E> R.AR.Y
OF THE
UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS
590.5
FI
v. 35
cop. 3
NATURAL HISTORY
SUKVEY
5
5
.3
FURTHER NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS
ROBERT L. FLEMING
AND
MELVIN A. TRAYLOR
FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 9
Published by
CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
MAY 21, 1964
FURTHER NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS
ROBERT L. FLEMING
Field Associate, Department of Zoology
AND
MELVIN A. TRAYLOR
Associate Curator, Division of Birds
FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 9
Published by
CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
MAY 21, 1964
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 6^-22005
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM PRESS
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction 495
Collecting Trips . 498
Systematic List 515
Appendix 553
References . . 557
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PACE
1. Nepal, showing areas covered by collecting expeditions . 499
2. Route of expedition in East No. 1 and East No. 2, Nepal . . 499
3. Route of expedition in far eastern Nepal . 509
4. Five males of the spiny babbler, Turdoides nipalensis 533
Introduction
The present report, like that previously published (Fleming and
Traylor, 1961), contains taxonomic and other notes on birds col-
lected by Dr. Fleming in Nepal, in this instance, in 1960 and 1961.
The bulk of the specimens were taken when Dr. Fleming was working
in cooperation with the World Book Scientific Expedition to the
Himalayas. We are extremely grateful to that organization and to
Field Enterprises for the assistance and financial aid that made
Dr. Fleming's collecting possible. There are also records of a few
birds from Kathmandu Valley that seem of special interest.
Since our first report appeared, two important works on the
Indian region have been published. Ripley's (1961) "Synopsis of
the Birds of India and Pakistan" brings together the immense amount
of material that has been published since Stuart Baker's volumes of
the "New Fauna" appeared, and makes available in one place and
in a modern classification revisionary work that has been scattered
through a vast literature. It is an indispensable volume for any
student of Indian birds. Since Ripley's "Synopsis" will be standard
for Indian (in the geographic sense) ornithology for years to come,
we are using his classification and nomenclature throughout, even
though we do not in all cases agree with his generic arrangements.
The second important work on this region, not yet complete, is
Biswas' (1960 1961) "The Birds of Nepal", being published serially
in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. This is not
only a checklist summarizing all previous records of Nepal birds,
but it also contains much original work based on the collection made
by Biswas and Walter Koelz in 1947; the bulk of this collection is
now in Chicago Natural History Museum and is referred to as the
Koelz collection in this report. Unfortunately, only the first five
parts of Biswas' paper were available during the preparation of this
report. The remainder is eagerly awaited because it will be the first
summary of our knowledge of Nepal birds since Gray (1846).
The collections reported here contain 33 species and 9 subspecies
(marked by asterisks in the Systematic List) not previously taken
by Fleming in Nepal. This raises the totals for Fleming's collection
495
496 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
to 556 species and 613 subspecies, a very respectable percentage
of the Nepal avifauna. Among the 42 new forms reported here are
five species and two subspecies recorded for the first time from Nepal.
The species are Vanellus cinereus (previously known from sight
records), Caprimulgus a. asiaticus, Indicator x. xanthonotus, Brady-
pterus t. tacsanowskius, and Arachnothera L longirostris. The sub-
species are: Turdus r. ruficollus and Erithacus pectoralis tschebaiewi.
One extra-limital race is described here as new: Paradoxornis
nipalensis garhwalensis (p. 531).
For those readers who may have the opportunity to travel
and collect in Nepal, an appendix is included which discusses the
governmental requirements, conditions to be expected, equipment
needed, and further useful information based on Fleming's extensive
experience there.
The descriptions of collecting trips, appendix and field notes on
each species in the systematic list were written by Fleming. The
identifications and taxonomic discussions were done by Traylor.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The success of our collecting trips in 1960 and 1961 was due to
a number of individuals. First there are members of the team:
Sagar Rana, my right-hand bird man, and his hunter, Man Bahadur
Gurung; Nirmal Roberts, our male nurse; Dr. James Dick, who was
deft at bird skinning and who saved the life of a Nepalese boy who
had cut himself and was bleeding to death; Frank Stough of San
Diego, California, who trapped and prepared small mammal skins;
and Mingma Sherpa from Darjeeling.
Mention also must be made of Hans Froelich of the Swiss dairy
project at Thodung, East No. 2, for his hospitality and help in acting
as a guide to the higher camps; of Padam Bahadur, for his hospital-
ity and the clue to the haunts of the honeyguide; and his brother,
Hem Bahadur, who accompanied us to the land of the crossbill and
crimson-horned pheasant. Kharga Dhoj Karki was very helpful at
Biratnagar in arranging for buffalo carts; Forest Officer Basant Lai
Das was most hospitable and mapped our final trek through Ham
District.
We are very grateful to the Government of Nepal for making
these extensive and valuable trips possible. Because of the generous
permissions of the Government, we have been able to record on the
spot information about birds which no ornithologist has observed
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 497
before. To date we have found about three-quarters of the birds
which live in Nepal and have only two hundred or so to record.
We are indebted to the Government of Nepal for having afforded
every assistance in this extensive study.
Collecting Trips
(Maps 1-3)
Early in 1960, while I was in the United States, Dr. Clifford C.
Gregg, then Director of Chicago Natural History Museum, asked
me, as a member of the Museum staff living in Kathmandu, if I
would represent the Museum on a forthcoming expedition to the
Himalayas. The expedition was being planned by the World Book
Encyclopedia and would be under the direction of Sir Edmund
Hillary. My particular job would be to collect birds and small
mammals for the Museum. Since my vacation was due and I would
be returning to Kathmandu from the United States in less than a
month, I accepted.
Two weeks later I was jetting to the Orient. Plans for the World
Book Encyclopedia Scientific Expedition to the Himalayas had taken
definite shape. The major effort would be a study by a group of
medical men on the effect of altitude on the human body and the
scaling, without oxygen, of Makalu, the world's fourth highest moun-
tain. A second purpose of the expedition would be to prove or dis-
prove the existence of the "yeti". The third part of the expedition
would be my work for Chicago Natural History Museum. Chief
Curator Austin L. Rand outlined a rough program for me: to enlist
the assistance of several Nepalese helpers for my collecting, and
to choose my own time and area of operation independently of Sir
Edmund Hillary's group.
PLANNING
I first conducted four short trial camps. One was in Rapti Dun
at an altitude of 1000 feet, sixty miles south of Kathmandu; the
second at 4500 feet was ten miles south of Kathmandu, the third
at 5000 feet was at Sundarijal where the pilgrim trail starts north to
Gosainkund; and the fourth at 6000 feet was at Tokha Sanatorium
on the northern side of the Valley. Six of us took part in these
camps two Americans, and our four Nepalese among whom were
a Rana, a Gurung, a Newari and a Sherpa. Later we added a medi-
498
A/ \ST-,.
/
INDIA
Fig. 1. Nepal, showing areas covered by collecting expeditions.
Fig. 2. Route of expedition in East No. 1 and East No. 2, Nepal.
499
500 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
cal man from India, and a Scottish doctor. I discovered that, des-
pite varied backgrounds, these men worked well together.
Weather is always important in planning a field trip. September
weather had been wet and miserable. There was no reason to set
out on our first expedition until bright, clear fall days had come.
November is our driest month so we fixed on the first of that month.
Zoologists at Chicago Natural History Museum had given us
suggestions as to what type of specimens they would like. These
included species from the higher hills, some from the lowlands, and
birds in eastern Nepal along the Sikkim border. The Government
of Nepal, upon our request, granted us permission to spend a month
in Ramechap District just west of Everest and south of Guari Shan-
kar, six weeks in Kailali-Kanchanpur in the extreme southwestern
corner of the country and six weeks in Morang, Jhapa and Ham
Districts in the far east.
Sir Edmund Hillary and tons of equipment for his World Book
Encyclopedia Scientific Expedition to the Himalayas arrived in mid-
September. Members of his party worked hard and long at the
airport, Hotel Royal, Surendra Bhawan and finally at Bhadgaon
where several hundred porters started their trek toward Everest.
Dr. Betty Milledge took charge of the store of supplies at the United
Mission Hospital while her husband, Dr. James Milledge went with
the medical party to the high altitude camp for the winter. Sir
Edmund had brought our equipment from Chicago Natural History
Museum and now we could make the necessary application to the
Government of Nepal.
EAST NO. 1 AND EAST NO. 2
(November 2-December 2; Map 2)
The main route to Numche Bazaar, south of Everest, runs east
of Kathmandu for about 115 miles. Ordinary travelers require about
sixteen days to get there but Sir Edmund Hillary could make it in
eight days. We were the ordinary kind and would get to Jiri on the
sixth day at the rate of about eight miles a day. Dr. Bethel Fleming
and Dr. Morrow Stough started at 5:00 A.M. and drove us eighteen
miles to the end of the road at Banepa where we started to walk.
We soon came to the rim of a valley that would take us almost all
day to cross. There were a series of six such valleys and ridges from
here to Jiri.
Down we plunged to a meandering stream and, in the heat of
the forenoon, rested under a pipal or fig tree. Soon we reached
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 501
Panchkal and a tea shop, the only place like this we saw. They
not only served us hot tea but softboiled eggs. That afternoon we
climbed up to Hoxie and pressed on down the steep ridge beyond.
Mingma, our Sherpa, found a good place along a little river where
we pitched our tents. Porters gathered firewood while we settled
down for the night.
The going on the second day proved much more difficult. We
hadn't yet gotten our "hill legs" and one of our steepest climbs was
before us. After an hour along a narrow, cool valley we reached
the Indravati River which flowed at this point into the Sun Kosi.
It was a little too late in the season to learn much about bird mi-
gration up and down these rivers, though we did see a few ducks. We
started up from the river at 1900 feet to Choyobos at over 5,000
feet. There was little shade and after an hour and a half we stopped
for lunch. We decided to stop at Bhumbo Bhangyang, a mile or so
short of our destination. Near us was a beautiful flowering bird-
cherry tree. No one had to be lulled to sleep that night!
Two of our porters from Temal Village, Ramechap, decided they
had had enough and quietly stole away with a few unearned rupees
in their pockets. But we got two strong men from the local village
and we were soon on the road again. Most of the route that day
lay along a crest of a ridge. We climbed another thousand feet to
Choyobos and then ascended again to a saddle at 7,000 feet where
we had a fine view of the snowy ranges. From here the descent was
gradual and led through a fine oak-rhododendron forest. Toward
evening we came to a village aflutter with prayer flags and we stopped
for the night. This was Lesangku. Our hunter met a panther on
the forest path below town. The kalij cock he brought back was
like those in Kathmandu but there was less white barring on the
rump. This character disappears completely on birds from far east-
ern Nepal.
We could look from our camp at Lesangku across the next big
valley to Deorali pass at 7200 feet. It took us all day to get to the
next rim and the porters suggested a camp site below it but fortun-
ately we pushed over onto the other side. And what a marvelous
view of Gauri Shankar and companion peaks to the east! It was
chilly there but the warm pink glow on the ranges in the fading
sunlight was a fitting conclusion to a day's trek in the Himalayas.
Off to the northeast the top of one mighty peak, crowned with a
snow plume, glowed longer than all the rest Everest! In the gray
dawn, Gauri Shankar greeted us again. Down four thousand feet
502 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
across the Tamba Kosi and up two thousand feet to Nambdu. One
of the suspension bridges along the way had seen better days but
we managed to cross it. Nothing but rats lived around Nambdu
according to the count in the traps. A flight of thirty or forty kes-
trels in the twilight was an inspiring sight.
On the ridge above Yersa we could look ahead and see still more
ridges of hills running into Okhaldhunga District bordering on the
Solo Khumbu, the land of the Sherpas. But we did not have farther
to go on the Everest route. Down at Sikrigaon we turned off to the
northeast and up one more steep ridge until we could look over into
the Jiri Khola where the Swiss had new installations. In the dis-
tance we saw eighteen men working on an air strip. The Jiri Khola
had been a swamp shortly before but Mr. Monche had over three
hundred workers busy. They had drained the swamp and put up
several sturdy buildings. We stopped here for a two day rest.
The Jiri Khola runs north and south and is about three miles
or more long and less than a mile wide. At the lower end is the town
of Those, noted for its iron mining and refining. About half way up
the valley, expansive wooden-shingled roofs shelter the Swiss. At
the head of the valley is a village of well-constructed two-story houses
bounded by cultivated fields. A ridge beyond went steeply up to
8,000 feet. A Swiss cheese storage station lay at Kapti, 7500 feet.
The forest on the southern slope was pretty well cut down but there
was a heavy stand of trees over the ridge and on the northern side.
We pitched our tents on a dry, grassy knoll, used by successful
Swiss climbers on Dhaulagiri. Mrs. Monche invited us to tea and
served some delicious cheese they had made. The Monche children
had a young civet as a pet. Later, villagers brought us an adult
specimen. There were a few jackals about and in a kodo field on the
side of the hill about a mile away, we found the millet devoured
by rats. In the scrub jungle bordering the Jiri Valley, we began to
find the birds we needed, especially a race of red-headed laughing
thrush in which we were especially interested. Early one morning a
flock of snow pigeons landed in fields to the north and our hunter got
one. Eleven years before we had shot several on the Kali Gandak
River, West Nepal, but they had fallen on an inaccessible ledge and
we were not able to retrieve them, and until now, did not have this
species in our collection. It had been difficult to travel and to collect
at the same time but as soon as we could stop, things began to im-
prove.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 503
Our next goal was Thodung, a day's journey to the northeast.
There at 10,000 feet was a Swiss dairy center manned by Hans Froe-
lich. Our new team of sturdy porters climbed out of the Jiri Valley
for a thousand feet and followed a ridge for some distance, then
picked their way down the abrupt hillside to the Tama Khola. Lovely,
large orchids overhung the cliffs on the further side. Bulbs we
brought back have sent out flourishing green leaves. The 5000 foot
climb to Thodung was along an ill-defined road. At 8000 feet al-
titude our legs were heavy and we stopped at Buddharam to catch
our breath.
A thousand feet higher the tall trees began and we clambered
upward on a winding road. We met workmen coming down. The
dairy was "just a little way" but it took another half-hour to reach
the small, wooded pass where the building stood.
Several Swiss milk-collecting stations lay farther into the hills
above Thodung and Mr. Froelich suggested we visit them. The
morning of the second day we set out for Dhoban at 12,600 feet.
About halfway there we reached a pass at 11,600 feet and suddenly
came in view of a dazzling snow range only fifteen miles away.
It was complete with its own private Matterhorn. Beautiful old
gnarled evergreen trees made a fine foreground for a perfect picture.
Several red-throated thrushes perched on bare branches in the sun-
shine. Here we left the trees behind and made our way through
masses of rock. At last we came to a little hut in the shelter of a
great knoll directly south of Gauri Shankar. From the top of a
hill a thousand feet farther up one could see a little lake called
Bhoot Pokhari (Lake of the Ghosts). It was here that the great
Kansu rose finch sheltered under overhanging rocks. Our sherpas
kept a fire going all night while the wind blew cold outside. When
the sun returned to warm the hillside, little mouse-hares popped
out of their burrows between rocks. White clouds formed a blanket
below us and stretched for miles toward the southwest. That after-
noon we retraced our steps and stopped at Tserping (10,800 feet)
for a couple of days.
The long, flat ridge where Tserping is situated is not suitable
for an air strip because of the wind and the position of a nearby
mountain peak. We saw thousands of tiny holes in the loamy
ground. "Leeches made them," observed Mr. Froelich. In the
rainy summer season, this place is swarming with leeches. In the
fringe of forest along the ridge were several species of birds-
thrushes, laughing thrushes, rose finches and grosbeaks. Blood
504 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
pheasants clucked from the bamboo thickets a bit lower down. At
the base of steep cliffs six or eight hundred feet farther up lived
serow and musk deer. On sunny hillsides among underbrush were
the holes of a vole and a pygmy shrew. More than a dozen brilliant
impeyan pheasants dug for tubers under evergreen trees not more
than a couple of hundred yards away. It was a wild, beautiful spot.
All too soon we had to start moving down for a final overnight
stop at Thodung. Our porters got a late start the following morning.
We had hoped to go from there to the cheese storage depot at Kapti
but had to spend the night at Yelung. There we ran into several
coveys of chukar partridge. From Kapti we could look southward
down the Jiri Valley and see the Swiss buildings about two miles
away. To the west were still higher ridges and forests. For two
days we hunted in this area.
Our next objective was Bigu, a two day journey of about fifteen
miles to the northwest of us. The new batch of porters did not show
up until mid-day, then led us on a much more difficult route than
was necessary. After hacking our way through the jungle, we reached
the well-trodden road we should have taken. That evening we did
not halt at the village where the men obviously wanted to stay but
pressed on down a beautiful bit of forest road and put up camp.
It was clear, mild night. Low in the west the moon, Venus and Mars
made a brilliant threesome in the evening sky.
The porter we had picked as leader started us off on the wrong
trail, but some villagers soon set us straight, and after two day's
march we were in Bigu. 1 The new route brought us to Bigu so di-
rectly we almost overtook the letter boy who started out a day
ahead of us. He had reached the headman's house only minutes
before we did and servants were beginning to sweep up the courtyard
when we got there. The headman was up in town and hadn't had
word yet that we had come. Family members, however, invited
us to come in and sit down and brought us fresh persimmons and
tea. We looked around for a flat spot in the vicinity where we
could pitch our tents but there was none so we decided on the floor
in the courtyard. Tents were up and supper under way when the
headman returned. He knew of our coming and made us welcome.
We asked whether there were hives of bees on overhanging cliffs.
"Oh, yes, only up the valley about three miles. My men go there
every year to scrape off the combs and they only went yesterday.
1 En route we collected ticks from a man's coat collar and from a rat, which have
been described as a new species by Dr. Harry Hoogstraal, NAMRU 3, Cairo, Egypt.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 505
I'll send my man along tomorrow to show you." We talked about
game in the upper hills directly above the house. Yes, it was a
good place. Any red pandas? No, they didn't seem to know about
that animal. As we talked into the night, prospects for collecting
here seemed good.
Thanksgiving Day, November 24th, we explored the country-
side. Our host, Padam Bahadur, took us up to Rakham. This
was a good place to build a mission dispensary plenty of land,
sunshine and water nearby. The houses on the lower terraces were
all occupied by Nepalese-speaking Hindus. On the upper hillsides
lived Tibetan-speaking Buddhists, each with his own neat little house
fronted by a fluttering prayer flag.
When we were getting ready for supper back down at the head-
man's house, we looked for the return of Sagar Rana who had gone
to the cliffs where the bee combs were. Dr. Friedmann of the Smith-
sonian Institution, Washington, had asked us to look for the orange-
rumped honey guide. An ancient Chinese manuscript had described
this bird in a remote valley where bees made their combs on over-
hanging cliffs. This species had been collected both in Sikkim and
Kumaon where it was fairly common at certain seasons of the year
but had not yet been reported from Nepal. When we saw Sagar
coming back he held out his hand and called, "The honeyguide is
in Nepal ! I went up the main road and then took a side path which
wound under cliff's to a stream. They showed me where they had
been scraping the wax off rocks and there was a bird upside down
on a comb!" The honeyguide at last, with its stomach crammed
full of wax.
Our medical man was very busy the next three days. There
was no other medical aid in Bigu and almost half the population
crowded around the medical tent waiting to be examined and to
receive medicines. The remainder of our party went hunting on
upper slopes several miles above town. Here were the crimson
horned pheasant, several kinds of rose finches, laughing thrushes,
fulvettas, barwings and crossbills. A small herd of ghoral or goat-
antelope inhabited the cliffs on the southern side. Evenings up there
were chilly but the many fallen logs provided a warm fire.
There was no school in Bigu. When we passed through the town
for the last time, children with garlands lined the road. "Long live
the King. Long live the United Mission. We must have a dis-
pensary. We must have a school." So chanted the children. On
our way up to the 10,000 foot ridge towards Kathmandu we found
506 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
another honeyguide. The little stream at our camp site was frozen
over in the morning. A flock of snow pigeons settled on a dead tree.
In the early sunshine they looked like glistening snowballs tied along
the branches truly a lovely sight.
Nine of the Jiri porters were still with us. Four had returned and
were replaced by sturdy Bigu men. Tuesday, November 29th, we
reached the pass about 9:30 A.M. and by evening were ten or twelve
miles down the mountain to an altitude of only 2700 feet. Along
the way we saw nutcrackers, buzzards and accentors. The streams
were quite warm in the lower valleys so w T e had a real bath. That
evening we added fresh milk and eggs to our menu of fresh pheasant,
beautifully prepared.
With four weeks of mountain trekking behind us it was easy to
cover greater distances. On our right we looked down and saw the
town of Barabise on the Bhote Khola and a little later arrived at
the more flourishing town of Sun Kosi Bazaar. The Sun Kosi stream,
flowing in from the northeast, was only a small stream but when it
joined the large Bhote Khola it became a swollen Sun Kosi River.
A little farther on we saw two or three hundred Nepal martins in a
single leafless tree. The movement of this bird is not fully known.
We crossed the river, mounted a ridge and after several more miles
descended abruptly to Dholalghat. We camped for the night in a
mango grove along the Indravati River. We had freshly boiled
eggs and tea again at Panchkal and then enjoyed a real scrub in the
stream beyond. We easily got to Banepa by four o'clock. And
there was a truck, headed for Kathmandu; we jumped in and as we
rolled over the last eighteen miles of our thirty mile trip that day,
we watched a full, yellow moon rise and flood the dark hills with
pale light. Altogether, we had had a wonderful experience in the
Himalayan hills.
SOUTHWESTERN NEPAL
(December 19-February 4, 1961)
Chicago Natural History Museum wanted to secure specimens
of the pygmy hog and fishing cat from Nepal. Sagar Rana had
seen both in Kailali-Kanchanpur Districts when his father, Dhariya
Shumshere, had been governor there. Upon request, the Foreign
Department issued the necessary document, similar to the one we
had just taken to East No. 2 and we thought everything was in order.
It wasn't until a week later that we discovered still another document
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 507
must be obtained from the Forest Department, so the party headed
by Sagar Rana, his Gurung hunter and his uncle, had left Kathmandu
without it.
Planes sometimes fly to southwest Nepal, but there were none
available at this time. Our party had to make a 110 mile trip by
truck and then an 800 mile trip by rail through India to reach Dhan-
garhi. Here they learned from the forest officer that they did not
have the necessary permit to collect in government forests.
Land is divided into two categories, that owned by the Govern-
ment and that owned by private individuals. It was only in the
latter areas that our party could operate. They decided to move
eastward from Dhangarhi into largely non-government land. For
two days they camped near a large pond. The comb duck had been
seen there several years before but only the Indian gray duck was
present. The hunter got a specimen of the small Indian fox while
Sagar added the little grebe to our list. Then on to Beli, five miles
eastward. The camp was on the edge of a stream where numerous
red jungle fowl, peafowl and a hyena were seen.
Kaneri Village, two miles distant, lay at the edge of a fine sal
forest. The land-owner remembered Sagar from the time his father
had been Governor and invited him to hunt in his private jungle.
Here the tracks of the pygmy hog were in evidence. The Gurung
hunter saw about nine altogether but try as he might, he could not
bag one.
The party pitched another camp near a pond where there were
many moor hens and large cormorants as well as black partridge
in the grassy areas. The mixed forest a little further on had trees with
little green berries. Pintail green pigeons, in flocks of fifteen to
twenty, were eating this food. Along the Mohana stream on sand-
banks were several hundred brahmany duck. In a sal forest beyond,
parrakeets were making a great disturbance. They saw a goh or
monitor lizard with its head in a parrakeet hole while a succession
of birds seized its tail and vainly tried to bite through the thick
skin. The lizard apparently did not mind the concerted parrakeet
attack.
Bhaderi Chawki was five miles farther east. It is a small village
surrounded by cultivated fields and backed by a sal forest. In
grassy spots, the rednaped hare was fairly common. It was nine
miles to Satti Bazaar. Swamp partridges lived in the tall grass
near damp places. A rustle in the grass, then a chucking of a bird
from a bush, indicated its whereabouts. The following day in al-
508 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
most the same place, Sagar caught a glimpse of a gray, spotted animal
stalking a fallen bird. Two quick shots brought us the much de-
sired fishing cat which people call "bun beerawlu." This trophy
concluded the collecting in southwestern Nepal.
FAR EASTERN NEPAL
(February 12-March 23, 1961, Map No. 3)
Our personnel again included Sagar Rana for birds, his Gurung
hunter, Man Bahadur and Frank Stough for small mammals. We
also had a Scottish doctor from the United Mission, Dr. James
Dick, who thus missed the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Nepal in order
to accompany us. A. Lama, a man of experience in the field, was
our new cook. The six of us, along with our 800 pounds of lug-
gage, flew from Kathmandu to Biratnagar, February 12, 1961.
It was about forty-five miles from Biratnagar to Jhapa. The
road ran due east, just north of the Indian border. We had to cross
sixteen small rivers, only the first of which is bridged. The water,
which was fairly shallow in February, must flood the whole country-
side in August and September. Rangeli, fifteen miles out, and Gauri-
ganj were the only sizeable towns. We traveled about nine miles a
day, passing by many cultivated fields and through several forests.
The days were pleasant and clear with almost no wind. We found
birds like the Indian rufous turtle dove in open areas and Chinese
bluethroats in hedges. We saw rails and lapwings along forest
streams. A small cormorant, which we needed, eluded us. In
marshy ground we flushed a chestnut bittern and pond herons. One
evening we studied a group of three kinds of egrets and white ibises,
more than a hundred birds in all. The intermediate egret was not
present. Along the Ratua River were numbers of terns. Then a
magnificent black-necked stork sailed in, his bill and legs a gleaming
red. We were glad for this addition. That afternoon at Gauriganj
we met Santa Bir Lama, who was once a famed "robin hood" of
Bengal and East Nepal. He was the out-going Bara Hakim of that
district.
By mid-afternoon of the fifth day we reached Jhapa, a town with
a fairly good bazaar. It was market day but the selection of food
was rather limited and vegetables were scarce. A leading citizen
of the town invited us to camp in the courtyard of a temple for the
night. In the morning sunlight we saw a flock of one or two hundred
munias flying from the neighboring trees onto a threshing floor.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 509
8 7 30'
88
Fig. 3. Route of expedition in Morang, Jhapa and Ham Districts, far eastern
Nepal.
Through the binoculars we discovered they were largely the chest-
nut-breasted variety which was new to us.
According to our map the Kankai River should have flowed to
the east of Jhapa. We learned that six years before, during a great
flood, the river had changed its course and we had already crossed
it just before reaching Jhapa. We turned north from Jhapa and soon
came to the old river which was now a mere stream. The road was
fairly good and we passed groves of bamboo and bananas. The
pied minah was particularly common here. From here the road
was full of deep ruts but our carts managed to get through to a
fine large mango tree where we pitched camp.
510 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
We could see the foothills rising out of the plain to the north. On
the way we skirted a reedy swamp when three Santal boys appeared.
They carried bows and arrows and were escorted by five hunting
dogs, one of which had a bell around his neck. They carried a string
of five birds which they had shot that day a hawk, a brown crake,
a water hen, a kingfisher and a shrike. These they would have for
their supper.
We continued our investigation of forest areas. In a wet spot
in scrub jungle peafowl flew up and we got a bustard quail. Fresh
panther tracks led over the sand into the hills. Beautiful spinetails
cut over a stream of the forest.
Suneshchare Bazaar was only about six miles away. En route
there we passed an extensive swamp and saw a bittern which eluded
us. We found our settlement to be a boom town, living up to its
name "Saturday Bazaar." After two days we had only four of the
twelve porters we needed and settled for horses to carry the balance
of the load to Ham. We had said goodbye to our faithful cartmen
and started northward.
"Saturday Bazaar" had yielded several uncommon birds, par-
ticularly from the reedy swamps. We came upon our first ruddy
crake along the stream which flowed through the town. Now we
left the plain and started up a gentle incline through a belt of thick,
tropical forest full of bamboo, tangled vines and tall trees. Small
streams trickled through ravines and strange bird-calls echoed from
the forest trees. We passed through this area much too rapidly
for we were heading for Chisapani that night. A week here would
have been profitable. The road led up and down over moderate
hills and across little plateaus between the foothills and on up to
within sight of Ham. We discovered that distances are short in
Ham District with no very steep climbs except along the Sikkim-
Darjeeling border.
We passed a tea estate just before we got to our camping place for
the night. Nightjars were especially common here. After this the
road led down across a valley where there was a good bridge and
up towards the district capital. We could see the governor's white
residence at the top of the hill, surrounded by tall cryptomeria trees.
First we reached a new site for the village development buildings.
Just above this was a spacious parade ground; we camped near the
water tap. The bazaar, five minutes beyond, followed the contour
of the hill. In the center was an open square surrounded by shops
where quite a variety of articles could be had.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 511
Hooker in his "Himalayan Journals" (1854) described Ham hill
as "cone-shaped" but "dome-shaped" would have been a better
word. Hooker made special mention of the many long-leafed pine
trees which covered the hills from Ham to the Indian border. Today
not a single pine remains. Wooded areas have given way to well-
built homesteads surrounded by cultivated fields covering the ridges
from their rims down to the river valleys. The only trees one could
see were stretches of bamboo and an occasional uttis (alder) grove.
On the northern slopes below Ham town were extensive terraces of
tea bushes. This whole district was much more advanced than any
other hill section I have seen in Nepal. Much the same probably
could be said for Dhankuta which we did not have time to visit.
We judged from the map that it was several days' journey to the
northern border of Ham District but actually it is only a two day
trip. About every mile or so one comes across a village, in contrast
to other parts of Nepal, especially in the far west, where one can
travel almost all day without seeing habitation. We couldn't find
the Mai Khola listed on any of the maps we looked at in Kathmandu.
It was along the Mai Khola that Stevens had made an extensive
bird collection almost fifty years ago. Not until we reached the
forest office did they point to the valley below and say "That's the
Mai Khola." When facing north, this valley was on our right; on
the left side of the ridge was the Pwa Khola. The forest men were
quite helpful and sent a ranger along to show us the way. We set
out northward on the crest of a series of rolling hills, each successive
one higher that the last. We gradually climbed from 4500 feet to
7000 feet in the distance of seven miles. Mai Pokhara was situated
near a large pond about 125 yards long [and sixty yards wide. Here
we camped for a day and a half.
Remnants of a forest covered the northern slopes beyond the lake.
There were burr oaks and other tall trees, barberries and open, grassy
places. The hunter brought in a battered Kalij cock of the black-
backed variety, common around Darjeeling. A newly-constructed
road encircled the lake and in the shrubbery we added the strong-
footed bush warbler to our list.
Hooker had visited Jamnagaon in 1848. We could look down
5000 feet to the Mai Khola and see this place on a ridge. To hunt
in the upper Mai Khola we had to travel north a few more miles
and turn right into the three mile valley which formed the head-
waters of this river. There seemed to be much more extensive forests
east beyond Jamnagaon so we elected to go that way. When we
512 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
got down to the bridge we saw bees' combs on cliffs up the river.
The birds flying there turned out to be bronze drongos rather than
honeyguides.
The forest ranger led the way up a narrowing valley past terraced
and cultivated fields, home of the black-throated hill warbler. There
were scattered groups of houses for about two or three miles and
then we stepped into the forest. A broad, newly-constructed road
led several miles to the border at Gauri Bhangyang pass at 9000 feet.
We had just started up through the tall trees when our guide pointed
to a place under a large rock and said this was our new home. There
was a small area nearer the road which had been cleared and leveled
on which we could pitch a tent. This was "Tindhoban," the meeting-
place of three ravines, each with its own flow of water. Here was
to be our base of operations for the next eight days.
Sagar Rana and his hunter struck out at once and didn't come
back until almost dark. Sagar had spotted a fire-tailed myzornis
drinking sap from a large oak tree. Before he could collect it a
chestnut-headed babbler attacked it and the myzornis took refuge
in an extensive grove of small bamboo. It was a long time before
the bird came out and Sagar was able to get it. Now Dr. Rand, of
Chicago Natural History Museum, could compare the tongue of
this species with that of a related bird from the Philippines.
It had rained the day before we arrived, making the ground quite
slippery. Clouds again filled the ravine our first afternoon and a
little rain fell but each succeeding day became drier until we had
several clear days and nights. Cliffs towered above our camp to
the north. Vegetation on southern slopes was dry and grassy; many
of the trees had been cut down. On western and northern slopes,
however, much of the original forest remained. The ground was
covered by moss and ferns with little underbrush. Fauna and flora
resembled that of Sikkim rather than central Nepal. Small mammals
had ruddier coats, birds often were the smaller, darker Sikkim races
and the ferns and trees were Sikkim varieties. Large sprays of
yellow-green orchids (a cymbidium) hung from the tree above us
and water rushed all too loudly below us.
A local hunter was glad to take me up and down over the ridges.
In the heavy forest were kalij pheasants, hill partridges, flycatchers,
laughing thrushes and myzornises. In the bamboo groves at about
9,000 feet we found finches, bush-robins, the redheaded babbler and
the maroon-backed accentor. Among the high trees were willow-
warblers, tits, grosbeaks, barwings and bullfinches. Different species
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 513
such as the slender-billed babbler, sunbirds, fulvettas and minivets
flitted here and there on dry, grassy slopes. Along the open, higher
spurs were redstarts and suthoras in bamboo. We saw three species
of forktails along the streams as well as the brown dipper, shortwing
and scalybreasted wren-babbler. Woodpeckers, flycatchers, warblers
and a flower-pecker inhabited groves farther down the hillside. A
fine flying squirrel glided in front of our camp at dusk while at night
we could hear the quick notes of the nightjar.
Basant Lai Das, head forest officer, greeted us in Ham. He had
just returned from leave and made us feel welcome. We discussed
with Mr. Das how to spend the rest of our time in Nepal. He
suggested stopping a day or two on the Jog Mai below Ham where
tropical forests fringed the river. From there we could take a foot-
path up to the new road to Pashupatinagar and Darjeeling. This
we were glad to do. As it was only early afternoon we decided to
camp down there rather than in Ham. Mr. Das served us tea and
eggs and then guided us through the bazaar to the road which led
to a place called Mai Beni.
Our camp in a mango grove at 2000 feet was much warmer than
the one at 6500 feet we had had the night before. Also, the fauna
and flora were different at a level so much lower. Ravines along the
Jog Mai were full of creepers, ferns, palm and tall trees. We merely
dipped into two or three such places, finding the bar-tailed cuckoo
dove, flycatchers, babblers and shortwing. Several ducks flew along
the river at dusk and Franklin's nightjar was in evidence.
We pushed along eastward up the river just as a shower settled
the dust and cooled the foliage. It smelled like a hothouse. Here
we found a Burmese roller and a rufous piculet. From the river we
went up through Suntala to Phikal on the new road. Here we de-
bated about going southward for a day or two to locate the rufous
horn-bill which, Hooker wrote, was common in this area. No one
seemed to know anything about this bird so we concluded it must
have gone with the forests Hooker so enjoyed. So we pressed on
toward Pashupatinagar. We found Babu Sahib as directed and he
permitted us to roll out our bed rolls in one of two rooms over his
garage. We now arranged for a Land Rover to come next morning
to pick up our party and go to Darjeeling.
There was time for one last brief hunt before the car came. What
a fine view we had of Kanchenjunga from a point a short distance
above the road! Among the wooded hills below, quite a variety of
life was present. We could look north along the border toward
514 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
Sundakpu and south toward the terai. The car was an hour late so
we were able to prepare our final bird skins while we waited. Then
on to Darjeeling which I had visited thirty-one years before. A
train journey from Siliguri to Raxaul and a flight from Simra to
Kathmandu brought us home once again.
Systematic List
*Podiceps ruficollis capensis Salvadori. Little Grebe.
Pharping Pond, 4 miles south of Kathmandu, 4300 feet: Id" ?;
March 30, 1961.
Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur, 900 feet: 1 9 ; December 13,
1960 (Sagar Rana).
Reedy lakes and ponds are places where one finds the little
grebe. Ducks and other water birds fly off from the margins of
these bodies of water at the first sign of alarm while these small bits
of down bob around and suddenly disappear under the surface of
the water, only to reappear a little bit later. They occur in small
numbers. One finds them fairly commonly in the Gangetic plain
and the Nepal terai. It is rather unusual to come across them above
4000 feet, but a few occasionally visit the one little lake between
Kathmandu and Pharping.
*Xenorhynchus asiaticus asiaticus (Latham). Black-necked
Stork.
20 miles east of Biratnagar, Morang District, 450 feet: 1 9 ;
February 16, 1961.
This stork haunts the larger rivers and adjoining fields of the
Nepal lowlands, but it is not very common. As it majestically
cruised low overhead, the red legs and bill were easy to see. It lit
on an embankment with open, grassy spaces and a few acacia trees
on one side and a bed of reeds a little distance away on the other
side. From that vantage point it had a good view in all directions.
The hunter elected to approach from the reeds while another made
himself conspicuous on the opposite side. The bird slowly stalked
a short distance and did not attempt to fly.
Accipiter virgatus affinis Hodgson. Besra Sparrow-hawk.
5 miles east of Jumna, Ham District, 8000 feet: Id"; March 11,
1961.
515
516 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
This is the first specimen from east Nepal. The locality "Kaski"
(Rand and Fleming, 1957, p. 53) is in the Pokhara District, west
Nepal.
A pair of this species was squealing from oak trees on the sunny
side of a hill, not far from cultivated fields. They occupied neigh-
boring trees and sat with their heads somewhat pulled in and tails
slanting downward. We took one bird while the other continued
its calling which sounded like that of a kestrel. We have only oc-
casionally seen it.
Spizaetus nipalensis nipalensis (Hodgson). Hodgson's Hawk-
eagle.
Kapthar, Bajhang State, 8400 feet: 1 9 ; October 24, 1959.
This is a rather high locality for this species. Ripley (1961, p. 50)
gives the altitudinal range as 2000 to 7000 feet.
The favorite place for this species is the top of a tall, dead tree
which commands an extensive view. Perched almost crosswise, it
will sit quietly, then suddenly take to the air and dive towards its
prey. It is a very strong flier and delights in riding the air currents.
Usually this bird is seen alone, but when flying in pairs they go
through a variety of acrobatic turns and twists. One of the calls is
a loud scream. Several hawk-eagles occupy wooded areas around
Kathmandu Valley.
*Gyps fulvus fulvescens Hume. Griffon Vulture.
Bigu, East No. 2, 6500 feet: 1 d"; November 28, 1960.
Just outside Bigu, the carcass of a cow attracted ten or twelve
vultures. They were different sizes and colors. The one we selected
had a large pale tan ruff of feathers around its neck. All were so
engrossed in their meal that they permitted a fairly close approach.
Even though well hit, this vulture started to glide down the valley,
managing to cover several hundred feet before it fell.
One sees numbers of vultures in the air at once, usually traveling
some distance apart. They evidently keep their eyes on all other
birds within sight, for as soon as one discovers food, others stream
in from several directions, and in almost no time a dozen or two will
be waddling around the carcass and fighting for a place to eat.
Francolinus gularis (Temminck). Swamp Partridge.
Sati, 32 miles east of Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur: 1 cT; Jan-
uary 23, 1961 (Sagar Rana).
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 517
In Nepal the swamp partridge seems to be confined to the western
terai. Its presence is disclosed by its two syllable call "kaw-care."
Otherwise it is almost impossible to find because it frequents thick,
tall "elephant" grass which is difficult to penetrate, let alone move
through noiselessly.
This particular bird was near a damp place, surrounded by grass.
It stepped up into a small bush, then called. There were one or two
others in the vicinity. Evidently they are found in the same place
year after year.
*Lophura leucomelana melanota (Hutton). Blackbacked Kalij.
7 miles north of Ham, Ham District, 7000 feet: 1 d"; March 3,
1961.
In Nepal the blackbacked kalij seems to be confined to the Mai
Valley where Stevens also secured it.
The small flock of pheasants from which this bird was taken
occupied a cut-over forest area containing some larger trees. There
were scattered dwellings and cultivated fields. The local people
knew exactly in which tree the kalij roosted at night. We occasion-
ally found places where numerous droppings indicated that the birds
came regularly. The kalij sleeps near the top of a thickly leaved
tree and, shortly after daylight, flies down to the ground and makes
his way toward the nearest stream. During the day the flock rests
in thickets, often on the ground or in low bushes. Then in the eve-
ning they start back up the ridge to their favorite tree. They usually
make the same circuit about the same time each day.
Turnix suscitator plumbipes (Hodgson). Common Bustard-
quail.
Kaneri, 8 miles east of Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur: 1 o\
1 9 ; January 10 and 11, 1961.
Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: 1 9 ; February 22, 1961.
Ham, Ham District, 4000 feet: 1 9 ; February 28, 1961.
Of the three females listed above, two have the throat and breast
colored as in the males. The third has only scattered black feathers on
the throat and breast. Ripley (1950, p. 368) and Rand and Fleming
(1957, p. 63) also had only cock-colored females. Baker (1930, p. 9)
does not believe that wild hens have a non-breeding plumage because
the species breeds throughout the year and black-throated birds
have been taken in every month. However, captive birds are known
518 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
to assume a white-throated non-breeding plumage, and LaTouche
(1931-1934, p. 266) states that in the race blakistoni of south China
the females have a white throat in winter. It is probable that in
Nepal, where the breeding season may be more restricted than in
peninsular India, the females also have a definite nonbreeding plu-
mage.
All of our quail, whether in the lowlands, the duns or foothills
have been in rather open places, sometimes not far from cultivation,
where there is suitable scrub for cover. They have a high whistle
and our hunter could call the females out at will. When they sense
danger, they crouch, then fly out suddenly, describe a quick arc,
settle and run a short distance. They are usually found singly or in
pairs. Once we flushed a quail only to have a hawk-eagle swoop
down after it. However, the quail escaped.
*Anthropoides virgo (Linnaeus). Demoiselle Crane.
Kathmandu: 1?; October 20, 1960.
Kathmandu Valley is not a flyway for migrating birds but cranes
occasionally pass through from the northern plateaus and beyond.
In 1962, on almost the same date as given above, a single crane passed
overhead, flying in a southerly direction. They seem to time their
arrival just as the last rice is being harvested. The bird above was
solitary.
*Porzana pusilla pusilla (Pallas). Baillon's Crake.
Kathmandu: 1 rf 1 ?; April 2, 1961.
This is the first specimen of Baillon's Crake from Nepal since
Scully (1879, p. 358), who found it only from July to December.
The little lake south of Kathmandu on the Pharping road attracts
a surprising number of migrating water birds. A visit there in spring
revealed ducks, little grebes and two crakes. The latter were wading
near the margin of the water, feeding among vegetation growing in
shallow water. They were quite tame and continued on along the
edge of the lake, even though observed. One specimen of this species
dropped into our yard one fall. It was dead and very thin. There
were no lakes within miles of our home at 6500 feet altitude.
*Amaurornis fusca bakeri (Hartert). Ruddy Crake.
5 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District: 2 cf; February 26
and 27, 1961.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 519
This is the first time that the ruddy crake has been taken in Nepal
since Hodgson.
Three years ago, early in July, a ruddy crake was seen walking
through flooded rice fields at the northern edge of Kathmandu. It
wasn't until we reached Suneschari Bazaar, last winter, that we came
across several of these fairly uncommon birds. Just north of town
flows a small stream containing clear water in which a number of
kinds of aquatic plants were growing. Along the edge of the stream
were piles of dead brush, fallen logs and tufts of grass. Three or four
crakes, within a couple hundred yards, crossed from one brush pile
to another, feeding in the stream as they went. They had a heavy
flight with feet hanging; they covered only a short distance to a
good hiding place. After five minutes or so they would venture out
again. The time was about one hour after dawn.
Amaurornis akool akool (Sykes). Brown Crake.
10 miles north of Jhapa, Jhapa District: 1 cf ; February 10, 1961.
The only previous specimens of this crake are from the central
terai, at Hitora and Jhawani.
In a section of swamp land full of six-foot reeds we could hear the
tinkle of bells. A dog appeared, dripping with muddy water and with
a bell around his neck. The reeds parted and out came three San-
tali boys equipped with bows and arrows, followed by another wet
dog. One boy carried a string of five dead birds, including a brown
crake, which the dogs had flushed and the boys had brought down
with their arrows. Another specimen flew low over the surface of
a stream and dropped behind clumps of grass.
*Vanellus cinereus (Blyth). Greyheaded Lapwing.
Manora River, Kathmandu Valley: 1 ?; February 7, 1959 (Mrs.
Proud).
This is the first record of this species from Nepal. Although its
normal wintering range is south and east of Nepal, it occasionally
wanders as far west as Kashmir.
Mrs. Richard Proud found the greyheaded lapwing to be a regular
winter visitor to Kathmandu Valley. In 1961, two were standing
with red-wattled lapwings on a little sandbar in the Manora River.
Last year they were again along that river, only this time a small
flock of five or six were feeding in cut-over rice fields. They flew
with measured flight, and displayed a great deal of white in their
520 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
wings. They settled in another field about fifty yards away and ran
a short distance upon alighting. Their call was a hoarse version of
the red-wattled lapwing's call.
Capella gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus). Fan tail Snipe.
24 miles east of Biratnagar, Morang District, 450 feet: 1 d";
February 17, 1961.
5 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: 1 9 ;
February 24, 1961.
These are the first fantail snipe to be taken in Nepal away from
the central valley. From the dates it would seem that they are on
their wintering grounds rather than on passage.
This species prefers flooded fields rather than tall, grassy areas.
They are always in flocks of from six to twenty or more. When
disturbed they sit close to the ground, then suddenly burst forth
with a squawk, and with erratic flight, describe an arc not far above
the ground. They then drop behind stubble or clods of earth fifty
yards distant, barely visible. The first two or three times they may
settle in the same general area, but later wheel higher into the air
and go off to another feeding ground. The very muddy fields along
the Vishnumati River are among their favorite places in Kathmandu
Valley.
Rostratula benghalensis benghalensis (Linnaeus). Painted
Snipe.
Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur, 450 feet: 1 d", 1 9 ; November
27, 1960.
6 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: 1 9 ; Feb-
ruary 26, 1961.
These are the first records from other than the central districts;
the species is evidently generally distributed in the terai, at least in
winter.
The painted snipe prefers lowland streams which flow through
grassy areas bordered with reeds and finds mud banks for feeding.
It sits closely as one approaches, then flies out suddenly, rather low
above the surface of the stream, and soon disappears around a bend
where it may again be flushed a little farther along. There were
about a half-dozen snipe in the space of a mile or two, all of them
flying up one at a time.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 521
*Treron apicauda apicauda Blyth. Pintailed Green Pigeon.
Kaneri, 8 miles east of Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur: 1 9 ;
January 13, 1961.
This is the first record of the pintailed green pigeon from west
Nepal. Koelz collected five specimens at Hitora in the central dun
(Biswas, 1961, p. 528).
The pintailed green pigeon appears to be less common in the low-
lands and terai of Nepal than it is in Assam. A flock of twelve or
fifteen birds fed on the fruit of a forest tree. They move rather
sluggishly among the branches but when alarmed, fly away with a
strong wing beat. Local people say that the green pigeon never
comes to the ground without carrying a twig in its claws, otherwise
it would never get off the ground. On the contrary, we found them
regularly visiting a stream each day to drink water and there were
no signs of the required twigs.
"Columba leuconota leuconota Vigors. Snow Pigeon.
East No. 2, Jiri, 4 miles west of Those, 6000 feet: 2cf ; Novem-
ber 10, 1960.
A flock of thirty or forty birds circled lower and lower and came
down in a cultivated field below a village. They came early each
morning for several days.
It was in a narrow gorge of the Kali Gandak River, West Nepal,
that we first saw this species. In November, a dozen birds roosted
in a cleft of a rock above the trail at 7000 feet, a few miles north of
Dana. We "got" four of them but the ten feet which separated them
from us was filled with a roaring river across which there was no
bridge. It was eleven years later when we were able to collect a snow
pigeon. Later on this same trip, above Bigu, at about 8000 feet,
two or three dozen birds flew into a dead tree near our camp, puffed
out their feathers and sat like pearls in the early morning sunshine.
We left them undisturbed. Dairymen from the higher valleys closer
to the snows report this to be a very common bird in that area.
*Caprimulgus asiaticus asiaticus Latham. Common Indian
Nightjar.
Simra airport, 10 miles north of Birganj, 500 feet: 1 d" ; March 22,
1961.
This is the first record of the common Indian nightjar from Nepal.
The specimen agrees well with a series from peninsular India.
5-2-2 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
We were unable to get a flight from Simra to Kathmandu so
stayed at the airport for the night. At dusk a nightjar called out on
the airstrip near the wind sock. "Tuk-tuk-t-u-r-r-r-r-r" was quite
different from other nightjars I had heard. We sent our hunter
after it and he had no difficulty collecting it. This nightjar was
much smaller than the others we had found in Nepal and we were
glad we had been delayed a day.
Caprimulgus affinis monticolus Franklin. Franklin's Nightjar.
3 miles southeast of Ham, Ham District, 2000 feet: 1 o"; March
16, 1961.
In our 1961 paper (p. 469) we discussed the individual variation of
Franklin's nightjar in Nepal. The present specimen is at the dark
extreme of the Nepal birds but can still be matched by a dark in-
dividual from Surguja. Ripley (1961, p. 205) does not consider
burmanicus a recognizable race, and it appears that light and dark
individuals are found throughout the range of monticolus.
We camped along the Jog Mai below Ham, at about 2500 feet.
Just before dusk we heard the call of the nightjar from the river bed.
A half-dozen others joined in the "chorus," which lasted no longer
than ten minutes, then all was quiet. Next evening we took our
places and soon the first nightjar called from trees bordering the
river. A minute or two later one flew toward the river, perched on
the top of a large boulder and continued to call. By this time others
could be heard. In the gathering dusk several birds began to fly
slowly up and down the river bed about ten feet from the surface,
calling as they went. This continued for a few minutes and the last
one we heard was some distance up the river.
*Coracias benghalensis affinis McClelland. Indian Roller.
5 miles southeast of Ham, Ham District, 2000 feet: 1 d"; March
16, 1961.
The populations of Indian rollers in central and east Nepal, east
at least to Jhapa, are intermediate between benghalensis and affinis
but nearer the former. The above listed male from Ham, however,
is much closer to affinis. It lacks the chestnut nuchal collar com-
pletely, and the underwing coverts are deep purplish-blue flecked
with pale blue rather than wholly pale blue. The narrow stripes
on the throat are turquoise as in affinis but those of the breast are
whitish like benghalensis.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 523
As we trekked up the Jog Mai River valley through cultivated
fields, we were watching some kind of swift zooming overhead. Then
from a nearby tree, this roller flew out with slow, steady wing beat.
When we examined it, the underwing coverts were purplish instead
of light blue and the bird was darker above than our rollers of the
Nepal terai and places like Pokhara. Local people say that the roller
drank poison intended for the god Krishna. In gratitude, Krishna
stayed the progress of the poison which is reflected to this day in the
purple sheen on the throat of the bird.
*Indicator xanthonotus xanthonotus Blyth. Honeyguide.
East No. 2, 3 to 5 miles above Bigu, 6000-6500 feet: 2d", 1 9 ;
November 24 and 28, 1960.
Although the honeyguide has been known from both Garhwal
and Sikkim, this is the first time it has been taken in Nepal.
Thanks to Dr. Herbert Friedmann and his volume on honey-
guides, we were on the lookout for this species. Ancient Chinese
literature indicated that its habitat would be deep in hidden moun-
tain ravines.
There is a direct relationship between this bird and bees. Most
of our collecting in the Himalayas had been done in winter when
clusters of bees occupied suitable branches of trees or even eaves of
buildings, but this was in the terai where we saw no honeyguides.
In spring the bees disappeared. Since we are able to get wild honey
in the hills much of the year, the bees must have flown into their
"hidden ravines" in the mountains.
The head man at Bigu told us that his men went once a year to
get honey from cliffs about three miles away and that he would send
his man the next day to show us the place. Sagar Rana, of our
party, found the location. When he scrambled down to the over-
hanging cliff above a stream, he saw a bird, apparently standing on
its head, pecking at the remains of a bees' comb. It proved to be
a honeyguide whose stomach was crammed with wax.
We visited the place again and waited for ten minutes but saw
no movement. Then Sagar made out a bird, like a small barbet,
sitting on a dead branch about a foot or two from the face of the rock
near where bees were flying in and out. It was another honey guide.
A third such bird was seen in a large fig tree, two hundred feet
higher. This spring Dr. G. Diesselhorst of Munich got one specimen
about three miles on up the same road at about 10,000 feet.
524 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
Jynx torquilla chinensis Hesse. Wryneck.
5 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: 1 9 ; Feb-
ruary 25, 1961.
I have compared this specimen to four birds from Manchuria
and Korea representing chinensis and to a long series from Europe
representing the paler nominate torquilla. The Jhapa bird is darker
above than even the darkest chinensis and must belong to that race.
Of the three birds listed by Rand and Fleming (1957, p. 90) as
torquilla, the dark bird from Chisapani is also chinensis. Their
comparative material of chinensis included several specimens of the
rufous japonica which misled them as to the characters of chinensis.
I have also examined the two males from Thankot which Biswas
(1961, p. 134) identified as chinensis. These are quite pale above
and are torquilla.
Suneschari Bazaar, at the northern edge of the southeastern terai,
proved a good place for birds. It was open country, backed by heavy
jungle about a mile or so toward the north. Small streams, culti-
vations and extensive patches of reeds gave shelter to resident and
winter birds. The wryneck was one of several species found in the
reed beds. It flew fairly close to the ground with its head poked
out and its tail wobbling a bit. Other wrynecks we have seen have
also been in low bushes or grass, a few feet from the ground. They
are not common and seem to be solitary.
*Sasia ochracea ochracea Hodgson. Rufous Piculet.
4 miles southeast of Ham, Ham District, 2300 feet: Id", 1?;
March 15, 1961.
The only previous record is from central Nepal.
Clusters of large bamboo made a shelter for the piculet. We
followed a faint tapping. We occasionally saw the piculets and they
often clung to the side of a tree trunk like miniature woodpeckers
or moved along a smaller branch like titmice. We collected one
specimen from a brushy hillside above a river. Col. Richard Proud
obtained specimens from the vicinity of Daran Bazaar, north of
Biratnagar (about 1000 feet) several years ago.
Galerida cristata chendoola (Franklin). Crested Lark.
Beli, 6 miles east of Dhangarhi, Kailali-Kanchanpur: Icf ; Jan-
uary 4, 1961 (S. Rana).
Previous records are from central Nepal.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 525
Like the Indian pipit, the crested lark is a bird of the open fields
in the border country just north of India. It runs along the ground,
then flies thirty or forty feet into the air, to land in a field or on an
embankment between fields, some fifty yards or more away. It does
not seem to be very common.
Alauda gulgula gulgula Franklin. Indian Sky-lark.
7 and 22 miles east of Biratnagar, Morang District, 450 feet:
2 d"; February 15 and 16, 1961.
These agree perfectly in size and color with the specimen pre-
viously reported from Simra (Fleming and Traylor, 1961, p. 474).
Flocks of sky-larks were commonly seen in the southeastern terai.
They would creep among the grassy vegetation, then fly and circle
slowly and come down in a neighbouring field. Numbers of them
were flying into the air and singing. A male bird we got had enlarged
testes.
Lanius cristatus cristatus Linnaeus. Brown Shrike.
Biratnagar, Morang District, 450 feet: 2 d" ; February 14 and 16,
1961.
Simra airport, Gaur District, 500 feet: 1 tf; March 22, 1961.
Biswas (1961, pp. 470-472) inadvertently omitted this species in
his list of Nepal birds. It is a common winter visitor, and I have
examined specimens taken between November and April.
A common species in winter throughout the foothills and terai
of Nepal. It perches on telephone wires or on top of bushes at the
edge of fields sitting with head forward and tail down. It flies with
a quick, heavy wing-beat, then flops into the top of a bush fifty yards
away. When eating its prey, the shrike uses its feet to pin down the
victim and pecks away with its strong beak.
Artamus fuscus Vieillot. Ashy Swallow-Shrike.
6 miles northeast of Jhapa, Jhapa District, 450 feet: 1 9 ; Feb-
ruary 19, 1961.
Previous records of this species from Nepal are all from the sum-
mer months (Fleming and Traylor, 1961, p. 483). The present win-
ter specimen indicates that it may remain the year round, especially
in east Nepal.
This species likes tall trees in sunny, open fields not too far from
villages. There are usually several in one vicinity and when observed
526 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
four were in a tall, silk-cotton tree. They have a heavy, slow wing-
beat and often fly in the same circle and come back to the same place.
We only saw them occasionally for they did not seem to be common.
*Saraglossa spiloptera (Vigors). Spottedwinged Stare.
Simra airport, 10 miles north of Birganj, 500 feet: 1 d* ; March 22,
1961.
The occurance of this species in Nepal may be sporadic or its
movements may be irregular. Koelz found it common in the central
terai and took 11 specimens in March, June and July. However,
this is the first specimen taken by Fleming and, except for Koelz's
birds, the first since Hodgson.
A flock of half-a-dozen or more stares were observed noisily work-
ing in a fruiting tree at Amlekhganj one spring. Several years later
this individual was singled out in the top of a tall fig tree, in company
with two hundred gray-headed minas. The evening sun emphasized
the reddish throat of the stare in contrast to the gray of the minas.
The stare is fairly common in the northwestern Himalayas below
Mussoorie, but seems to be uncommon in Nepal directly south of
Kathmandu, where we have seen all our birds within a few miles
of each other.
Kitta flavirostris cucullata (Gould). Yellowbilled Blue Magpie.
East No. 2, Kapti, 7 miles north of Those, 7300 feet: 1 9 ; No-
vember 19, 1960.
5 miles east of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 8000 feet: 1 d" ; March
6, 1961.
Ripley (1950, p. 415) had specimens of nominate flavirostris,
with a violet wash on the underparts, from far east Nepal. The
present specimens, even that from Ham on the eastern border, do
not have the violet wash that is evident in four of Steven's birds
from Sikkim.
The raucous "barn-door creaking" call of the magpie can be
heard for a quarter-mile. Usually in parties of three to six or seven,
they fly with heavy wing-beat one after another among the larger
trees. Should a magpie come across a dead animal on the ground,
it will give a call and soon all of them will be bouncing around the
carcass. Quick to spot a human, they will keep out of gun range,
flying some distance across ravines to leave danger behind.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 527
Corvus macrorhynchos subsp. Jungle Crow.
14 miles east of Biratnagar, Morang District, 500 feet: 1 9 ;
February 16, 1961.
Measurements: Wing, 298; tail, 179; culmen, 59.
The lowlands of eastern Nepal are near the meeting place of
three subspecies of jungle crow, intermedius, culminatus and levail-
lanti, and intermediate specimens are to be expected. Intermedius
is a large bird with white bases to the nape feathers. The present
specimen is at the small extreme of intermedius and has dusky bases
to the nape feathers. This was also true of the lowland bird recorded
by Rand and Fleming (1957, p. 108) from Bilauri, and in Nepal in-
termedius seems confined to higher elevations.
Both culminatus of peninsular India and levaillanti of eastern
India and East Pakistan have dusky bases to the nape feathers;
they are distinguished by the smaller size of culminatus and the
deeper, more arched bill of levaillanti. In size the Biratnagar female
is nearer levaillanti, but the bill is only moderately arched. Paynter
(1961, p. 384) calls central Nepal birds levaillanti, although (p. 383)
he does not include Nepal within the range of that race.
As we passed through the Nepal-India border region, crows were
fairly numerous. They were not bold like C. splendens but perched
in trees along the road and were a bit shy. The smaller size was
noticeable, compared to C. macrorhynchos intermedius, but their
habits were similar. At one river crossing, several hopped along
the bank.
Pericrocotus brevirostris brevirostris (Vigors). Shortbilled Mini-
vet.
5 miles east of Jumna, Ham District, 7200 feet: 1 9 ; March 8,
1961.
The shortbilled minivet, brevirostris, is much less common in
Nepal than the sibling species ethologus. I have re-examined Rand
and Fleming's (1957, p. 101) doubtful specimen, an immature male
from Beni, west Nepal. It appears to be this species, but I can add
nothing to their careful description.
Minivets flew among the trees along the road a short distance
from the town of Ham. It was a small flock of five or six birds and
their mellow "tweet-tweet" indicated their presence. We saw several
others, too, all in cultivated areas where trees bordered the fields. Oc-
casionally one would fly down close to the ground after insects in
528 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
low vegetation. While at rest on a branch the bird sat upright with
the tail almost straight down. We noted males and females in these
groups.
Criniger flaveolus flaveolus (Gould). Whitethroated Bulbul.
4 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: 1 d" , 1 9 ;
February 25, 1961.
Previous records of this species in Nepal are confined to the
central terai and duns.
A small party of five birds flitted through scrub forest at the base
of the foothills. Thier sharp whip-like note could be heard for some
distance. They did not go up into the taller trees but kept to within
eight or ten feet from the ground.
*Pomatorhinus ruficollis godwini Kinnear. Rufousnecked Sci-
mitar Babbler.
5 miles east of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 7000 feet: 1 9 ; March
7, 1961.
5 miles east of Jumna, Ham District, 8200 feet: 1 9 ; March 11,
1961.
These are well marked examples of this more olive, eastern race.
Scrub hillsides were the favorite places for this species. The
birds worked over areas twenty or thirty yards across, in parties
of a half-dozen or so. Sometimes they perched in low bushes but
usually were on the ground where they noisily threw up leaves as
they looked under them for food. When disturbed these babblers
flew into thicker cover then settled on the ground again to resume
their activities. We frequently heard their calls which carried for
some distance.
Pomatorhinus erythrogenys haringtoni Baker. Rustycheeked
Scimitar Babbler.
East No. 2, Jiri, 6000 feet: 1 d"; November 9, 1960.
Mai Pokhari, Ham District, 7000 feet: 1 c?, 1 9 ; March 2 and 3,
1961.
Rand and Fleming (1957, p. 122) and Ripley (1961, p. 352) rec-
ognize ferrugilatus as the race of this scimitar babbler from Nepal.
After examining over 60 specimens taken from Punjab to Bengal,
I believe that the recognition of three races, erythrogenys, ferrugilatus
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 529
and haringtoni, is misleading. Nepal populations are highly variable
individually, and in central Nepal specimens matching both typical
erythrogenys and typical haringtoni can be found.
The five specimens from Mussoorie available to Rand and Flem-
ing are surprisingly uniform and have immaculate white throats.
Many specimens from Tehri and the Punjab, however, have some
grey streaking on the throat, so that even in typical erythrogenys
there is an approach to the condition found in haringtoni. The west
Nepal series averages more streaking, but is hardly to be separated
from erythrogenys. The central Nepal birds, as noted above, are
highly variable but averaging more heavily streaked than in the
west, while east Nepal birds are as heavily streaked as our specimen
of haringtoni from Bengal.
Since most of Nepal is occupied by variable, intergrading pop-
ulations that do not warrant a name of their own, I would give the
range of the races as:
erythrogenys western Himalayas east to west Nepal, inter-
grading extensively in central Nepal with haringtoni.
haringtoni Sikkim, northern Bengal and adjoining Nepal, in-
tergrading extensively in central Nepal with erythrogenys.
The scimitar babbler goes about in pairs throughout the year.
It likes wooded ravines and scrub jungle not far from cultivations.
A great skulker, it bounces along the ground then into a bush, often
moving into the bush top to get a better view and, if necessary,
leaving quickly in a short flight to a more protected spot. Other
species are usually found in the same area. The duet "took-took"
(male), "teek" (female) also continues during the year, except at
nesting time when the female often fails to respond. When resting
on a branch the head and curved bill are held up while the tail
droops down and jerks when the head is moved from side to side.
*Xiphirhynchus superciliaris superciliaris Blyth. Slenderbilled
Scimitar Babbler.
5 miles east of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 7700 feet: 1 cf; March
7, 1961.
The range of this species in Nepal appears confined to the Mai
Valley.
We have seen this species only once, with a mixed hunting party
including babblers and sunbirds. The group was on a steep, grassy
hillside in the sun. It was moving through bushes and on the ground
when a strange bird appeared at the base of a large tree trunk which
530 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
had fallen to the ground. This bird resembled the plain-colored
babbler of which there were many. The slender bill was not ap-
parent from that distance as the glimpse of the bird was only mo-
mentary.
*Microura albiventer albiventer (Hodgson). Scalybreasted Wren-
babbler.
5 miles northeast of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 6900 feet and
7500 feet: 2 rf 1 ; March 12, 1961.
5 miles north of Ham, Ham District, 6000 feet: 1 9 ; March 14,
1961.
Since Ripley (1961, p. 357) has restricted the type locality of
albiventer to the Ham District, the above listed birds are topotypes
of this race. As one would expect, they are much darker above than
specimens from western and central Nepal and Tehri (pallidior),
and are matched by birds from Sikkim and Bengal.
We had been in our forest camp for several days before we dis-
covered the wren-babblers. A short series of high-pitched notes,
"tzit," at a few seconds' interval, indicated its presence under ferns
in a wet ravine filled with fallen brushwood. In its progress under
debris and around large boulders, it moved slowly upward from the
stream, finally exposing itself briefly. Having once heard the call,
it was easy to locate another in the next ravine.
*Spelaeornis caudatus (Blyth). Tailed Wren-babbler.
5 miles northeast of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 7200 feet: 1 9 ;
March 10, 1961.
Although Hodgson (Gray, 1863, p. 28) collected several speci-
mens of this wren-babbler, this is the first time since that the species
has been taken in Nepal. Its range in Nepal is probably restricted
to those regions adjoining Sikkim and Darjeeling.
We first saw this species creeping under a dead log and through
underbrush just below the road where we camped. It had a higher-
pitched "tzit" than either the chestnut headed or the scalybreasted
wren-babblers which were both in the vicinity. In a damp ravine,
not far away was a pair on the ground in a tangle of dead, wet
branches. They were rather difficult to see but the call, given at
short intervals, enabled us to follow them. The scaly breast was
pale on the throat and upper breast and brownish lower down and
the tail so short it was not noticed.
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 531
*Stachyris ruficeps ruficeps Blyth. Redheaded Babbler.
7 miles northeast of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 9000 feet: 1 cf ;
March 11, 1961.
12 miles east of Ham, Ham District, 6700 feet: 1 d"; March 18,
1961.
This is another species whose range in Nepal appears confined to
the Mai Valley. It was found there by Stevens, and Hodgson's
Nepal specimens (Gray, 1863, p. 45) were almost certainly from that
part of Nepal near Darjeeling.
The bird found at the higher altitude frequented a thicket of
ringal (small bamboo) where it was fairly common. The other one
was one of a small party in scrub jungle on the sunny side of a hill.
It resembled the red-billed babbler as well as the yellow-breasted
babbler of central and western Nepal, as it peered through the smaller
branches at the tops of shrubs. When disturbed it flew a short
distance into adjoining trees.
Paradoxornis nipalensis nipalensis Hodgson. Orange Suthora.
Kathmandu Valley, Sheopuri, 6500 feet: 1 d"; May 21, 1958.
As noted by Ripley (1961, p. 370), the range of nominate nipalen-
sis is confined to the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley, and our
five specimens from Phulchowk and one from Sheopuri are apparently
the only ones taken since Hodgson's time. It is, therefore, all the
more surprising to find three specimens taken by Koelz in the (then)
United Provinces, a pair from Kurumtoli, Garhwal, and a female
from Girgaon, Kumaon. As might be expected in a population iso-
lated by several hundred miles, these birds differ considerably from
topotypes and must be known as:
Paradoxornis nipalensis garhwalensis subsp. nov.
Type. Chicago Natural History Museum no. 234602, an adult
male from Kurumtoli, Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, India, (ca. 79 45'
E.; 30 10' N.) collected May 5, 1948 by Walter Koelz.
Diagnosis. Paler both above and below than nipalensis of central
Nepal. On the upper parts, the rufous of the back is less intense,
and the pale gray-brown of the crown fades gradually into the ru-
fescent back rather than terminating abruptly on the nape as in
nipalensis. The dark superciliary stripes are brown rather than
blackish. Size as in nipalensis or possibly larger.
Measurements of type. Wing 53, tail 56, bill 8, tarsus 18.
532 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
Range. Restricted to a small area in northeast Garhwal and
northern Almora, probably between 7000 feet and 9000 feet.
Remarks. Koelz' locality "Kurumtoli" takes its name from a
glacier in northeast Garhwal. There is no altitude on the label,
but in Nepal the species is known from 6500 feet to 9500 feet, and
Koelz probably was collecting at about these altitudes below the
glacier. "Girgaon, Kumaon" is a village in northern Almora at
about 80 10' E., 30 3' N., roughly 30 miles east by south of Kurum-
toli. The range of garhwalensis, therefore, appears about as restricted
as that of the nominate race.
Measurements of the two races are given below; I have combined
the sexes since several of the nipalensis are undetermined.
Wing Tail Bill Tarsus
nipalensis (6) 48-51 (50.2) 54-58 (56.2) 6.5-8.0 (7.4) 17-18 (17.8)
garhwalensis (3) 52, 52, 53 56, 57, 57 7.5, 8.0 18, 18, 18.5
*Paradoxornis nipalensis humii (Sharpe).
8 miles northeast of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 10,000 feet: 1 9 ;
March 9, 1961.
This form likewise has a restricted range, being confined to far
eastern Nepal and adjoining Sikkim and Darjeeling.
A small party of this suthora moved very rapidly through a
thicket of bamboo on a steep hillside. They made a shrill, high-
pitched twitter as they passed. We had expected to find this genus
in bamboo but search as we might, we could locate no others. On
one other occasion, at a much lower altitude, a rather large flock
flew over head into large bamboos. But this party of about fifteen
members paused only a moment before moving on.
Turdoides nipalensis (Hodgson). Spiny Babbler.
Kathmandu Valley, Tokha Sanitorium, 6000 feet: 2 cf; Septem-
ber 26 and 28, 1960.
Both Ripley (1950, p. 394) and Rand and Fleming (1957, p. 126)
have discussed the variation in the amount of white found on the
face and throat of these birds. As noted by the latter authors, it has
nothing to do with sex since the same range of variation is found in
males as in females (see fig. 4). It may have some connection with
age, but examination of the present specimens, the first in molt that
I have been able to examine, makes me believe that this is not so.
Both the above listed males (the two on the left in the figure) are
in an advanced stage of the post-nuptial molt. The contour feathers
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 533
Fig. 4. Five males of the spiny babbler, Turdoidex nipalensis, showing vari-
ation in the amount of white in the cheeks and throat. The four on the left are
from Kathmandu Valley; that on the right is from Doti, west Nepal, and shows
the maximum white observed.
for the most part are fresh, and the wings and tails are in active molt.
However, there are still some fresh feathers coming in on the throat,
and of these, the ones among the brown feathers are brown, and those
among the white feathers are white. It appears that the previous
pattern is duplicating itself, even though the white is at a minimum
in both specimens.
This leads to the possibility that there is some geographical vari-
ation in the amount of white. The four specimens on the left in the
figure are topotypes from Kathmandu Valley. Among ten specimens
from west Nepal, the one with the least white matches the center
bird in the figure, while the average is about like the maximum for
the valley. With such a variable character, however, the difference
is not worth recognizing.
The song of the spiny babbler can be heard most months in the
year but it is more frequent from March to September, in the early
534 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
morning or just before dusk. In the month of May, 1962, two of us
left Chapagaon and took the Lele road southward from Kathmandu
Valley up through cut-over jungle. It was about 5:00 A.M. when we
started and in the next forty-five minutes we heard nine different
babblers calling. One climbed up on a small stump a short distance
above the road where we had a good view of him. Strangely, we
have never found nestlings nor located the nest. April, May and
June should be a good time to look for them.
Turdoides earlei earlei (Blyth). Striated Babbler.
5 miles east of Kankaimukh, Jhapa District, 500 feet: Id", 19;
February 25, 1961.
These specimens are the first record from the eastern terai.
The striated babbler is a marsh bird, frequenting wet patches of
reeds and coarse grass. They consort in small groups; in this group
there were five of them. When disturbed they move up the reeds,
fly a short distance with head poked out and wings and tail flopping,
then pitch into the grass. They look like small jungle babblers only
thinner and heavily streaked. We have found them occasionally in
several other places in Nepal but they never appeared to be common.
Garrulax ocellatus ocellatus (Vigors). Whitespotted Laughing
Thrush.
Jiri, 4 miles west of Those, East No. 2, 7000 feet: 1 9 ; Novem-
ber 10, 1960.
I have compared our series of nine birds from east Nepal with
four paratypes of Koelz's griseicauda (Koelz, 1950, p. 7) from Garh-
wal and Uttar Pradesh and with a topotype of ocellatus from Sikkim.
We have also a male from Baitidi in far west Nepal. In the amount
of gray on the tail, the east Nepal birds are quite variable, some show-
ing as much on the central rectrices as griseicauda and others showing
none at all as in ocellatus. However, when properly sexed specimens
are compared, it appears that griseicauda is longer tailed than ocel-
latus and that east Nepal birds belong with the nominate race. Com-
parative tail measurements are:
9 9
Garhwal, U.P. 157, 161, 164
West Nepal 167
East Nepal (6) 146-162 (155.7) 148, 151, 151
Sikkim 151
FLEMING AND TRAYLOR: NOTES ON NEPAL BIRDS 535
The west Nepal male belongs in griseicauda. The other character
postulated by Koelz, that the spots on the back are white in grisei-
cauda and buffy in ocellatus, is not at all apparent in our material.
All the specimens of this species and others we have seen prefer
scrub jungle where there is sunshine and, when possible, they like
to be fairly close to civilization. The Jiri bird and those at Thodung
( 10,000 feet) were in bushes either at the edges of fields or in the vicin-
ity of herds of cattle. They hop on the ground and peck noisily among
the leaves. They sing quite a varied series of notes in viburnum
bushes and other shrubs. They are often associated with the black-
faced laughing thrush.
*Garrulax subunicolor subunicolor (Blyth). Plaincolored Laugh-
ing Thrush.
5 miles east of Jumna, Ham District, 7200 feet: 2 9 ; March 8
and 10, 1961.
5 miles east of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 8000 feet: 1 9 ; March 5,
1961.
All recent records of this species from Nepal are from the Mai
Valley, and this may be the extent of its range in that country.
This was one of the most common laughing thrushes in the Ham
District forests. They were found in groups of from ten to twenty,
moving through tangles of bushes and vines or on the ground. At
one place they were eating something from low shrubs. They fre-
quented a place just above our camp above huge boulders overgrown
with vines and thorns.
Garrulax erythrocephalus nigrimentum (Gates). Redheaded
Laughing Thrush.
East No. 2, above Bigu, 8000 feet: 1 d\ 1 9 ; November 26 and
27, 1960.
East No. 2, Jiri, 4 miles west of Those, 6200 feet and 7000 feet:
2 9 ; November 10, 1960.
East No. 2, Jiri, 7 miles north of Those, 7800 feet and 8000 feet:
1 d" , 1 9 ; November 19 and 21, 1960.
Mai Pokhari, Ham District: 1 d"; March 2, 1961.
7 miles north of Ham, Ilam District, 7000 feet: IcT; March 3,
1961.
5 miles northeast of Jamnagaon, Ilam District, 7500 feet: 1 9 ;
March 12, 1961.
536 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 35
The three specimens from Ham district have been compared to
a good series of nigrimentum from Sikkim and are typical of that race.
The birds from East No. 2 are intermediate between nigrimentum
and kali of central Nepal, combining the gray crown of the former
with the pale underparts of the latter. The cline of increasing satura-
tion of the color of the underparts from west to east seems to operate
independently of the change in color of the crown; the intermediate
population is little or no darker on the underparts than are the red-
headed birds from the valley. There appears, however, to be no
intergradation in crown color, all specimens from East No. 2 having
as much gray on the crown as typical nigrimentum.
A common species throughout Nepal, this bird prefers the more
open places dotted with clusters of bushes. It bounces over the
ground, then digs under dry leaves. It has two or three songs, one
of which is "pearl-lee" given three or four times at an interval of a
few seconds. In Kathmandu Valley it nests at about 8,000 feet and
comes down to the foot of the surrounding hills at about 5,000 feet
when the weather is cold.
*Myzornis pyrrhoura Blyth. Firetailed Myzornis.
5 miles east of Jamnagaon, Ham District, 7000 feet: 1 d" ; March 7,
1961.
Mrs. Proud (1961, p. 804) reports seeing a pair feeding their young
on the Gandak-Kosi watershed at 12,000 feet in May; however, the
species is only common in far eastern Nepal.
We ran across the myzornis in East No. 2, about 70 miles ENE
of Kathmandu. It was above a rill of water at the edge of a forest
at about 8000 feet altitude. It wasn't until we reached Ham dis-
trict that we found it to be common. Here we found them between
7000 and 9000 feet in heavy jungle, bamboo thickets and on top of
bushes on sunny hillsides. The first one we observed appeared to
be drinking sap from an oak tree. Another was on the lower branch
of a large oak tree in a forest. Still another bird was teetering
from side to side on the top of a barberry bush and looked much like
a sunbird. The species was solitary most of the time but was found
also in company with warblers and sunbirds. It had a peculiar high-
pitched note that, when once identified, made it quite easy to locate.
*Pteruthius rufiventer Blyth. Rufousbellied Shrike-babbler.
East No. 2, Jiri, 7 miles north of Those, 8200 feet: 1
