BIRD NOTES BY THE WAY IN KASHMIR. 1313 



feel sure that the bird was the European Tree Pipit {Anthus trivicdis,) which 

 was so common here last year at the end of August. The nest was in a 

 hollow under a sod on the hillside and was built of dried grasses. It was 

 situated within 20 yards of a small clump of birches into which the parent 

 bird always flew on being disturbed. 



A nest of Hodgson's Pipit {A. rosaceus) containing four eggs, which I 

 found four days later about 1,500 feet above on the ridge, and under a 

 stone, was composed of exactly similar material. 



The Long-billed Horned Lark (Otocoiys longirostris) when disturbed, rarely 

 takes flight immediately, but runs in front of one with a slight waddling 

 gait which reminds one of a minature chikor. This lark was fairly common 

 on open grassy hilltops at 14,000 feet and over. 



The Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) occurred, but was rare, in Sonemarg. The 

 last date on which the call was recorded by me was July the 18th. 



I failed to discover — and not for want of searching — the author of a very 

 loud monosyllabic note which was uttered twice comparatively slowly and 

 then three or four times rapidly, the whole being repeated several times 

 with an attempt at rhythm. I first heard it abovit 14 miles below Sonemarg 

 in the Sind Valley late in the afternoon and again the following morning. 

 At Sonemarg it appeared to be uttered at night only usually between 2 

 and 4 a.m. My first impression was that it was a note of some Laughing. 

 Thursh with which I was unacquainted. But not having met with any 

 birds of this genus, I eventually abandoned this idea and came to the 

 conclusion that the Large Barred Owlet {Glaucidimn cuculoides) must be 

 the author of the sound. The note could be heard some hundreds of yards 

 away, but was exceedingly difficult to locate. 



Scully's Wood Owl {Syrnium biddulphi) was the common owl in Sonemarg. 

 Indeed this was the only owl I met with. It was often to be seen perched 

 at the entrance to a large hole in some gnarled old sycamore in forest. 

 Some of these holes, especially those under which I found pellets, were 

 searched, but failed to reveal a nest in being. As I did not come across 

 the bird till after the middle of June the young may have flown, but I 

 have little doubt that it was in such situations they nested. 



About an hour before dark this owl wakes up and gives its quadruple 

 cry — a loud " Hoo — Hoot tu whooo," an impressive sound at dusk in these 

 high Himalayan forests. The pause after the first syllable is very marked. 



Only occasionally in the breeding season was the ' hoot ' given during 

 the actual hours of darkness, but with a waning moon it was often to be 

 heard an hour or so before dawn. Later on in the summer the young 

 owls were often very noisy at night. For some days, whenever an owl, 

 which haunted a bit of wood close to my camp, uttered its note at dusk it 

 was immediately answered by another in a slightly higher key. At times 

 the two hoots would sound simultaneously and whenever this happened the 



