175 



49. Centropus ? 



This bird is common in bushy places on the lesser ranges ; gre- 

 garious ; call loud and harsh ; flight feeble. In habits resembles 

 the bush Thrushes. The specimens were lost, but I have preserved 

 the following notes descriptive of the species : — Size, a little larger , 

 than the Fieldfare ; bill much curved, hooked at the tip, and scarlet, 

 becoming fainter towards the tip ; upper parts brown ; lower surface 

 of the body an ochrey-brown ; wings rounded ; tail long, broad, and 

 fan-like; tarsus large and strong; feet small; versatile toe nearly- 

 equal to the lateral : general caste of plumage lax ; points of feathers 

 spinous, particularly about the head and neck ; gizzard contained an 

 entire lizard of about 3 inches in length, and parts of locusts, beetles, 

 and large insects. 



50. Cypselus affinis, Gray. 



Common on the banks of the Dras River in Ladakh, and on the 

 lakes and streams of that country. Often seen in the city of Siri- 

 nuggur, Cashmere, during summer evenings, sporting around the 

 ruined walls of the palace. 



51. Cypselus melba (Linn.). 



Frequently observed in the Valley of Cashmere and on the ranges 

 southwards. 



52. Cypselus apus (Linn.). 



In the valley and surrounding mountains ; common during the 

 summer months. 



53. HlRUNDO FILIFERA, Steph. 



Valley of Cashmere during the summer months ; migrates with 

 others of the family to the Punjab and India in winter. 



54. Hirundo rustica, Linn. 



Common on the ranges between the plains of the Punjab and 

 Cashmere. Very common in the valley. " The Swallow twittering 

 from the straw-built shed," is to me a pleasing remembrance of the 

 happy valley. Moore in his ' Lalla Rookh ' might have introduced 

 the Swallow in place of the Nightingale. "The Nightingale's hymn 

 from the Isle of Chunars " is a creation of the poet's imagination. 

 The Luscinia philornela is not found in the Western Himalayas. 



55. Hirundo daurica, Linn. 



Mountains around Cashmere : common ; not seen in the valley. 



56. Chelidon cashmeriensis, Gould, P.Z. S. 1858, p. 356. 

 This new species is plentiful in the Valley of Cashmere, and on 



the banks of the Ladakh rivers. The distinctions between it and 

 Ch. urbica are well-marked : it is not so large as C. urbica ; and the 

 axillary feathers are brown instead of greyish-white. The difference 



