72 W. T. Blanford— Zoology of Sikkim. [No. 1, 



and if, as frequently takes place, the flock has "been scattered, after a few- 

 minutes they commence calling with a peculiar long cry, something like the 

 squeal of a kite. The only other note I heard was a sharp monos}dlabic 

 note of alarm ; I have heard a bird utter this when sitting on a branch 

 within twenty yards of me. 



In then crops I found small fruits, leaves, seeds, and in one instance 

 what appeared to be the spore cases of a moss ; there were no leaves or 

 berries of juniper, and the birds were excellent eating. We did not notice 

 the unpleasant flavour mentioned by Hooker, probably because better food 

 is abundant at the season when we shot our birds, and they consequently do 

 not then feed upon pine or juniper. 



Tetraonidce. 



817 Leeva nivicola, Hodgs. — I found the snow partridge abundant on 

 the bare slopes of the hills near Yeomatong, at elevations above the limit of 

 bushes. Then habits are admirably described by " Mountaineer" as quoted 

 by Jerdon. They appear to. be local in Sikkim. I only saw them at one 

 other locality, near Tangu, and Captain Elwes came across some near the 

 Tankra-la. They are excellent eating, and by no means tough, if kept for a 

 few days. 



Teteaogali/us Tebetaistjs ? Gould. — A species of Tetraogallus was 

 shot by Captain Chamer at Phalung ; of one specimen he brought the skin 

 to Darjiling, and gave it to Captain Elwes, who considered it to be the 

 above species. I did not examine it, but the identification is probably 

 correct, since the fauna of Phalung is quite Tibetan. 



The birds seen by Major J. L. Sherwill south of Kinchinjanga, and 

 which he thought were probably Tetraogallus Himalayensis (J. A. S. B., 

 1863, p. 468,) could scarcely have been that species, as he says they closely 

 resembled Pturmagan ; and the snow cock is so much larger than Pturmagan 

 that no one who had ever seen the latter could have thought the former 

 resembled it. In all probability the birds seen by Major Sherwill were 

 Lena nivicola. 



Order — GtealI/^!. 



Scolopacidce. 



879 Ibedoehxn'CHUS Stetttheesii, Vigors. — We met with several of 

 these birds around Yeomatong. Apparently these were one or two families 

 which had bred in this broad portion of the Lachdng valley. They were, 

 for the most part, solitary or in pairs, keeping in the gravel flats or on the 

 turf beside the stream, and rather wary. I found remains of insects, appa- 

 rently coleoptera, in their stomachs. 



The paucity of both waders and ducks in the higher regions of Sikkim, 

 is remarkable. I once saw a snipe at Momay Samdong, which looked larger 



