106 
Bool- Kofioef! avr! "Rrrimvs. 
Vernacular Nainrs of Xilgiri Birds, also a comprohensive index. Parts 
II. and III. consist of sin<jlp chapters, each compri'hcnsive of the res- 
pective avifaunas. 
Part I. " Birds of the Himalayas,'' is very full, and consists 
of many cs-ays as follows : Introduction : Habitat of Himalayan Birds : 
Common Birds of the Wistern Himalayas : Common Birds of the Eastern 
Himalayas : Tits at Work : Pekin Robin : Black Bulbuls : A Warbler of 
Distinction : Spotted Forktail : Nest of the Gri'v -winged Ouzel : Black and 
Yellow Grosbeak : Great Himalayan Barbet. 
The author describes the birds, their haunts, habits, etc., tersely, 
yet with an ease, freedom, and luciditj' that bespeaks a keen first know- 
ledge of, and interest in, the subject of his pen. This ran be best 
illustrated by an extract or two, which I take from Part I, Habitat of 
Himalaj'an Birds : 
" Himalayan birds inhabit what is perhaps th" most wonderful tract 
"of country in the world. The Himalayas are not so much a chain 
" of mountains as a mountainous country, some eighty miles broad and 
" several hundred long — a country composed entirely of mountains and 
"valleys, with no large plains or broad plateaux At 
"elevations of 4.000 feet the long-leaved pine {Pimis loiHjifob'a) 
appears. From 5,000 to 10,000 feet, several species of evergreen 
"oak abound. Above 6,000 fret are to be seen the rhododendron, 
" the deodar, and other hill cypresses, ami the beautiful horse-chest- 
nut. On the lower slopes the undergrowth is compo.sed of begonias 
"and barberry. Higher up maiden-hair and other ferns abound, and 
" the trunks of the oaks and rhododendrons are festooned with hanging 
"moss Thus the birds of the Himalayas inhabit a 
" country in every respect unlike the plains of India. They dwell in 
" a different environment, are subjecred to a different climate, and feed 
"upon different food. It is therefore not surprising that the two 
" avifaunas should exhibit great divergence The eye 
" eqiuilly with the ear testifies to the traveller that when he has 
" reached an altitude of 5,000 f^'ct he has entered upon another avian 
" realm. . the most familiar birds of the plains are no 
" longer seen. Their places are taken by the blue-magpies, the 
" beautiful verditcr Hycatcher, the Himalayan, and the black-headed 
" jays, and ti)s of several species." 
The foregoing but very inadequately describes how fully the 
habitat of the Himalayan birds is set forth or how graphically the con- 
trast is drawn between the plains and hills, and their respective avifaunas.! 
We fain would have quoted fuller, but space forbids, although we must 
encroach with a partial description of the nest of the Spotted Forktail ; 
" The bank was ste^p and of uneven surface. Here and there a slab 
" of stone projected from it and pointed downward. Into a natural 
" hollow, under one of these projecting slabs a nest consisting of a 
" large mass of green moss and liver-worts had been wedged. From the 
" earth above ♦he slab grew some ferns, which partially overhung the 
" nest. Across the nest, a few inches in front of it, ran a moss- 
