170 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



race of Anorthura procured at 10,000 feet on the Safed Koh. To this bird he 

 has very generously done me the honour of giving my name, an honour quite 

 undeserved, which has made me insist on the trivial name of " Whitehead's 

 Wren" for that species. 



With the kind assistance of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Charles Chubb I 

 was enabled to work out, at the British Museum, the skins procured by White- 

 head on this trip, in addition to those previously collected in Kohat. 



During my absence on leave my regiment had marched in course of relief to 

 Bannu, the district which borders the Kohat District to the south. My 

 official connexion with Kohat was, therefore, much to my regret (especially as 

 I could no longer pursue my ornithological studies there) severed. Passing 

 through Kohat Station on my return from leave, Whitehead met me with the 

 interesting news that he had a few days previously shot a Waxwing (Ampelis 

 garrulus), another new bird for India. 



In April 1907, availing myself of three months' privilege leave and White- 

 head at the same time obtaining a year's furlough, we decided to take a trip 

 together to the Kurram Valley before he went home, in order to add, if 

 possible, to the knowledge gained in the previous year. We met at Thall on 

 the 15th of April and there awaited the sanction of the Political Agent of the 

 Kurram Valley to our proposed expedition in the territory under his ad- 

 ministration. The number of the smaller Passerine birds migrating up the 

 valley at the time was very great, and we had plenty to interest us in this 

 unusual leave-resort. The officer commanding the Post, Lieut, Wolley, with 

 his wonted hospitality, invited us to consider ourselves honorary members of 

 his little mess, which privilege we were only too glad to avail ourselves of. 

 In due course the Political Officer's permit arrived, but it was so hampered 

 by restrictions that we had to abandon our original intention of working 

 slowly up the valley and proceed direct to Parachinar, the headquarters of the 

 Agency, which is situated about 13 miles from the head of the valley. Here 

 the officers of the Kurram. Militia very kindly allowed us to make use of their 

 exceedingly comfortable mess, and most hospitably entertained us during our 

 stay. After obtaining permission to move up to Peiwar, 10 miles further up 

 the valley, we left Parachinar on the 21st of April. The Political Agent was 

 so solicitous for our safety that he insisted on our taking an armed tribal escort 

 of six men with us. We did not require their military assistance, but found 

 them useful to look for nests, climb trees, and carry our guns and lunch- 

 baskets. Making the little rest-house at Peiwar our headquarters, we daily 

 explored the surrounding Ilex jungle and visited several times the pine-clad 

 hills on the Afghan border. In an Ilex, Whitehead was fortunate in coming 

 across a nest, with eggs, of jE githaliscus leucogenys. This bird is an early 

 breeder, and six other nests that we found contained young. We had not been 

 at Peiwar many days when rumours reached us from Parachinar that the 

 Turis (the tribe inhabiting the Valley), who had been listening to wondrous 

 tales of the spread of plague in Peshawar, poured into their ears by Kabuli 



