546 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HJST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXL 



as the plovers do. When watching them one morning I also noted a 

 rather characteristic and almost " cincline " habit of wading breast high 

 into fast flowing water and dipping the whole head and neck under water, 

 picking lip food of sorts from the bottom. The Sandpipers act similarly, 

 but not in such a dipper like manner and in such heavy water. I was much 

 disappointed in not hearing any notes from these birds, but if they uttered 

 any low notes in my presence, these were entirely drowned by the roar of 

 the stream. On one occasion I thought I heard a loud monosyllabic 

 whistle from one of the birds flying down stream, but there were such a lot 

 of Kashmiris about herding ponies and cattle, an occupation which appears 

 to necessitate a lot of whistling, that I could not be positive the sound 

 proceeded from the Ibis-bill. Females or at any rate the young do not 

 appear to have any black on the face. 



A little bird not uncommon in the middle Liddar and Sind Valleys this 

 year and one which I had not noticed, on a previous visit to these parts, 

 was the handsome Indian redbreasted Flycatcher (Siphia hyperythra). Its 

 habits are precisely those of its european congener (*S'. parva) and it has 

 the same vigorous jerk of the tail above the line of the back. 



Another flycatcher, fairly common in the same parts as the last species, 

 was the Eufous-tailed Flycatcher (Alseona.v ruficaudus). 



Unlike Muncapa, and Hemichelidon and other genera of the family this 

 little flycather rarely if ever returns to the same perch after catching its 

 prey, but flits from branch to branch in doing so. If »S'. hyperythra flies into 

 the tree where A. ruficaudus is hawking the latter drives the former out. 



Leaving Pahlgam on the 18th August Liddarwat, the road to which lies 

 through lovely scenery, was reached in 2 easy stages. Half way at Aru 

 (8,300 feet) I saw a pair of Rufous-backed Shrikes (Lanius erythronotus), a 

 record elevation, as far as my observations go, regarding this species. I may 

 here observe that the note of anger or indignation which this shrike is not 

 infrequently heard uttering from the middle of a thick shrubor tree especially 

 in the breeding season has recently struck me as bearing a very close resem- 

 blance to the note of the Corncrake {Crex pratensis) heard in the distance. 



At Liddawat 9,500 feet above the sea and 2,000 feet higher than Pahlgam, 

 the woods were teeming with bird-life. 



Two interesting species met with were The Orange Bullfinch [Pyrrhula 

 awantiaca) and The Red-browed Finch {Callacanthis burtoni). 



The former is not very uncommon in this part of Kashmir and after 

 once getting to recognise its notes I became well acquainted with it. 

 This beautiful little bulfinch has much the same habits as our home "bully," 

 and a somewhat similar loud piping call note. A note of communication 

 kept up while feeding is soft and pleasing, resembling the syllable '' tew " 

 and often changing to a double note like " tewtya " " tewtya." What was 

 evidently the song or part of it I heard at Sonemurg. A most distinctive 



