QQ H. H. Godwin- Austen— List of the Birds collected [No. 2, 



this extends towards and meets the forest belt at the foot of the hills, a belt 

 which occasionally attains a breadth of some 8 miles and is most difficult to 

 work through. On the upper plateaux, such as the Bishnath plain, the grass 

 grows in less luxuriance, the country is much more open, and a change in 

 the birds is noticed at once. Compared with other parts in which I have 

 collected, birds are rare, both in point of number and species, and this is no 

 doubt due to the very large extent of sombre dark forest, all possessing the 

 same character ; we were there too rather early in the year and before the 

 advent of a number of species that make their appearance later when the 

 large flowering trees begin to blossom. 



In this list I have omitted a number of the Grallatores to be found in 

 the nullas of the Terai, and the list of forms occurring in this part of the 

 Assam valley is by no means complete. Some of the commoner birds, such 

 as Ploceus baya, Copsychus saularis, &c, are not in the collection, either 

 from not having been shot or considered worth preserving. A flock of stone- 

 plover, probably JEJsacus recurvirostris, Cuv., was seen amongst the boulders 

 in the bed of the Burroi River just within the gorge, but I failed to secure a 

 specimen, and tbe presence of our camp in the place soon scared them away. 



Lord Walden has again most kindly assisted me in the identification 

 and nomenclature, and pointed out many points of interest concerning some 

 of the species. 



Duplicates of nearly all the species enumerated have been selected for 

 the India Museum, Calcutta. All species marked with an asterisk have not 

 been recorded in my former lists of birds from the N. E. Frontier. 



4. Gyps Ltdictts, Scopoli. 



5. Gyps Bengalexsis, Gmelin. 



Both this and the preceding species were seen in hundreds feeding on 

 the dead buffaloes lying along the road-side. Large droves of these 

 animals were passing up towards Debrughur, and numbers were dying 

 daily from some disease, affording a rich feast for the vultures and 

 jackals. 



17. TlNNTJNCTJLUS ALAUDARITTS, Brisson. 

 20 a. MlCEOHIEEAX MELANOLEUCTJS, Blyth. 



The only species of this genus seen was the above. I noticed it sitting 

 on the topmost twig of a very high tree, from which it sallied forth now 

 and then to capture an insect. Its breast gleamed white against the dark 

 blue sky, but, as it was far out of shot and there was no possibility of 

 getting near the base of the tree owing to the extreme denseness of the 

 underwood and canes, I had to content myself with watching its movements 

 through my binoculars. 



