MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 68? 



.the contents of the stomachs of birds killed in Nepal at various times of 

 the year are interesting : — 



February 6th. . . . . . . . Pulpy berries only. 



April 10th, 20th, and 26th . . . . Leaves, of some odorous flower and 



pulpy fruits. 

 May 15th, 28th and 31st . . . . Shining green coleoptera, other 



beetles and fruits. 

 October 1st . . . . . . Beetles only. 



I can fill in some of the gaps above from my diary : — 

 March 25th and 26th . . . . Berries and petals of the rhodo- 



dendron flower. 



July 27th Figs. 



November, December, and January. Large flocks of these birds are to be 



seen during the winter months 



in Simla feeding on " Medlars " 



which apparently constitute their 



chief diet at this time of the 



year, and which they swallow 



* whole. 



From the foregoing it is, I think, clear that these Barbets are not purely 



vegetarians, as was thought by Jerdon, and that when pushed for food, 



beetles and other insects do not come amiss to them. So long, however, 



as berries, etc., are to be got, it is probable that these are preferred to an 



insectivorous diet. 



As regards the nidification of this species, it has generally been thought 

 that the birds excavate the nesting holes themselves, but in the neighbour- 

 hood of Simla, it is by no means unusual to find these Barbets in posses- 

 sion of old holes made by Woodpeckers. I have notes of two such cases ; 

 in one I found young, and in the other fresh eggs. The latter, before 

 being blown, had a pinkish appearance owing to the yolk showing through 

 the shell. 



The period of incubation in this species has not yet been ascertained, 

 but it probably does not exceed 14 days. It would be interesting to 

 know whether both sexes share in the labours of incubation, and in the 

 feeding of the young. So far as my observations go, I have up to this, 

 seen only one bird, apparently the female, either in or near its nest, 

 but never two ; what happens to the other one ? Does it hang about in 

 the vicinity, and keep uttering its extraordinary call ? Owing to the 

 wary habits of this bird when nesting for it leaves its hole at " long shot," 

 it is most diflicult to make observations. 



I have found that occasionally the nesting holes are very deep. On 

 the 29th June of this year I examined one that contained young, and 

 though we dug it to the extent of more than two feet, we did not reach 



