NATURALIST IN INDIA. 113 



greatest ease. I doubt, however, unless when the monal is 

 taken by surprise, if the vulture is equal to it in rapidity of 

 flight. 



After eleven days' uninterrupted happiness, we bade fare- 

 well to the Chor and its splendid scenery. The grand object 

 of my visit was gained : I had made myself acquainted with 

 the habits and haunts of its most interesting denizens. 



iChe well-known bullfinch of Europe is represented on the 

 Himalaya by a set of extremely beautiful and interesting 

 congeners. Two very characteristic species are the orange- 

 coloured {Pyrrhula awrantia) and red-headed bullfinch (P. 

 erythrocephala). The former will be noticed hereafter; the 

 latter is not uncommon in shady groves and woods of the 

 lower and middle regions; about 6 inches in length, head, 

 neck, and breast reddish-yellow, becoming fainter towards the 

 belly ; the vent and rump white ; back bluish-ash ; quiOs and 

 tail glossy black. The female differs from the male in want- 

 ing the red colour on the breast, and resembles the female of 

 the European buMnch ; also the colouring on the head is 

 less clear. The flammeous flycatcher (Pericrocotus Jlammeiis) 

 represents a genus of beautiful birds. The males differ very 

 much from the females in colouring. While red is the pre- 

 vailing hue of the former, the same parts are yellow in the 

 other sex. The crimson-rumped flycatcher has been already 

 mentioned. There are besides various other species, such as 

 the rose-coloured (P. rosem), found in Continental India ; the 

 short-billed flycatcher (P. hrevirostris), a native of the Eastern 

 Himalaya ; and the black and scarlet thrush (P. speciosus) of 

 Latham, skins of which I have seen from the Western Hima- 

 laya, but never had the good fortune to meet with this 

 beautiful bird. The flammeous flycatcher frequents woods 

 and forests. I have seen flocks at elevations of from 8000 to 



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