80 CJBATEROPOD1DJE.

March until July. The nest is placed in a cinnamon-bush, shri
or bramble, at about four feet from the ground, and is a compa<
cup-shaped structure, usually fixed in a fork and made of sfcc
grasses and plant-stalks and lined with fine grass, which, in soi
instances I have observed, was plucked green. The interi
measures 2| inches in depth by about 3 in width. The eggs a
two or three in number, small for the size of the bird, glossy
texture, and of a uniform opaque greenish blue. They ineasu
from 0-91 to 1-0 in length, by 0-7 to 0'74 in breadth."

113. Crateropus somervillii (Sykes). The Rufous-tailed
Babbler.

Malacocercus somervillei (Sykes), Jerd. B. Ind, ii, p. 63; Rw>
Xouc/h Umft N. 4- JS. no. 435.

Of the nidificatiou of the B/ufous-tailed Babbler (which, so :
as I yet know, is confined to the narrow strip of country lyi
beneath the Grhats for about 60 miles north and south of Bomb;
and to the hills or ghats overlooking this), all I yet know is cc
tained in the following brief note by Mr. E. Aitken ; he says:—

" I once found a nest of the Rufous-tailed Babbler at Ivhandal
I cannot tell the level precisely, but it cannot have been far fr<
2000 feet above the sea. It was at the end of May or the vc
beginning of June. The nest was in a small spreading tree
level, open forest country. The situation was just such a one
A. malcolmi generally chooses—the end of a horizontal bran
with no other branches underneath it; but it was not so high
those of A. malcolmi usually are, for I could reach it from 1
ground. The nest was rather flat and contained three eggs, alm<
hatched, of an intense greenish-blue colour.

"In Bombay, where it is far more common, I once, on 1
1st October, saw a pair followed by one young one and a you
CoGcystes melanoleucus. This was on a hill, and indeed these bi]
seem to confine themselves pretty much to hilly ground."

Mr. Benjamin Aitken writes :—" With reference to your rein*
that, as far as you know, the E,ufons-tailed Babbler is confir.
to the strip of country beneath the Ghats, I can certainly say tl
they are plentiful on the slopes of Poorundhur hill, eights
miles south of Poona. It would be interesting to learn on wh
other of the Deccan hills it is found. This species is decidedly fc
of hilly country. It is common on the two ranges of low hills t.
run along the east and west shores of the island of Bombay, 1
never shows a feather in the gardens and groves on the le
ground. I spent the greater part of two days, when I could
spare the time, in searching for the nests, but the birds breed
the date-trees, and it would be hopeless to think of finding a n
without cutting away rnany~bŁ the branches or fronds. Moreo^
the bird is extremely wary, and it is by no means easy to gu
on which particular tree it has its nest/'