OBSERVED ON THE PALANI HILLS. 391 



bogularis and so on, and the groves by the streams shelter 

 Criniger ictericus, Hypsipetes ganeesa, Eulabes religiosa and the 

 larger Woodpeckers. Where there is cultivation, Acridotheres 

 tristis, Turtur suratensis, with possibly a few Turtur cambayensis, 

 and Perdicula erythrorhyncha are to be found. There was 

 another Quail which I did not obtain, but supposed it to be 

 Perdicula cambayensis. 



A party of friends welcomed me at the Neutral Saddle. 

 They came down for a picnic and for climbing Permal. In 

 the evening we started for Kodaikanal and soon reached the 

 grove that covers the steep hill sides and fills the gorge through 

 which the Warrebaki River flows. This river is formed from 

 the stream flowing from "the Lake" and another from Shemi- 

 ganur and receives frequent brooks from the hill sides. It 

 flows toward the north along the western base of Mount 

 Permal and joins the Shunmoga River near the town of Palani. 

 It often tumbles over the rocks in cascades and by them you 

 may hear and see Myioplionus Horsfieldi, though he dashes 

 away at the slightest warning. In this grove also Tro- 

 chalopteron Fairbanki, Merula simillirna, Eumyias albicaudata, 

 and Ochromela nigrorufa are found, and it seems to be their 

 lowest limit. As we passed, a noisy flock of Hypsipetes ganeesa 

 flew across the road, often stopping a moment on the tops of 

 high trees and then hurrying on. Th ree or four Pericrocotus 

 flammeus glittered on a tree down the hill side. A few Hirundo 

 javanica were hawking by a high bank and some Pratincola bicolor, 

 and Pipastes montanus were singing in the grass above it. All 

 this gave pleasant promise for future collecting, and I reached 

 Kodaikanal in the best spirits. 



I was allowed only a five weeks' stay this time on the Palanis, 

 and did not have as good success in collecting as I expected. I 

 found it difficult to retrieve the birds shot in the groves, because 

 of the thick underbrush and the dead leaves. On the hill sides, 

 even when the spot where a bird fell was carefully marked with 

 the eye, it often proved impossible to find it among the high 

 grass and bracken. Still I send a list of such species as I pro- 

 cured, or certainly identified, during one or other of my 

 visits of these hills as a contribution to our knowledge 

 of the Avifauna of Southern India, hoping that it may be of 

 some little use until some one obtains the materials for a more 

 complete one. 



List of Species. 

 2.— Otegyps calvus, Scop. 



Observed rarely at the base of the hills. 



