MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 663 



well rendered by the syllables " Tee-a, " the note of jE. hiaticula being a 

 pretty plaintive " Tlii-eh." 



I have never seen in print, what must have struck many observers, that 

 the ordinary call notes of the Green shank (Totanus glottis ) and the Red- 

 shank ( T. calidus ) are indistinguishable. Yet such is the case I maintain. 

 If there be any man who blindfolded could tell which is which from 

 the notes then all I can say is that he has a wonderful ear. To the birds 

 themselves, of course, their notes must be distinct. But the difference, 

 whatever it is, can only lie in a very slight change of pitch and in volume 

 of sound, the Greenshank, as being the larger bird, probably having the 

 louder note. In the case of both species the note is monosyllabic and is 

 ordinarily well expressed in writing by the syllable " Tyii " quickly repeat- 

 ed twice. Sometimes it is thrice repeated and I am inclined to think this 

 is more often the case with the Greenshank than the Redshank. When 

 rising alarmed the above syllable is rapidly repeated several times and 

 I have heard it so repeated as many as 12 or 16 times in this case 

 the species being the Greenshank. 



The note of the Wood Sandpiper ( T. glareola ) is disyllabic and resem- 

 bles the syllables " Tchikkit." 



The Green Sandpiper {T. ocropus) has a monosyllabic note like "Twit" 

 repeated 2 or 3 times when taking to flight. 



A note of the Little Indian Grebe or Dabchick ( Podicipes albipennis) 

 which is peculiar, is a shrill prolonged whirring sound running down the 

 scale. It may be likened in fact to a prolonged shrill whinny. 



H. A. F. MAGRATH, Majok. 

 Kashmir, 1911. 



No. XVII.— IMMATURE PLUMAGE OF LAMMERGAYER 

 {GYPAETUS BARBATUS). 



When shooting in the neighbourhood of Kalabagh on the River Indus in 

 the early part of the year I was struck by the abundance of Lammergayers 

 and asked the Malik of Kalabagh to try and get me a clutch of their eggs. 

 This he very kindly promised to do and set his shikaris on to the task 

 with the result that two rock eyries were found. About the 1st March one of 

 the nests, which could be examined with glasses from a neighbouring rock 

 was seen to contain eggs, but on attempting to take them the Malik's men 

 found that even with ropes they could not get to the nest. The other nest 

 was reached and found to contain one nestling which was brought 

 to me in Rawalpindi on March 3rd. Lammergayers are not often 

 seen in captivity ; it may be worth while to note the bird's growth of 

 plumage. 

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