BIRDS' NESTING IN THE TONS VALLEY. 



By B. B. Osmaston, Indian Forest Department. 



{Redd before the Bombay Natural History Society on 18tk March, 1897.) 



There is a great charm in birds" nesting, whether at Homo or in 

 India, but especially so in the latter country where there are so many 

 birds of whose nidification nothing is a3 yet known, and where 

 consequently there is ample scope for new discoveries. 



What I now propose to do is to describe shortly the nests and eggs 

 of a few birds which I found during a trip last hot weather up the 

 river Tons. The nidification of about half a dozen of these species has 

 not been previously recorded, and notes on a few other kinds have also 

 been included chiefly where my observations differ from or tend to 

 amplify those recorded in Hume's <k Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds." 



Before, however, I proceed to business, I may explain for the 

 benefit of those who do not happen to be acquainted with the locality 

 about which I am about to write, that the Tons is a large branch of 

 the river Jumna rising in the snowy ranges of the Himalaya, and 

 winding its way southward through Tehri-Garhwal and Jaunsar, 

 traversing a forest-clad country from the zone of the juniper and the 

 birch at 13,000 feet to that of the long-leafed pine at 3,000 feet. 



The first nest to be described is that of the Himalayan Tree-creeper. 



1 (341). Certhia himalatana. — The Himalayan Tree-creeper. 



This bird is very common at elevations of from 5,000 up to 10,000 

 feet, but especially so in the spruce-fir zone. Previously its nest 

 appears to have been found by Col. Marshall in Kashmir and Capt* 

 Cock in Murree, only the former procuring the eggs. The latter 

 remarks that this tree-creeper always selects tall trees to build upon, 

 and that the nest is always placed at a height of some 40 or 50 feet 

 from the ground. This is not, however, my experience. I found 

 three nests of this species on the following dates : — 



April 4th, containing 4 hard-set eggs. 



„ 16th „ 5 fresh eggs. 



May 26th „ 4 „ 



The two first nests were placed between the semi-detached bark 

 and the wood of large spruce-fir trees, at heights of about 4 and 7 

 feet, respectively, from the ground, and the third was in a narrow rift 



