222 
ORNITHOLOGY. 
curruca. A larger and a smaller race unquestionably exist, 
but they occur in the same localities and every intermediate 
size is met with. 
Amongst the specimens were nestling birds procured on 
the 15th August, right down in the plains of Yarkand, so 
that the bird probably breeds there in June and July. 
[A, O. H.] 
584). Henicurus maculatus (Vigors). 
This species was only once met with, and that was near 
Punch on the road leading down from Kashmir to Lahore. 
It was alone, moving from place to place amongst the grass, 
catching flies, and was very tame. [G. i/.] 
Common as it is along the whole of the southern face of 
the Himalayas, it is seldom met with beyond the first snowy 
range, and only in river valleys passing through those ranges 
by wide gaps. 
This species breeds in April and May, but rarely at a 
height of above 4000 feet; I have repeatedly found the nest, 
but I prefer to any description of my own, a note in regard 
to nidification of this species, with which my dear old friend 
Captain Hutton favoured me not long ago. 
The pied Fork-tail frequents the sides of streams and 
rivulets, flitting from rock to rock and stone to stone with 
a light and graceful movement which is half flight, half hop. 
Its habits have obtained for it among the European visitors 
to the hills, the name of the ^ Dhobi-bird/ or washerman, 
from its loving to frequent the places to which those worthies 
likewise resort to destroy our clothing. It selects a retired 
spot along the margin of some quiet streamlet, and there 
constructs its curious cup-shaped nest upon the ground 
among the plants and mosses which there abound. The nest 
is a deep cup composed exteriorly of fine roots neatly in- 
terwoven with horse-hair and green mosses and thickly lined 
with the gauze-like skeleton leaves of the willows that fringe 
the margins of the stream; many of these skeleton leaves 
are likewise interwoven among the external roots. It has a 
neat and beautiful appearance, in perfect keeping with the 
trim and dainty plumage of the bird itself.^' 
