MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 941 



22. Lanius erijthrojwfus.— The Rufous-backerl Shrike. Common. 



23. Pericrocotus flammeus. — The Orancre ]\Iinivet. Very common. 



24. Pericrocoliis perigrimis. — The Small Minivet. Rare. 



25. Hemipns jjicatus. — The Black- backed Pied Shrike. Common. 



2G. Tephrodornis si/lvicola.~The ]Malabar Wood Shrike. Very common. 



27. Oriolus kundu. — The Indian Oriole. Very common. 



28. Eulahes religiosa. — The Southern Grackle. Very common. 



29. Stopawla mpla)wps.~The Verditer Fly Catcher. Very common. Accord- 

 ing to Blandford this species should not occur so far South. It does not return 

 to its old perch after a flight in the usual manner of flycatchers, as a rule at any 

 rate. I obtained a ^ sixjcime.i of the Vorlitir Fiyjiroior {Stop%roU me- 

 lanops) on these Hills at 3,300 ft. elevation the other day. Blandford places 

 its Southern hmit of occuiTence at the Nilgiris, whereas these Hills are far South 

 of the Nilgiris and moreover separated by the Palghat gap from any connection 

 with th? Northern Range of ghats to which the Nilgiris join. These i-emarks 

 also apply to the common Rose Finch {Carpodacus erythrinus) Avhich is of 

 common occurrence here. Blandford, again, limits the occurrence of the Nil^iri 

 Blue Flycatcher (Stoparola albicaudata) to the Nilgiri and Palni Hills, whereas 

 this species is our commonest flycatcher up here. 



30. Stoparola albicaudata. — The Nilghiri Blue Flycatcher. Very common. 

 This bird also occurs much further South than Blandford thought. 



31. Terpsiphone pamdisi.— The Indian Paradise Flycatcher. White 

 cocks appear to be much more numerous than hens or young cocks and 

 moreover appear to lead a batchelor existence. 



32. Cidicacapa ceijlonensis. — The Grey-headed Flycatcher. Common. 



33. Merida nigripilcus. — The Black-capped Blackbii'd. Very common. 

 Generally terrestrial in habits and occurring in pairs but I have seen lai'ge 

 flocks in lantana. 



34. GeoGiclda. ci/anonotus. — ^The White -throated Ground Thrush. Very common. 



35. Pelrophila ci/anus. — The Western Blue Rock Thrush. Common where 

 open spaces of sheet rock occur. 



36. Petrophiia cinclorhyncha. — The Blue-headed Rock Thrush. Common. 

 Aii'ives early in October and leaves about the first Aveek in March. 



37. Carpodacus erythrinus. — The Common Rose Finch. Fairly common. 



38. Arachnecthra zeylonica. — -The Purple-rumjied Sunbird. I believe this 

 to be our only Sunbird. Very common. 



39. Arachnothera longirostris. — The Little Spider-Hunter. Decidedly rare. 



40. Pitta brachyura. — The Indian Pitta. Common. 



41. MofMcilla inclanope. — The Grey Wagtail. Arrives early in October and 

 leaves early in March. 



42. Limonidromus indicus. — The Forest Wagtail. Quite a common bird. 

 I think the most distinctive thing about the Forest Wagtail, besides its 

 marking, is its habit of swaving both body and tail from side to side, instead of 

 the usual wagtail habit of jerking the tail up and down. It is very common 

 on the Estates, feeding on insects which infest the thick mulch of daa.d leaves 

 under the coffee. 



43. Galerita malabarica. — The Malabar Crested Lark. Connnon on gi-ass 

 lands especially above the Northern slopes. 



44. Brachypter nusaurantius. — The Golden-backed Woodpecker. Very common. 



45. Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus.—TU-keW's Golden-backed Woodpecker, 

 Very common. 



45. Thriponax nodgsoni.— The jMalabar Great Black Woodi^ecker. Common. 

 As I believe that the nidification of Thripoimx hodgsoui has not previously 

 been recorded, the following note may prove of interest. On the 24th January 

 of this year I found a pair of these Black Woodpeckers at work inside a hole 



