MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 263 



No. XXIII.— OCCURRENCE OP HEMILOPHUS FULVERULENTUS, 



(TEMM), THE GREAT SLATY WOODPECKER IN THE 



NEIGHBOURHOOD OF SIMLA, N.-W. HIMALAYAS. 



In the "Fauna," Birds, VII, III, page 70, the range of this species westwar(l-< 

 along the Terai and base of the Himalayas is given as "Ktanaon or, jjerhajys, 

 Dehra Dun." It may, therefore, be worth recording that late in August 

 ] 907, I came across a party of these Woodpeckers, not more than a mile 

 and a half from Simla, on what is locally known as the " Long road to 

 Annandale, " at an elevation of about 6,800 feet. There were four birds, 

 two large ones and two small ones, and judging from the behaviour of the 

 latter, there seemed little doubt that they had recently left their nest, 

 and were following their parents about. 



It is possible that these Woodpeckers had bred in the neighbourhood F I 

 stood and watched them feeding on some pines and low oaks for more than 

 half an hour. They were not shy, and allowed me to approach fairly close 

 to them. Unfortunately, I did not have a gun with m.e at the time, so was 

 unable to procure a specimen. I have never seen this species here either 

 before or since the time mentioned above. 



The birds appeared to be moving in a S. W. direction. 



P. T. L. DODSWORTH, 



F.Z.S., M.B.O.U 



" Carlton Gkove, " 

 SiMiA, S. W., lUh June 1911. 



XXIV.— HORNBILLS DEVOURING YOUNG PAROQUETS. 



Some years ago I wrote a note for the Journal commenting on the 

 apparent immunity from foes of certain Indian animals and speculating as 

 to what causes prevented their unlimited increase. No one came forward 

 to throw any light on the subject and the point to me still appears a 

 mystery. 



One of the animals I mentioned was the common paroquet, however I 

 have now discovered at least one enemy of the latter, and as the fact is not 

 mentioned in Jerdon it may possibly be worth inserting in your notes. 



For the last few days my attention had been attracted by some grey 

 hornbills {LopJiocevos birostris) visiting a hole in a large siras tree, in my 

 garden, and inserting their heads as if to feed young ones. I did not 

 think this could be the case, however, as I had previously seen paroquets 

 coming out of the same hole. I accordingly sent up a boy who reported 

 that there were young paroquets, but that he could not get his hand in. 



The next day on my return after a morning's work my man reported that 

 the hornbill had again been at the hole and had succeeded in extracting a 



