FURTRER NOTES ON BIRDS ABOUT SIMLA. ]07 



The first point to be noted is that the synononiy on the same 

 page includes ^?a?/rffl trihorhyncha, Hodg. &\\([Alavda fjuttaia. Brooks. 

 This latter name is incorrectly attributed to this species. Since 

 Alauda guttata, Brooks, is really the Kashmere race of the other 

 species of Skylark gidgtda, and should be called Alavda gidgnla 

 guttata, Brooks (Vog. P., F. p. 249), it of course breeds in 

 Kashmere. Alatida iriborhyncha, Hodgson, which apparently breeds 

 commonly in Ladakh and is figured in "Lahore to Yarkand" 

 (p. 268, plate xxviii) is expressly stated by Hume later (S. F. 1., 

 48) to be identical with A. guttata. Brooks. It is therefore clear 

 that part of the evidence on which the breeding of the Skylark in 

 the Himalayas (Kashmere and Ladakh) is based in the Fauna 

 refers not to a skylark of the arvensis species, but to a race of 

 the gidgula species. 



In Hume's Nests and Eggs, (2nd ed.. Vol. ii.. p. 220) it is ex- 

 pressly stated that a large Skylark, which is certaiidy not A. 

 triborfiyncha, " breeds, J believe, i)retty well all through the Hima- 

 layas, at elevations of from 8,000 to 10.000 feet, although I only 

 knotv of its nests having been found in Kooloo and Cashmere." 

 The further account there given is not verj- clear, but mentions 

 Soonamerg as a Cashmere locality where Captain Cock obtained 

 the eggs, and it attributes then to the doubtful race /eiopus. Yet 

 at one time Hume certainly considered leiopus as a synonym of 

 A. triborJnjKcha (S. F. ix. 3-54). I notice also that while the 

 British Museum Catalogue includes a specimeii named Ieio2nis 

 from the Hume Collection obtained in "The Sutlej Valley" 'in 

 June " the collection appears to include no Kooloo or Kashmere 

 skins of this species. 



Fulton has stated (Journal. B. N. H. S. xvi, p. 56) that the 

 Skylark is a resident between o,000 and 11,000 feet in Chitral. 

 while Perreau (Jour., B. N, H. S. xix., 901) says " Some present 

 in the winter low down, very common in March : some present in 

 April after which they disappeared, probably going higher." 

 Neither writer mentions any lark of the Alauda gul{jula type, nor 

 does it apoear that specimens were submitted to critical exami- 

 nation, so I am not prepared to accept the statement that any 

 race of arvensis breeds in Chitral until skins can be produced. 



Ward is quoted as stating (Jour., B. N. H. S. svii. 724) that A. 

 arvetisis is a resident in Cashmere, but I have been unable to 

 consult the original reference. As he does not appear to include 

 Alauda gidtata or A. gulgula it is possible that the identitication of 

 the birds as arvensis may be a mistake. The evidence regarding 

 the breeding of any race of arvensis in Cashmere is clearly net 

 conclusive. 



On the extreme Western edge of our area there is no evidence 

 at all that any race of A. arvensis breeds. Whitehead and Ma- 

 grath {Ibis. 1909, 246) found it to be an abundant winter visitor 

 from November till March, about Kohat and Kurram, and ex- 

 pressly state that it is replaced by A. gulgida as a summer breed- 

 ing species. 



From Quetta arvensis has been reported as a breeding species, 

 but I understand from private correspondence that really it is 

 only a winter visitor while the breeding birds when verified have 

 proved to be A, r/ulgula and not arvensis as recorded. 



In Nepal, Scully states (S. F. viii., 338) that a race of arvensis 

 which he calls didcivox, is tolerably common in the winter, being 



