THE



277



Bxncultural flfcagastne,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



New Series —VOL. VII. — No. 10 .—All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1909.



THE VERDITER FLYCATCHER.


Stoparola melanops.


By E. W. Harper.


I11 the spring of 1894, after broiling for three summers on

the plains of India, I ascended the Himalayas to Naini Tal

(. Nainee , a godess ; tal, a lake)—a beautiful settlement 7,000 ft.

above sea level—and there I first saw a Verditer Flycatcher. One

day, soon after my arrival, whilst riding a sturdy hill-pony up a

zig-gag path near the summitof a hill ata considerable heightabove

the lake, I saw a small light-blue bird, about the size of an English

Flycatcher, dart from the moss-grown trunk of a tree growing

near the path. The bird was a Verditer Flycatcher. After dis¬

mounting and securing the pony, I climbed the tree and found a

cup-shaped nest, composed of moss and roots, stuck in a hollow

of the trunk, about 9 ft. from the ground. The nest was empty ;

and was promptly deserted by the birds after my visit.


A few weeks later, I frequently saw a pair of Verditers near

the lake, and concluded that they must have a nest close by.

After watching repeatedly, I saw one of the birds come out of

a large drain or water-way about six feet high—constructed of

masonry, and used for draining the race-course in the rainy

season. It was an easy matter to walk inside the then dry drain,

and to discover the mossy nest built on a ledge about five feet

from the ground. The nest contained four pinky-white eggs,

speckled with red. As in the case of the first Verditer’s nest I

found, this was also deserted after my interference.


Some weeks afterwards, I was walking round the edge of

the lake ; and, when near a place called “ Smuggler’s Rock,” saw

a Verditer carrying food in its mouth. After concealing myself



