364 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



Obhers not so extensively yet fairly frequently found attacked are : — 



Quercus semecarpifolia. 



Quercus diiatata. 



Alnus nepalensis. 

 whilst tlie following have also occasionally been found attacked : — 



Cornus oblongum. 



Finns longifolia. 



Acer pictuin. 



Acer villos^uin. 



^scuLus indica. 



Machilus duthei, 



Quercus incana, 



Taxus baccata. 



Corylus colurna. 



Fraxinus Jloribunda. 



Ulmus loallichiana . 



Abies toebbiana. 



The elevation at which these attacked trees are usually found is 6,500' 

 to 7,500', but I have also found them at 10,000' and they probably occur 

 down to about 6,000'. 



The effect of the attack on some species is rather curious and striking. 

 For example with Ilex dipyrena the formation of woody tissue is much 

 stimulated just at the base of the cavities and after a number of years a 

 woody horizontal ridge is formed beneath the bark which is sometimes 

 raised as much as an iuch above the normal surface of the wood. In such 

 cases the bark cracks in a line passing through the original cavities which 

 in a few more years may become indistinguishable. In Quercus diiatata also 

 the cavities gradually run together to form a gaping crack which does not 

 appear to heal over. However, in the majority of species the attack does 

 not appear to have any effect on the growth of the tree. Trees attacked in 

 the above manner may be found throughout the hills at suitable elevations 

 though they are most commonly found in the central hill tracts. 



According to Blanford the wood-peckers found at a suitable elevation in 

 this tract of country are : — 



1. Gecinus squamatus, West Himalayan Scaly-bellied Green Wood- 



pecker. 



2. Gecinus striolatus, Little Scaly-bellied Green Wood-pecker. 



3. Geoinus occipitalis, Black-naped Green Wood-pecker. 



4. Gecinus chlorolophus, Small Himalayan Yellow-naped Wood-pecker. 



5. Chrysophlegma jiavinucha, Large Yellow-naped Wood-pecker. 



6. Hi/popicus hyperythi'us, Rufous-bellied Pied Wood-pecker. 



7. Dendrocopus himalayensis, Western Himalayan Pied Wood-pecker. 



8. Dendrocopus auriceps, Brown-fronted Pied Wood-pecker. 



Now of these we may safely neglect numbers 2, 4 and 5 as not sufficiently 

 common to be responsible for the attacks we are investigating. The 

 remaining five species cannot be so easily disposed of. In the forests where 

 I have chiefly seen trees attacked. I should place them in the following 

 order of prevalence: — 



Hi/popicus hyperythrus, Rufous-bellied Pied Wood-pecker. 



Dendrocopus himalayensis, Western Himalayan Pied Wood-pecker. 



Dendrocopus auriceps. Brown-fronted Pied Wood-pecker. 



Gecinus squamatus, Western Himalayan Scaly-bellied Green Wood-pecker, 



Gecinus occipitalis, Black-naped Green Wood-pecker. 

 It is obvious that the attacks may be the work of any one or all of these 

 birds, though I think it may be fairly argued that it is more likely to be the 

 work of only one of the genera represented. 



