<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 A000000 02/28/97
000 C000000 0000810943
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 A
001 A000000 PUTNAM HIGH INCOME CONVERTIBLE AND BOND FUND
001 B000000 811-5133
001 C000000 6172921562
002 A000000 ONE POST OFFICE SQUARE
002 B000000 BOSTON
002 C000000 MA
002 D010000 02109
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
007 C010200 2
007 C010300 3
007 C010400 4
007 C010500 5
007 C010600 6
007 C010700 7
007 C010800 8
007 C010900 9
007 C011000 10
008 A000001 PUTNAM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC.
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-7974
008 D010001 BOSTON
008 D020001 MA
008 D030001 02109
011 A000001 PUTNAM MUTURAL FUNDS CORP.
011 B000001 8-5088
011 C010001 BOSTON
011 C020001 MA
011 C030001 02109
012 A000001 PUTNAM INVESTOR SERVICES
012 B000001 84-401299
012 C010001 BOSTON
012 C020001 MA
012 C030001 02109
013 A000001 PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
013 B010001 BOSTON
013 B020001 MA
<PAGE> PAGE 2
013 B030001 02110
015 A000001 PUTNAM FIDUCIARY TRUST CO.
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 BOSTON
015 C020001 MA
015 C030001 02109
015 E010001 X
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 98
019 C000000 PUTNAMFUND
020 A000001 WARBURG (S.G.) & CO., INC.
020 B000001 13-3340045
020 C000001 5
020 A000002 PAINEWEBBEER INC.
020 B000002 13-2638166
020 C000002 4
020 A000003 PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INC.
020 B000003 22-2347336
020 C000003 2
020 A000004 LEHMAN BROTHERS
020 B000004 13-2518466
020 C000004 1
020 C000005 0
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 11
022 A000001 LEHMAN BROTHERS
022 B000001 13-2518466
022 C000001 136181
022 D000001 1477
022 A000002 MORGAN (J.P.) SECURITIES INC.
022 B000002 13-3224016
022 C000002 129596
022 D000002 102
022 A000003 UBS SECURITIES
022 B000003 13-2932996
022 C000003 65461
022 D000003 292
022 A000004 MORGAN STANLEY INC.
022 B000004 13-2655998
022 C000004 56194
022 D000004 1258
022 A000005 WARBURG (S.G.) & CO., INC.
022 B000005 13-3340045
022 C000005 40103
022 D000005 0
022 A000006 GOLDMAN SACHS & CO.
<PAGE> PAGE 3
022 B000006 13-5108880
022 C000006 15496
022 D000006 2376
022 A000007 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH, INC.
022 B000007 13-5674085
022 C000007 11943
022 D000007 1387
022 A000008 DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE SECURITIES CORP.
022 B000008 13-2741729
022 C000008 4923
022 D000008 3587
022 A000009 SALOMON BROTHERS INC.
022 B000009 13-3082694
022 C000009 3238
022 D000009 2074
022 A000010 MCMAHAN & CO.
022 B000010 13-3041515
022 C000010 1003
022 D000010 2770
023 C000000 476965
023 D000000 22762
024 000000 N
025 D000001 0
025 D000002 0
025 D000003 0
025 D000004 0
025 D000005 0
025 D000006 0
025 D000007 0
025 D000008 0
026 A000000 Y
026 B000000 Y
026 C000000 Y
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 Y
026 G020000 Y
026 H000000 N
027 000000 N
028 A010000 0
028 A020000 0
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 0
028 B010000 0
028 B020000 0
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 0
028 C010000 0
028 C020000 0
028 C030000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 4
028 C040000 0
028 D010000 0
028 D020000 0
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 0
028 E010000 0
028 E020000 0
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 0
028 F010000 0
028 F020000 0
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 0
028 G010000 0
028 G020000 0
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 0
028 H000000 0
030 A000000 0
030 B000000 0.00
030 C000000 0.00
031 A000000 0
031 B000000 0
032 000000 0
033 000000 0
035 000000 0
036 B000000 0
038 000000 0
042 A000000 0
042 B000000 0
042 C000000 0
042 D000000 0
042 E000000 0
042 F000000 0
042 G000000 0
042 H000000 0
043 000000 0
044 000000 0
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.000
048 A010000 500000
048 A020000 0.750
048 B010000 500000
048 B020000 0.650
048 C010000 500000
048 C020000 0.600
048 D010000 0
048 D020000 0.000
048 E010000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 5
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 1500000
048 K020000 0.550
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 Y
054 C000000 Y
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 N
054 H000000 N
054 I000000 N
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 Y
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
054 O000000 Y
055 A000000 N
055 B000000 N
056 000000 N
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 Y
060 B000000 Y
061 000000 1000
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 2.8
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
<PAGE> PAGE 6
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 86.7
062 Q000000 0.0
062 R000000 11.2
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 6.8
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 Y
065 000000 N
066 A000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 Y
070 B010000 Y
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 N
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 Y
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 N
070 F010000 Y
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 Y
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 N
070 K010000 Y
070 K020000 N
070 L010000 Y
070 L020000 Y
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 N
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 N
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 7
070 Q010000 Y
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 Y
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 32354
071 B000000 32172
071 C000000 123691
071 D000000 26
072 A000000 6
072 B000000 5725
072 C000000 557
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 481
072 G000000 4
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 38
072 J000000 29
072 K000000 10
072 L000000 4
072 M000000 13
072 N000000 12
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 0
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 17
072 S000000 10
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 1
072 X000000 619
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 5663
072AA000000 2251
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 4876
072CC020000 0
072DD010000 5667
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 798
073 A010000 0.4300
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0600
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 10
074 B000000 3779
074 C000000 0
074 D000000 115145
074 E000000 10874
074 F000000 1948
<PAGE> PAGE 8
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
074 J000000 778
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 2427
074 M000000 0
074 N000000 134961
074 O000000 951
074 P000000 279
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 989
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 132742
074 U010000 13329
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 9.96
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 2752
074 Y000000 0
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 16162556
076 000000 10.50
077 A000000 N
080 A000000 FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY
080 B000000 NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
080 C000000 50000
081 A000000 Y
081 B000000 97
082 A000000 N
082 B000000 0
083 A000000 N
083 B000000 0
084 A000000 N
084 B000000 0
085 A000000 Y
085 B000000 N
086 A010000 56948
086 A020000 554459
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 523
086 E020000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 9
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
087 A010000 COMMON STOCK
087 A020000 7467798107
087 A030000 PCF/PTMHUI
088 A000000 Y
088 B000000 N
088 C000000 N
088 D000000 Y
SIGNATURE PAUL BUCUVALAS
TITLE VICE PRESIDENT
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Financial Data Scehdule for Putnam High Income Convertible and Bond Fund
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 1
<NAME> CLASS A
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> OTHER
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> AUG-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> FEB-28-1997
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 124,559,320
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 131,746,713
<RECEIVABLES> 3,205,133
<ASSETS-OTHER> 9,823
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 134,961,669
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 950,619
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 1,268,624
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 2,219,243
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 124,274,024
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 13,329,190
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 13,272,242
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 485,992
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 795,017
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 7,187,393
<NET-ASSETS> 132,742,426
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 557,359
<INTEREST-INCOME> 5,724,953
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 619,430
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 5,662,882
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 2,250,745
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 4,876,366
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 12,789,993
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (5,667,332)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (798,322)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> 0
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 56,948
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 6,878,798
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 490,442
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> (657,406)
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 481,369
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 645,284
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 129,300,445
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 9.48
<PER-SHARE-NII> .43
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> .54
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.43)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (.06)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 9.96
<EXPENSE-RATIO> .50
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
