FURTHER NOTE^ O^J BIRDS ABOUT SIMLA. 101 



The Eastern Alpine Accentar, Prunella collaris rufilatus, Sw. 



A single bird was shot by the side of the upper road (8,000 ft.) 

 close to Wild -flower Hall on November 24th, but I did not other- 

 wise meet with the Alpine Accentor unless a flock of birds seen 

 flying over head in the same locality was rightly identified as of 

 this species. This specimen proved to be a male, and appears ti> 

 be referable to the above race, which has been shown by White- 

 head {Ihi.<. 1909, 224) to occur on the Samana in winter and to 

 breed on the Suf ed Koh above 12,000 feet. The examination of a 

 series of birds is however desirable -to confirm the identification. 



•Jordon's Accentor, Rrunella strophiatu^ jerdoni, Brooks. 



Ticehurst met with a party of four of these Accentors at Fagoo 

 as early as October 19tli. It was common about the Fagoo-Kufri 

 ridge when 1 first arrived there and had arrived on Jakko before 

 the middle of November. 



The Black-throated Accentor, Primella atrigvlaris, Brandt. 



A few individuals, occasionally one or two together, were met 

 amongst the undergrowth between 7,500 and 8, 500 feet on the 

 Fagoo-Kufri ridge on various dates after November loth. Minute 

 seeds were in the crops of the two specimens obtained. 



The Altai Accentor, Prunella Jnmalayamis, Blyth. 



Single individuals were obtained on November 9th and 

 November 14th about 8,500 feet near Kufri, and a third example 

 was sh')t from a small flock at the same elevation at Fagoo on 

 November 21st. While the single birds were both extremely con- 

 tiding and allowed a close approach as they sat motionless on the 

 stones on bank faces, I found that this species when in flocks 

 was extremely hard to procure. These flocks were common, 

 occurring on the hill sides about 7,500-8,500 feet, and 

 appearing indiflerent both to the presence or absence of wind 

 and sun (in this they strongly contrasted with most birds about 

 these hills). I found great difticulty in discriminating these 

 flocks from those of the Mountain-Finch ; both species are shy 

 and restless, difiicult to see when feeding amongst the waste 

 bush clad slopes, rising in loose order, and once roused difflcult 

 to mark down again ; as the flocks when disturbed fly backward 

 and forward round the contours of the hill sides, rising and lower- 

 ing many hundred feet. The call note is silvery and very finch- 

 like, and with the reddish-brown iris and the .streaked back this 

 Accentor seems to aft'ord a curious case of parallelism with the 

 Mountain-Finch, which in Entomology would certainly be called 

 "Mimicry." 



The Black and Yellow Grosbeak, Pycnorhampus icteroides, (Vig.) 



Only observed at Kufri on November 9th and again on Novem- 

 ber 23rd and 24th about 8,000 feet :— 



The Pied-mantled Rosefinch, Carpodacus rlwdochlamys grandis, Blyth. 



This race of Rose-Finch was first described by Blyth (Journal, 

 -\. S. B. xviii. 810) in 1849 with the type locality of " Range 

 beyond Simla, near snowline," but for some time it was confounded 

 by later writers with the true Carpodacus. rhodocMamys of 

 Brandt 1843 (type locality Altai). The latter is somewhat 



