35:^ JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NATURAL UlSfOkY SOCIETY, Vol. )C. 



I have found fully-fledged yoUng in May, so presumably it is an earlier 

 breeder here than in most places, and I think the majority of the 

 Cachar birds breed in April, a few only as late as May, 



Its flight appears to me to be like that of most barbetSj but 

 stronger and more direct, the dips being both longer and more 

 shallow than they are in the flight of most of the other species. 



For many years I had experienced considerable difficulty in obtain- 

 ing good specimens of this barbet. Those caught on the nest were 

 invariably in bad condition, whilst those I shot seemed equally invari- 

 ably to get badly knocked about. At last, however, on th^ promise of a 

 reward of a rupee for each good specimen brought to me, an old Naga 

 Volunteered to obtain mo some. The following morning he returned 

 with no less than nine, and the next day with yet seven more. Upon 

 this the reward was lowered and the supply ceased^ but the old man 

 informed me that at th« same price he could daily supply me with 

 numbers. He refused to disclose the manner in which he had caught 

 them, but 1 was told that it was by means of innumerable small fern- 

 root nooses which he placed amongst the berries which grew on a 

 small kind of Ficus^ very common in the higher ranges. 



(396) Cyanops asiatica. — The Blue-faced Barbet. 

 Hume^ No. 195 ; Blanford, No. 3012. 

 This and C. lineata are extremely common everywhere, but especially 

 so in all the lower valleys which are fairly well wooded. 



Certain birds in these hills are very remarkably coloured, but as 

 gradations of colouring between this and the normal plumage are to be 

 found here, it may be that the coloration is not even of sub-specific 

 value. I give, however, a description of a richly plumaged male, 

 which will show the differences between that and the ordinary bird. 



Forehead, metallic crimson ; then a narrow line of glossy yellow 

 green, behind which a broad line of black ; whole hind crown and nape 

 brilliant crimson-scarlet ; lores and supercilium, ear-coverts, chin, 

 cheeks, throat and a part of the upper breast bright pale blue ; a black 

 supercilium above the blue one, widening towards the nape ; a small, 

 hut distinct, spot of crimson-red at the base of the lower mandible, and 

 a patch of the same on each side of the base of the blue throat ; between 

 these two patches the breast is green, muck mixed loith orange ; remainder 

 of lower plumage pale greenish, more or less suffused with orange, and 



