3 eggs each the average measurements for the three 
clutches being 75” x °55” X °75” —-55” and -76” x °54”. All tho eggs are 
greenish blue sparingly spotted or streaked with black round the larger end. 
Blanford’s description of this bird contains the following: “‘ Iris reddish brown; 
bill horny brown with the lower mandible greyish ; legs rosy grey ” but my notes 
on these parts being somewhat dissimilar are perhaps worth recording ; they 
are “Iris nut brown. Legs and feet pale fleshy brown, claws darker brown. 
Bill dark horny brown, the lower mandible much paler.” 
When the parent birds are flushed off the nest they do not utter the canary-like 
note so distinctive of Carpodacus erythrinus, but they have instead a rather 
sparrow like ‘‘ Cheet-cheet ”, and whenever they are excited they also raise a 
distinct crest of feathers. 
Carpodacus erythrinus (761).—The Common Rose-Finch. 
In the part of the Girthi valley which I have already described I found these 
rose-finches breeding in considerable numbers and I took altogether nine clut- 
ches of eggs here during the first ten days of August. They were all at 13,000’ to 
13,500’ elevation and were placed from 6” to 4’ above the ground in dense low 
bushes of willow (Salix sclerophylla and Salix Wallichiana) growing along the 
