BIRD ^'OTES BY THE WAY IN KASHMIR. 130o 



A large brown Warbler with a long bill seen at Sonemnrg on August the 

 ■Oth among the dwarf elders and rank weedy growth on the fiat ground 

 across the Sind river, where it had a concealed brood of fledglings, was (I 

 feel safe in identifying it as such in spite of its lesemblance to some of the 

 Acrocephali, and especially as a nest of the species was taken in this very 

 spot a few years ago by Colonel K. Buchanan ). '• The Large-billed Bush 

 Warbler " Tribura major. This Warbler when imagining its young in 

 danger clings to the top of a tail plant to Survey the intruder, and utters 

 a loud alarm note, which, if a double "r" could be added to the sound, 

 would be exactly reproduced by the knocking together of 2 large pebbles. 



The similarity in habits between Pallas' Willow Warbler, Fhylloscopus 

 proregulus, and the Goldcrest, Regulus cristatus, is very marked. Both 

 flutter in the same manner at the ends of fir branchlets when picking insects 

 therefrom. But the Goldcrest perhaps creeps more and hunts less on the 

 wing than the Warbler. From the latter he is, from below, most easily 

 distinguished by his beady black eye set in the plain greyish white expanse 

 of the side of the head and cheek. 



Nests of the Sooty Flycatcher, Hemichelidon sibirica, in Sonemurg were 

 beautifully neat little structures of moss and cobwebs lined with goats' hair. 

 All were placed on branches. Some near the trunk, others well out on the 

 branch. Some were high up near the tops of the trees, others only 20 feet 

 or so from the ground. The Birch, the Sycamore, the Bird Cherry, and 

 the Himalayan Silver Fir all seemed to be equally selected as nesting sites. 



The Eufous-tailed Flycatcher, AUeonax ruficaudus, has a loud melodious 

 song. Some of the notes indeed are remarkably loud for the size of the 

 bird. The song is not continuous but consists of warbles and whistles 

 interrupted by the bird's flittings to catch a fly, or pick an insect oft' a leaf, 

 the stem of a tree, or, rarely, from the groimd. Some notes closely 

 resemble those of the Indian Blue Chat, Larvicora brunnea. A character- 

 istic part of the song may be syllabified as " Tyee-trrirr, trrirr tee." 

 Amongst others notes frequently heard sound like " Weetititew, " '' Ee-willu 

 willu " and " Choi choi." Occasionally there is a loud finch-like "Twoink 

 twoink ". All notes are rapidly repeated. While singing the male 

 rarely stays for more than a few seconds in one spot and as he prefers 

 a leafy tree, for choice the Birch, Betula utilis, and is at the best 

 of times not a conspicuous bird, coupled with the exasperatingly 

 ventriloquial character of the song, he is exceedingly hard to pick 

 up and follow by eye. Indeed during the breeding season this Fly- 

 catcher but for its loud song may be considered to be of a retiring- 

 disposition. The male is a hopeless guide to follow in search for nest 

 and eggs. He wanders over a large area of open forest while sing- 

 ing and at times may be found thus, perhaps 300 or 400 yards from the 

 nest. 



