Th Me Me a te iS, NUN tae hed CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY AT SAPSUCKER WOODS Illustration of Snowy Owl by Louis Agassiz Fuertes mii Cornell University The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924090251681 sors aan % “weIQQgeg wessy eu, ‘WNLONS! ‘| WN3NYO113d “20a IldSILNOUSs “POA “‘saulg THE FAUNA OF BRITISH INDIA, INCLUDING pot AW CEYLON AND BURMA. i PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF “Stare ror Inpia 1n Councit. ih EDITED BY SIR ARTHUR E. SHIPLEY, G.B.E., M.A., Sc.D.Cantab., HON. D.Sc. Princeton,HON. LL.D. Michigan, F.R.S. BIRDS.—VOL. L (Secon Eprrion.) BY E. C. STUART BAKER, O.B.E.,, F.Z.S., Erc.. LONDON: TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. CALCUTTA: | BOMBAY: THACKER, SPINK, & CO. | THACKER & CO., LIMITED. July, 1922, ORNATE go * (04 | mae Ol 14z/Z Reprinted by : Today & Tomorrow's Printers & Publishers, Faridabad. PREFACE. Tue first volame by Mr. Oates on the Birds of British India was published in 1889 under the editorship of Dr. W. T. Blanford and it was then estimated that in this and the three succeeding volumes the number of species dealt with would exceed those enumerated in Jerdon’s elassieal ‘‘ Birds of India” by more than one half. Mr. Oates had been able to come to England on furlough and was thus able to utilize the collection of Indian birds in the British Museum, which included amongst other large collections Mr. Hume’s collection of 60,000 skins. The second of the volumes written by Mr. Oates appeared the following year but as he was unable to obtaiii an extension of his two years’ furlough he had to be content with issuing a somewhat smaller volume than usual. Still, he succeeded in covering the whole of the Passerine birds, the largest and most difficult of all the great orders. The two remaining volumes on Birds were written by Dr. W. T. Blanford and published respectively in 1895 and 1898. These volumes on Birds have been for many years out of print, und there has been a constant demand for a re-issue of them. It is therefore with great pleasure that with the sanction of the authorities of the India Office I have been able to secure the services of Mr. B.C. Stuart Baker in preparing this much needed new edition. a2 iv PREFACE, Dr. Blanford died in 1905. For twenty-seven years he had been a member of the Indian Geological Society and had acquired a wide and deep knowledge of the geology of that great Empire. But he was a man of the utmost width of scientific iuterest. During his many journeys ho kept a keen eye on the fauna of British India and it was this first- hand knowledge that enabled him so successfully to complete the great work begun by Mr. Oates. Dr. Blanford was an indefatigable worker and everything that he wrote was of the highest order of merit, marked by thoroughness and accuracy. = Mr. Oates survived his editor by six years. He had spent thirty-two years in the Public Works Department of India and had devoted all his spare time to the ornithology of British India. He was chiefly stationed in Burma and was undoubtedly the world’s authority on the birds of that country. His “ Birds of British Burma ” in two volumes is still a standard work, though it has perhaps been to some extent replaced by his later work in “The Fauna of British Tndia.” He is described by those who knew him as being a lovable but at times hot-tempered man ; but officials who have spent a large part of their lives in the tropics are apt to be a little hot-tempered. The fact that Mr. A. O. Hume made over to Oates the whole of his notes and correspondence when the latter was preparing his work on “The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds” testifies to the high regard he inspired in his contemporaries. On his retirement. he was requested by the Trustees of the British Museum to catalogue their large collection of British eggs, and he prepared a manuscript of four volumes, covering about 50,000 specimens. The first two volumes of this catalogue were issued during his lifetime. Both he and Dr. Blanford are splendid examples of men carrying on thorough scientifie work in the rare and sporadic intervals of exacting, official duties. PREFACE, v Those who are responsible for issuing these volumes may well congratulate themselves on having secured the services of Mr, E. C. Stuart Baker. Mr. Baker is well known to all those in India who take an interest in ornithology and big game shooting. He is equally known to Ornithologists all over the world as a regular contributor for more than thirty years to the “Ibis” and ‘“ Bombay Natural History Society's Journal.” His volumes on Indian Game Birds are standard works and all who read these pages will recog- nise in his vivid descriptions of the habits and song of bir-Is the work of a first-hand authority. The author has produced a work which combines the highest scientific standard with a system which readily enables the sportsman or amateur to identify the various birds of British India. He has himself drawn attention to the imperative need of the trinominal system of nomen- clature and he has modernised the generic and specific names in accordance with the rules of the International Congress. In some cases it will be noticed that there is no name following the words “vernacular names.” In these cases none have been recorded, but it is hoped that sportsmen and naturalists in India, may in time be able to fill up these blanks. The extremely accurate and living drawings for the plates are the work of the author. They have been admirably reproduced by Messrs. Bale & Danielsson. 7th July, 1922. A. E. SHIPLEY. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. ; Page Order T. PASSERES .............- 10 TL. Family CORVID HE .. 2... eee eee ene 18 1. Genus Corvus Linn..... 2.00020 ee eee 20 D- COra Line foals sai wep Ge Hal ghe Ths sune oid Babee 21 1. corax laurencei (Hume) ....-......006 21 2. corax tibetanus (Hodgs.)...-......+.-. 23 3. corax ruficollis (Lesson) ..........-..- 23 2, corone Winties.c.oc6se.e aie dean iacioieeee 24 4. corone orientalis (Zversm.) .........+5- 24 8. coronoides Gould 2.0... 0.0.0... eee eee 25 5. coronoides levaillanti (Less.) .......-... 27 6. coronoides culminatus (Sykes)......-...: 28 7. coronoides intermedius (Adams).....-... 28 8. coronoides andamanensis (Tytler) ...... 29 4, frugilegus Linn, 2... 0... ee eee 30 9. frugilegus techusii //artert .. ..-.....- 30 5. Corns Lani. .5 ci ac meee os weg ee RE RE EE ES, 32 10. cornix sharpii (Oates) .........-..---- 32 6. splendens Viel. 2.26 ice ia ccc ce sees awenes 32 11. splendens splendens ( Vieill.) ........-+ 33 12. splendens zugmayeri (Laubm.) ....-... 34 13. splendens isdlens (Hume) ........-... 34 14, splendens protegatus Madar. ......,... 35 7. monedula Linn, 2. 2... eee cee eee 36 15. monedula seemmeringii (Fischer)........ 36 2. Genus Pica Brisson ........0. 00 eee eee ee 37 Spee (Lin) wscccs ae ae inane Bs ealacs salen aie See 38 16. pica bactriana Bonap. ......-......4+- 38 17. pica serica (Gould) ...........-.2.... 39 18. pica bottanensis (Delessert) ........-.-- 39 8. Genus Urocissa Cabanis ...........6 0c eee ee ee 40 9. melanocephala (Lath.)...... 0.0.20... ee ee ee 40 19. melanocephala melanocephala (Zath.).... 41 20. melanocephala occipitalis (Blyth) ...... 41 21. melanocephala magnirostris (Blyth) .... 42 10. flavirostris (Blyth) ........... 020 c eee eee eee 43 22. flavirostris flavirostris (Blyth)...-....-. 43 23. flavirostris cucullata (Gould) ..-...-..- 44 viii SYSTEMATIC INDEX. I, Family Corvin & (cont.). Page 4. Genus Cissa Bote 0.0... cee etree 45 11. chinensis (Bodd.) .......6.0505-.000-5- es 45 24. chinensis chinensis (Boa. Niisie eenttenuees .. 48 12. ornata (Wagler) 0.0 6... ee ee eee ee 46 5. Genus Dendrocitta Pi? Meats eeenasmees 47 13. rufa (Latham) .. 0.0.0.0 eee eens ree. 48 25. rufa rufa (Latham) 2.0... 00.0 eevee eee 48 26. rufa vagabunda (Latham) .........-6- 50 27. rufa sclateri, subsp. nov. ..........-06- 50 28. rufa kinneari, subsp. nov. ..........-- 51 29. rufa saturatior (Z'icehurst) ..........66 51 14. leucogastra Gould 22... 62 ce cee ees 51 1d. sinensis (Lath: )iec nc: c esau nee angerte ees 52 30. sinensis himalayensis (Blyth) .......... 52 31. sinensis assimilis ({7ume)............-. 53 16. frontalis AfeClell. 2.00.0 ee ee tees 54 17. bayleyi Tytler... 1.6.0... eee a fle ane eostenaie, BRS 55 6. Genus Crypsirhina Fieill. «2.0.0.2 eee ees 56 18. varians (Latham)... 2.0 oo cece ee eee 56 19. cuecullata Jerdon 12.0... 2 cee eee eee 57 7. Genus Platysmurus Jewh., 2.2.00 61. ee eee 58 20. leucopterus (Temm.).. 0.00.0. c eee eee eee 58 8. Genus Garrulus Briss... 0.00 eee 59 241. lanceolatus Figors ..........0.- 0 cee eee eee 60 22. leucotis Hume: ovis eave wae by tk eR em . 61 32. leucotis leucotis ( Hume) .. 0.0.2. 02005 . 61 33. leucotis oatesi (Sharpe) ... .......50. 62 23. bispecularis Vigors ..........- 0. eee ee ee eee 63 34. bispecularis bispecularis (Vigors) ...... 63 35. bispecularis interstinctus Hartert ...... 64 36. bispecularis persaturatus Hartert ...... 65 37. bispecularis haringtoni (Rippon) ...... 65 9, Genus Nucifraga Briss, ...........-.-000- consists 66 24, caryocatactes Linn. 2.0... ee cece ee 66 38. caryocatactes hemispila (Vigors)........ 66 25. multipunctata Gould 1.0.0... 0.6 eee ee eee 67 10. Genus Pyrrhocorax Vieill. ............ 00. eee ee 68 26. pyrrhocorax (Linn.).... 0.0... ee eee eee 68 27. graculus (Linn.) 2... 2.02 ce eee 70 11. Genus Podoces Fischer.........0 2.0. e eee eee 71 28. humilis ume 2. 1... eee eee eee 71 DE, Mamatly Pa SQ eats teeta duends ehactow nd aneurearadaleneara ach 7 12. Gents Parus Linn. 2065 acne he oe pes ae 73 29. major Diiis sxsice e cs. sack wade Rae Maes aoe ace Te 39. major cinereus (Vieill.) ...........4.. 74 40. major intermedius (Sarudny) .......... 76 41. major kaschmiriensis Hartert .......... 0 7 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. It, Family Pariv# (cont.). 12, Genus Parus (cont.). 42, major planorum /fartert 2... 0.04.60 0 5: 43, major mahrattarum /artert .... 0.6.24 44. major tibetanus //artert 2.0.0... 0.005. 45. major commixtus (Swinhoe).........6-- 30. nuchalis Jerdon 2. ee ee 31. monticolus Viyors 2... 0... ee eee 46. monticolus monticolus (Vigors) ........ SQ evans POUGS sccsosen Sow meciamnseed sage Pegs 47. cyauns tianschanicus Menzbier BO PaAlIStTiS Dwi ached ares acaid tare es ima kad eRaodse 48. palustris korejewi (Zarud. §° //drms) .... 49, palustris poecilopsis (Sharpe) . 2.0.2... 13. Genus Lophophanes Aan .............. ‘ 34. melanolophus (Figors). . 2. ee Bd. ater (Lt) ccc waren anwees ge he eae 50. ater emodins (MHodgs.)....... 02. c eee 86. rubidiventris (Blyth)... 0.00. ee ee 37. rufonuchalis (flyth). 00. .6 00.000 eee 51. rufonuchalis rufonuchalis (Biyeh) ge dass 52. rufonuchalis beavani (Blyth) ....... ae 38. dichrous (Lfodys.) 600. ees cent eee 53. dichrons dichrous (Hodgs.) ..........+. 54. dichrons wellsi Stuart Baker .. ...... 14. Genus Sylviparus Burton...... 0.0.0 fe eee 89, modestus Burton ...... 0.0.02 ee eee 55. modestus modestus (Burton) .......... 56. modestus simlaensis Stuart Baker ...... 57. modestus saturatior (Ztippon) .......... 15. Genus Machlolophus Cabanis ...........0.. 00000 40. spilonotus (Blyth) 2.02.0... ee ce eee 58. spilonotus spilonotus (Blyth) acct pases 59. spilonotus subviridis (Lickel) .......... _ 4. xanthogenys (Vigors) .... 2.1.62 eee eee 60. xanthogenys xanthogenys (Vigors)...... €1. xanthogenys aplonotus (Blyth) ........ 16. Genus Aigithaliscus Cabants .. 0.006.002. eee 42. concinmus Gould 2.0.0.0 oe eee 62. concinnus iredalei Stuart Baker . ...... 63. concinnus munipurensis (//ume)........ 64. concinnus pulchellus (Rippon).......... 65. coucinnus talifuens's (Rippon) +3. bonvaloti Oustalet.. 0.0.00 eee 66. bonvaloti bonvaloti (Oustalet) ...... aut 67. bonvaloti sharpei (Rippon) ..........-. 44, leucogenys (Moore) 1.0.2... ce eee 45. niveogularis (Moore) 2... 2.66. ee ee 46. ioschistus (Hodys.) ix x SYSTEMATIC INDEX, Il. Family Pa rip & (cont.). Page 17. Genus Remiz Stein... 0. es 100 47, coronatus (Severtz.) 2.0.0... 100 . Genus Melanochlora Lesson............0 cee ee eee 101 48. sultanea (Hodgs.)...... 0... cc gee eee ene 101 68. sultanea sultanea (Hodys.) ......--+++* 101. 69. sultanea flavocristata (Lafres.) ...-+- ++ 102 Ill. Family PaRaDOXORNITHID®E .........eee eee 103 19. Genus Conostoma Hodgs. ....... 2.4... e eee e eee 103 49, wmodium Hodys. ........... auigaacosnieiG toe CaS 104 20. Genus Paradoxornis Gould ..............000. ... 105 50. flavirostris Gould .........2.0 0.00 ce renee 105 51. guttaticollis Vavid ..... clones Meibagnpareatms 106 21. Genus Suthora ee ivirkeask wae eee some me anes 107 52. unicolor (Hodgs.)......0..0 . eee ee eee eee ,. 108 53. nepalensis Hodgs.........6. 000 c ee cece ees 109 54, poliotis Blyth ............ sbarcniepas “weavieaiac xo LOD 70. poliotis poliotis (Blyth) bed gibi uaa tbunceenasact 109 71. poliotis humii (Sharpe)...... ee 110 72. paliotis fese (Salvaclori) arohsveue ractad fmm 111 73. poliotis ripponi (Sharpe) .........0000- 111 55. gulanis (orsf:).. 2.00.0 es es caer aes aee canes 111 74. gularis craddocki (Bingham) .......... 111 56. webbiana Slater 2.0... .-. cee cee eee ees 112 75. webbiana brunnea (Anderson).......... 112 BT falvitroiis Hod Geico yoga siecle nage wees areas 113 76. fulvifrons fulvifrons (dfodgs.) «0.2.2... 113 58. ruficeps (Blyth) 2.0.0... ce ee eee es 114 77. ruficeps ruficeps (Blyth) ..........0065 114 78. ruficeps atrosuperciliaris Godw.-Aust..... 114 22. Genus Neosuthora Hellmayr .... 0.0.0.0 e cece wees 115 59. davidiana (Gray)... 60 kee eee 115 79. davidiana thompsoni (Bingham) ........ 115 23. Genus Psittiparus Hellmayr «2.000.666 cee ee 116 60. ruficeps (Blyth) .......0.. 0 cence eee 116 80. ruficeps ruficeps (Blyth) ............-- “116 81. ruficeps bakeri (Hartert) .............. 117 61. gularis (Gray)... . eee eee i panded 118 82. gularis gularis (Gray) .............4.. 118 83. gularis transfluvialis (Hartert) ........ 118 LV 5 Kamily S10 PiD a ew vosk aes aaa gn aR hog BRS 120 24. Genus Sitta Linn. 2.0.06. ee eee 121 62. himalayensis Jard. § Selby... 0.06... 0.00005 122 63, victories Rippon ..... 2... eee ve eee 123 64. castaneiventris Frank...........0 cece ee eee 123 84. castaneiventris castaneiventris (Frank.) .. 123 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. xi IV, Family Srrrip # (cont.). 24. Genus Sitta (cont.). Page 85. castaneiveutris cinnamoventris (Blyth) .. 125 86. castaneiventris neglecta ( Wald.)........ 126 65. europwa Linn. 2.2... cee ee 127 87. europea nagaensis (Godw.-Aust.) ...... 127 66. kashmiriensis Brooks ..........-. 00000 e eee 128 67. magna Wardl.-Ramsay ........ 0.6.0 eee ee 123 68. neumayer Michahelles .......... 00.0 c cee 129 88. neumayer tephronota (Sharpe) ........ 129 69. leucopsis Gould... ..... 00062 ee eee 130 89. leucopsis leucopsis (Gould) ..... ...... 180 70. formosa Blyth ........ 0.666 cece eee eee 131 71. frontalis Horsf... 2... cc ce cee eens 122 90. frontalis frontalis (Horsf.) ........-..- 132 ¥. Family Tee a Gite D wR oc duc deed awere tena nsaeness 134 Subfamily TrmanlIn a 2.0.0... eee eee ee 1386 25. Genus Dryonastes Sharpe .........-. 0 cece eeee ee 138 72. ruficollis (Jard. & Selby)... 0.6... 00. cee ee 139 73. nuchalis (Godw. Aust.).. ...... 0... ce ee » . 140 74, chinensis (Scop.) .......... 0.6.50. veces eee 141 91. chinensis leucogenys (Blyth) .......... 141 75. cverulatus (Hodgs.) ....... 0. cee eee eee ee 141 92. cerulatus cerulatus (Hodgs.) ......... 141 93. exrulatus subcerulatus (Hume) ........ 142 94. cerulatus kaurensis (Rippon).......... 143 76. sannio (Swinh.) 0.0.0.2... cece ee ce eee 144 77. galbanus (Godw.-Aust.) . 2.0.0... cece ce ae 145 26. Genus Garrulax Lesson .. 1.2... eee ee 145 78. leucolophus (Hardw.) ........0..0 2c cee eee 146 95. leucolophus leucolophus (Hardw.) ...... 146 96. leucolophus belangeri (Less.) .......... 148 97. leucolophus diardi (Less.).............. 148 79. delesserti (Jerd.) 20.00.0000 60 ce cece eee 149 sO. pectoralis (Gould) 2... 0... cece eee 150 98. pectoralis pectoralis (Gould) ...... ... 150 99. pectoralis semitorquata (Ogilvie-Grant) .. 151 81. moniliger (Hodgs.) 2.20.06. eee eee ees 151 100. moniliger moniliger (Hodgs.) .......... 151 101. momiliger fuscata Stuart Baker ........ 152 82. gularis (McClell.) 0... cee ces 152 83. albogularis (Gould) .. 2.2... eee 153 102. albogularis albogularis (Gould) ........ 153 103, albogularis whistleri Stuart Baker ...... 154 84. strepitans Blyth ..... 2.0.0... fee eee 154 27. Genus Ianthocincla Gould .......... 0.0002. 0000- 155 85, ocellata (Vigors):) osc cee.45sceis aeesineens 155 104. ocellata ocellata (Vigors).............. 155 xli SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family Tim aLrip ai (cont.). 27. Geuus Lanthocincla (cont.). Page 86. cineracea (Godw.-Aust.) 00.6... ccc ee eee 156 105. cineracea cineracea (Godw.-Aust.) ...-+- 156 106. cineracea styani (Oustalet) .....-..+645 157 87. rufogularis Gould 2.0.2... ee 158 107. rufogularis rufogularis (Gould) ........ 158 108. rufogularis assamensis Hurtert .-.....- 159 109. rufogularis occidentalis Hartert ........ 159 88. austeni (Godw.-Aust.) 2.0... cee eee 160 110. austeni austeni (Godw.-Aust.) ..... ...- 160 11]. austeni victoris (Ltippon) ........6-0. 161 28. Genus Trochalopterum /odgs. 2.0.6... eee .- 161 89. crythrocephalum (Vigors) .... ....2-- 162 112. erythrocephalum cr ythrocephalum( Vigors) 163 113. erythrocephalum erythrolema (Hume) .. 164. 114. erythrocephalum nigrimentum (Qutes) .. 164 115. erythrocephalum godwini //arington .... 165 116. erythrocephalum woodi Stuart Baker .... 166 117. erythrocephalum chrysopterum (Gould) .. 166 118. erythrocephalum melanostigma (Blyth) .. 167 119. erythrocephalum ramsayi (Ogilvie Grant) 168 90. phoeniceum (Gould) 00... epee eee 168 120. pheeniceum pheeniceum (Gould) . Sairgadhian ie 168 121. phoeniceem bakeri Hartert ............ 169 122. phoeniccum ripponi (Oates) ............ 170 OL. milnet Davids consis cesavcsyesstanwns sone 170 123. milnei sharpei (Rippon) .............. 170 92. subunicolor (Hodgs.)........ 0.00 cece cee es 171 124. subunicolor subunicolor (Hodgs.) ...... 171 93. affine (Hodgs.) .... 0... eee 172 125. affine affine (Hodgs.)...... 00.2... 05000. 172 94, varigatum (Vigors) ............. eu aici cee 173 126. variegatum variegatum ( Vigors)........ 173 127. variegatum simile (Hume) ............ 174 95. squamatum (Gould). 6... eee ee 174 96. cachinnans Jerd. ...... 0... eee eee es 176 128. cachinnans cinnamomeum Davison ...... 177 OF. Jordon (BI) veicvex ae sea- sant eee tessa 177 129. dovdont jerdoni (Blyth).... ..... evan LET 180. jerdoni fairbanki (Blanf. 3 Sepa toln Awacueertts 178 131. jerdoni meridionale (Blanf.) ...... .. 178 98. virgatum Godw.-Aust. 0.0.0... - 0c cece ce eae 179 99. lineatum (Vigors).......0.0. 00000 ce eee .... 180 132. lineatum lineatum (Vigors)............ 180 133. lineatum griseicentior (Hartert) . ewes, LOL 134. lineatum gilgit (Hartert) .............. 182 135, lineatum ziaratensis (Ticehurst) ........ 182 136, lineatum imbricatum (Blyth) .......... 183 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family Timatrip # (cont.). xiii 28. Genus Trochalopterum (cont.). Page 100, henrici Oustalet 2.0.00 ee ee 183 29. Genus Grammatoptila Reichend. 2.0.6... eee 184 101. striata (Vigurs) Ba ERR ROSEN ceca fast hi ay ara 184 137. striata striatu (Vigors)..........0.e eae 184. 138. striata austeni (Outes) .......-...0.. 185 30. Genus Stactocicha Sharpe 2... 0.6... ce eee 186 102. merulina (Blyth) is Mere e rade euees 186 139. werulina merulina (Blyth) oo. 60... 186 31. Genus Babax David... ee eee 187 103, lanecolatus (Verr.) . iy een On 140. lanceolatus lanceolatus (Ver. a: Legato ty ebaatere 187 141. Jencaalates victorie (Jtippon) ........-. 188 104. waddelli Dresser... 0.02.00. eee eee ee 189 32. Genus Turdoides Cr Aeccloner stintiptaaite goueede tei paetace 190 105. terricolor (Hodgs.) .. 0... cee eee 191 142. terricolor terricolor (Zodgs.) .......... 191 143. terricolor malabaricus (Jerd.) .......... 192 144. terricolor sindianus Zicehurst .......... 193 106, griseus (Gmel.). cw ens ei ggeges eke wees neat 193 145. griseus griseus (G'mel.)...........0..... 193 146. griseus striatus (Swains.)............0. 194 107. somervillei (Sykes) 20.00... cece eee ee 194 108. rufescens (Blyth) 2.0... 00 060 eee eee 195 109. cinereifrons (Blyth)... 00... ee eee 196 33. Genus Argya Lesson. . é, ” Mpligchins wane. gated 196 L1On earl (BUR) seed onthe eee Bene Ba 197 Lil. caudata (Dumont)...... 0.00 c eee 198 147. caudata caudata (Dumont) ............ 198 148. caudata huttoni( Blyth) .............. 199 112, gularis (Blyth) .... 0.0... cee ce eee 199 113. malcolmi (Syles) .. 0.06.0. eee eee 200 114. subrufa (Jerdof) .. 0.0.50. cee cece ee cuee 201 118. longirostris (Hodgs.) 6... 00 162. ee eee eee 202 34, Genus Acanthoptila Blyth ..........0. 0.0002 eee 203 116. nipalensis (Hodgs.) ....0... 0... 0c eee eee 204 35. Genus Pomatorhinus Horsf. ........ 22... ee eee 205 117. schisticeps Hodgs..........0-0 coe eee eee 205 149. schisticeps schisticeps (Wodgs.) ........ 206 150. schisticeps cryptanthus Hartert ........ 207 151. schisticeps mearsi (Ogilvie-Grant) ...... 207 152. schisticeps pinwilli (Sharpe)............ 208 118. nuchalis Z'weeddale ..... 06.6 Le eee 208 119. olivaceus Blyth 209 153. olivaceus olivaceus ( Blyth) . ds Ra Shines 209 154. olivaceus ripponi (Harington) Pseuee nied 210 120. horsfieldi Sykes... 6... ee eee eee 210 155. horsfieldi horsfieldi (Sykes) ............ 210 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family Tim AaLI1p & (cont.). 35. Genus Pomatorhinus (cont.). Page 156. horsfieldi obscurus (Hume) ......---+-+ 211 157. horsfieldi tratancoriensis Harington .... 211 158. horsfieldi melanurus (Blyth) ....-..++- 212 121. ferruginosus Blyth ..........6..0 cee erent 213 159. ferrnginosus ferruginosus (Blyth) ...--- 213 160. ferruginosus phayrei (Biyth) ......--+5 214 161. ferruginosus albigularis (Blyth) .....--- 215 162. ferruginosus marie (Walden).......-.- 215 122. ruficollis Hodys. 2.0.0.0... cece cece eens 216 163. ruficollis ruficollis (Hodys.) .... 0... ..05 216 164. ruficoilis bakeri Harington ............ 217 123. ochraceiceps Walden ...........2 000000 aae 217 165. ochraceiceps ochraceiceps (Wulden)...... 217 166. ochraceiceps austeni (Hume) .......... 218 167. ochraceiceps stenorhynchus (Blyth) . 219 124. erythrogenys Vigors .... 2.6... cece eee eee 219 168. erythrogenys erythrogenys (Vigors) . 220 169. erythrogenys haringtoni (Stuart Baker) 220 170. erythrogenys macclellandi (Jerdon)...... 221 171. erythrogenys gravivox (David) ........ 221 172. erythrogenys imberbis (Salvad.) ........ 222 125. hypoleucus Blyth...) 6.0.6. eee e eee 222 173. hypoleucus hypoleucus (Blyth) ........ 222 174. hypoleucus tickelli (Blyth) ............ 223 36. Genus Xiphiramphus Blyth.... 2.0.0... 02 cee eens 224 126, superciliaris Blyth ........0 0 ccc. eee cece 224 87. Genus Timalia Horsf. 2.0.0... 6. cee ce eee 225 197.. pileata Horsf. 22655 sonny <3 88 ses gu ee ovaries 225 175. pileata bengalensis (Gor/w.-Aust.) ...... 226 176. pileata jerdoni (Walden) .............. 227 38. Genus Dumetia Blyth .......... 000... 228 128. hyperythra (Mrankl.) .......... 0.00. eee ee 228 129. albigularis (Blyth) ................ 200000 229 177. albigularis albigularis (Blyth) .......... 229 178. albigularis abuensis Harington .. ..... 230 39. Genus Gampsorhynchus Blyth............. 0.2... 230 180. rufulus Blyth ©2026... eee eee 231 179. rufulus rufulus (Blyth) ........ 2... 231 180. rufulus torquatus (Hume) ............ 232 40. Genus Pyctorhis Hodgs. ....................08.. 238 131. sinensis (Gmel.) ........ 0.0002 ee eee, 233 181. sinensis sinensis (Gmel.) .............. 233 182. sinensis saturatior Ticehurst .......... 234 183. sinensis nasalis (Legge) .............. 235 132. altirostris (Jerd.) .......00 fee ee eee 235 184. altirostris altirostris (Jerd.)............ 235 188, altirostris griseigularis (Hume) ........ 236 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. xy V. Family Timaxiip& (cont.). 40. Genus Pyctorhis (cont.). Page 186. altirostrie scindicus Harington ........ 257 41. Genus Pellorneum Swainson ..........00 cece eee 237 188. rnficeps Swans, 2.0... 6. ees 238 187. ruficeps ruficeps (Swains.) ............ 238 188. ruficeps subochraceum (Swinh.) ........ 239 189. ruficeps granti Harington.....0.......- 240 190. ruficeps mandellii (Blanf.) ............ 240 191. ruficeps jonesi Stuart Baker .......... 241 192. ruficeps minus (Hume) .............05- 242 184, palustre Jerdon.. 2... eee 242 135. ignotum Hume .... 0.0.0 eee ee 243 193. ignotum ignotum (Hume) ............ 24:3 194. ignotum ciunnamomeum Rippon ........ 244 136. fuscicapillum (Blyth) ...... 0... cece ee eee 245 195. fuscicapillum fuscicapillum (Blyth)...... 245 196. fuscicapillum babaulti (Wells).......... 245 137. nigricapitatum (Zyton).......... 0.0.0.0. e eee 246 138, tickelli (Blyth) .....0. 0.6 cc eee 247 197. tickelli tickelli (Blyth)................ 247 198. tickelli assamensis (Sharpe) . ........ 248 42. Genus Cursonia Skinner ...... 0... c eee eee 248 139. crispifrons (Blyth) © 22 wee eee eee ee 249 43. Genus Turdinulus Hume ..... 00... cece eee 250 140. brevicaudatus ( Blyth) 199. brevicaudatus brevicaudatus (Blyth) .... 251 200. brevicaudatus striatus (Blyth).......... 251 201. brevicaudatus venningi Harington ...... 252 141. roberti (Godw.-Aust.) .... 0... cece cece ee eee 253 202. roberti roberti (Godw.-Aust.) .......... 253 203. roberti guttaticollis (Ogilvie-Grant) .... 254 142. epilepidotus (Ogilvie-Grant)............-..00. 254 204. epilepidotus davisoni (Ogilvie-Grant) .... 254 205. epilepidotus bakeri Hartington .......... 255 44, Genus Rimator Blyth .. 0.0.0.0... cece ee 255 143. malacoptilus Blyth .... 0.00... . cece eee 255 45, Genus Horizillas Oberholser.......... 00.00.00 eee 257 144. magna (Hyton).. 0.00 ce eee eee 257 206. magna magna (Hyton)................ 257 145. magnirostre (Moore).....-....0. 05 cece eee 258 46. Genus Erythrocichla Sharpe ........ Sarbihe. “Baie dias 258 146. bicolor (Less.) .. 0.0.0... 0.62 ee eee eee 258 47. Genus Aithostoma Sharpe .............. 200. eee 259 147. rostrata (Blyth) ........ 0.0. ee eee 250 48. Genus Malacocincla Biittth........... 0.0.02. c eee 260 148. sepiaria (Blyth) .............4. imemeadaa es 260 207. sepiaria abboti (Blyth)................ 260 49. Genus Thringorhina Oates .......... 0... e cena 261 Xvi Ve SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family Timazti11p = (cont.). 49. Genus Thringorhina (cont.). 149. ogiei (Godw.-Aust.) 0... ce eee 150. guttata (Blyth)... 6. nee 50. Genus Stachyris Hodys. .... 2.0.60... eevee ees 151. migricops Modgs. «0... 0.5 eee ee 208. nigriceps nigriceps (Lfodys. 9 Reenter: 2U9. nigriceps coltarti Harington ........ 210. nigriceps davisoni (Sharpe) ........-- 152. chryseta Blyth .2.ccbei ees bee eew name daee 211. chryswa chrysea (Blyth) ........--4. 212. chrysea binghami (Rippon) ........ 213. chryseea assimilis (Walden).......... 214. chrysewa chrysops Jtichmond ........ 51. Genus Stachyridopsis Sharpe ......... 0.000000. 158. ruficeps Blyth 1.02... ccc eee eee 215. ruficeps ruficeps (Blyth) ............ 216. ruficeps bhamoensis Hurington ...... 154. rufifrons (Hiume) cnc. cc scien ea wnwsis ee ces 217. rufifrous rufifrons (ume) .......... 218. rufifrons ambigua Harington ........ 155, pyrrhops (Blyth) ......0 66 ec tee eee 52. Genus Cyanoderma Salvadori... 6. 156. erythroptera (Blyth) ........ 0. cee eee 219. erythroptera erythroptera (Blyth) .... 53. Genus Mixornis f/odgs. ...... 0.06 eee eee eee 157. rubricapilla Zichkell -...... 0.0 ccc eee 220. rubricapilla rubricapilla (Zickell) .... 221. rubricapilla minor (Gyldenstolpe) .... 222, rubricapilla pileata (Blyth) .......... 54. Genus Aleippe Blyth 2.0.0.0... cee eee 158. nepalensis (Hodgs.) .......... 0. cee eee 223. nepalensis nepalensis (Hodgs.) ...... 224, nepalensis fratercula (Jtippon) ...... 159. poioicephala (Jerd.).. 0... 0.02... cece, so 225. poioicephala poioicephala (Jerd.). . 226, poioicephala brucei (Hume).......... 227. poioicephala phayrei (Blyth) ........ 228. poioicephala davisoni (Harington) .... 229. poloicephala haringtonie (Hariert) 230. poioicephala magnirostris ( Walden) 55. Genus Khopocichla Oates ........0.0. cee eee, 160. atriceps (Jerdon) ..... 2.6.22. eee eae. 231. atriceps atriceps (Oates) ............ 232. atriceps bourdilloni (Hume).......... 233. atriceps nigrifrons (Blyth) .......... 56. Genus Scheniparus Hume ........ 0.0000. e eae 161. dubins (2/ume) osc cisca ve reaver ews ees as 234, dubius dubius (Hume) ages te ing ara atreneet Page 262 262 263 264° 264 265 265 265 265 266 267 267 267 268 268 269 269 269 270 271 271 271 271 we G2 272 273 274 274 275 .. Y81 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family TrmaLrip & (cont.). 56. Genus Schoeniparus (cont.). 235. dubius mandelli (Godw.-Aust.) 236. dubins genostieri (Oustalet) 162. rufigularis (Manlellz) 57. Genus Pseudominla Oates 163. cinerea (Blyth)... 2.6... 0 eee 164. castaneiceps ({odgs.) ............0050. 237. castaneiceps castanoiceps (Hodgs.) 238. castaneiceps brunneicauda (Sharpe) 58. Genus Fulvetta David & Oust. 165. vinipecta (Hodgs.) 239, vinipecta vinipecta (Hodgs.) 240. vinipecta austeni (0.-Grant) 241. vinipecta ripponi (Harington) 166. manipurensis (0.-Grant) i oe ee) 168. chrysotis (Hodgs.) 1... ... ccc eee Subfamily SrBIINH oo. ee ee 60. Genus Sibia Hodgson 169. picaoides Hodgs, .............. 0.0000, 243. picaoides picaoides (Hodys.) 61. Genus Leioptila Blyth 244, capistrata capistrata (Vigors) 245. capistrata pallida Hartert 171, gracilis (McClell.).. 0.0... ee cece 172. melanoleuca (Tickell) ................. 246. melanoleuca melanoleuca (T%ckell) 247. melanoleuca radcliffei, ? subsp. nov. 173. castanoptera (Salvadori) ............... 174, annectens (Blyth)....... ‘ 248. annectens annectens (Blyth) 249. annectens saturata (Walden) 250. annectens davisoni (Hume) ....... 175. pulchella (Godw.-Aust.) ........ 0.0004, 251. pulchella pulchella (Godw.- Aust.) . 62. Genus Actinodura Gould................00. 176. egertoni Gould .. 2.0... 0. ee eee eee 252. egertoni egertoni (Gould) ....... 253. egertoni khasiana (Godw.-Aust.).. . 254, egertoni ripponi (0.-Grant)....... 177. ramsayi Walden ..............000 005, 255. ramsayi ramsayi (Walden) ....... 256. ramsayi radeliffei Harington 63. Genus Ixops Hodgs. .............0. eee : 178. nipalensis (Hodgs.) ........0..-...000, 170. capistrata (Vigors) ................04. xviil SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family TIMALIID B (cont.). 63. Genus Ixops (cont.). Page 257. nipalensis nipalensis (Hodgs.)........-. 307 258. nipalensis waldeni (Godw.-Aust.) ...--- 308 259. nipalensis poliotis (Rippon)......-+++-+ 309 260. nipalensis daflaensis (Godw.-Aust.) .... 309 64. Genus Staphidia Swinhoe...... 0.6... ee ees 309 179. castaneiceps (Aloore) ......... cee ee eee 310 180, striata (Blyth)... 0... cece eee tee 311 261. striata striata (Blyth) 00... 06.22 e eee 311 262. striata rufigenis (Hume) ........---+4- 311 65. Genus Siva Hodgs. 1... 02.0 cceee cee eee tees 312 181. strigula Hodgs....... 0... cee cece eee ee nee 313 263. strigula strigula (Hodgs.) ........++05 313 264. strigula castaneicauda (Hume) ........ 314 182. cyanouroptera Hodgs. ...... 60. eee eevee eee 314 2-5, cyanouroptera cyanouroptera: (Hodgs.) .. 314 266. cyanouroptera wingatei (0.-Grant) .... 315 267. cyanouroptera sordida (Hume) ........ 316 268. cyanouroptera oatesi Harington ........ 316 66. Genus Yuhina Hodgs. 01... 0. cece eee eens 316 183. gularis Hodgs. 61.0.6... cece cece 317 269. gularis gularis (Hodgs.) .............. 317 270. gularis yangpiensis (Sharpe) ...,...... 318 184, diademata (Verreaux),... 06... e eee eee 318 271. diademata ampelina (Rippon).......... 318 185. ovcipitalis Hodge... 0.0... eee eee eee 319 272. occipitalis occipitalis (Hodys.).......... 319 186. nigrimentum (Hodgs.).. 0.0.0.6. e eee eee nee 320 273. nigrimentum nigrimentum (Hodgs.) .... 320 67. Genus Ixulus Hodgs. .. 0... 0.02. cece ee eens 321 187. occipitalis (Blyth) ©... . cece eee e eee eens 321 188. flavicollis (Hodgs.) 6.0... 0c. cece eee eee 322 274. flavicollis flavicollis (Hodgs.) .......... 322 275. flavicollis baileyi Stuart Baker ........ 323 276. flavicollis harterti Harington .......... 323 189, humilis Hume .. 0... cece eee tenes 24 277. humilis humilis (Hume) .............. 524 278. humilis clarkii (Oates) ............00.. 324 68. Genus Erpornis (Hodgs.) ........0. cece eee vee 324 190. xantholeuca Hodgs. 1.0... 0... cece ce eee 325 279. xantholeuca xantholeuca (Hodgs.) ...... 325 Subfamily L1orRicHINH 1... 0. cece cece ce eee eee 326 69. Genus Liothrix Swaings, .... 0.0... cece eee 327 191, lutea (Scop.).. 0... cece eee eens .. 327 280. lutea callipyga (Hodgs.) .............. 328 281. lutea yunnanensis Rothschild .......... 329 70. Genus Cutia Hodgs..... 0.0.00 e ee eee e een e ees 329 192. nipalensis Hodgs.......... 00. - cece cece ae eeee 329 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. V. Family TrimaLizp 2 (cont.). 70. Genus Cutia (cont.). 282. nipalensis nipalensis (Hodys.).......... 71. Genus Pteruthius Swains. ..........00 00.20 eee 193. erythropterus (Vigors).......... 00.00.00 000% 194. wralatus Tichkell 2.0.02. ee ee 283. wralatus eralatus (Zickell) ............ 195. melanotis Hodgs. 6... 0.0... cece eee eee 284. melanotis melanotis (Hodgs.) .......... 285. melanotis intermedius (Hume).......... 196. xanthochloris Hodgs. .......... 0... c eee eee 286. xanthochloris xanthochloris (Hodgs.).... xix 287. xanthochloris occidentalis Harington .... 336 72, Genus Hilarocichla Oates.......... 00.00. .0 ee cee 336 197. rufiventer (Blyth)... 0... .. 0... cece eee eee 337 73. Genus Aethorhynchus Sundevall.................. 337 198. lafresnayi Hartl. 0.0... eee eee 338 74, Genus Aegithina Vieill, 2.00... ec ee eee ee 339 199. tiphia Lint... 25 ..w2sc sae setae eed wed 339 288. tiphia tiphia (Linn.) ..............4. 340 289. tiphia zeylonica (Gmel.) .............. 342 290. tiphia humei, subsp. nov............... 342 200. viridissima (Bonap.) 1.0... 0. cece eee eee 343 201. nigrolutea (Marshall) ........-- 00... cee eee 344 75. Genus Myzornis Hodgs. ........ 0.0 e cece cece eee 344 202. pyrrhoura Hodgs... 0.0... ccc eee eee 345 76. Genus Chloropsis Jard. g& Selby ............-0.0.. 346 203. aurifrons (Jiemm.) ... 6. eee eee eee 346 291. aurifrons aurifrons (Z'emm.) veeee es B46 292. aurifrons davidsoni Stuart Baker ...... 348 293. aurifrons inornata Kloss .............. 349 204. hardwickii Jard. g& Selby .........00...004. 349 294. hardwickii hardwickii (Jard. g Selby) .. 349 205. icterocephala .......... 00... cece ee eee 350 295. icterocephala chlorocephala ( Wald.) .. 350 206. viridis (Horsfield) ........0-. 00 ec ece eee 351 296. viridis zosterops ( Vigors)......... .... 851 207. jerdoni (Blyth) .... 0.0.0.0... cee cee eee 352 208. cyanopogon (Zemm.) «6.2.6... cee eee 353 77. Genus Mesia Hodgs.. 0.0.00. 6 6.0 c eee eens . 353 209. argentauris Hodgs. .. 0.0.6.0... 0c cee ee eee 354 297. argentauris argentauris (Zodgs.)........ 354 78. Genus Minla Hodgs......... 0.6 cece cece ees 355 210. ignotincta Hodgs..............6 00.008. wes. 835 79. Genus Hypocolius Bonap. .........6 6-0. ee eee ee 356 357 211. ampelinus Bonap. ...........2 0.00005 veee P.2¢ SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Page VI. Family PycNONOTIDD 1... 06. cece eee eens 359 80. Genus Criniger Zemm.......000.00 00 ce eee 361 212. tephrogenys (Jard. & Selby) «1.0.6... vere 362 298. tephrogenys tephrogenys (Jard. & Selby) . 362 299. tephrogenys flaveolus (Gould) ......+.++ 363 300. tephrogenys burmanicus (Oates) ....---- 364 301. tephrogenys griseiceps (Hume) ......-- 365 302. tephrogenys grandis (Stuart Baker) .... 365 81. Genus Tricholestes Salvadori ...... 0.00 e seen eens 366 213. crimiger (Blyth) 0.0.0.0. cece ce ees 366 30%. criniger criniger (Blyth) ........-+.545 366 82. Genus Alophoixus Oates .... 0... cece cece 367 214, pheeocephalus Hartl 1.0... 2. cece eee eee 3638 83. Genus Microscelis Gray ....... 6 cece eee eee eee 368 215. psaroides (Vigors) .... ccc rece cc eens 369 304. psaroides psaroides (Vigors) .......-.. 369 305. psaroides nigrescens (Stuart Baker) .... 371 306. psaroides concolor (Blyth) .........+.. 372 307. psaroides ganeesa (Sykes).........+---. 372 84, Genus Cerasophila Bingham ..........eeee cence 373 216, thompsoni Bingham .. 1... 66 ccc eee eee 373 85. Genus Hemixus Hodgs. ..... 66. c ee cece een e ees 374 217. flavala Hodgs. ......-20 0 eee c ene reece ees 374 808. flavala flavala (Hodgs.) ..........055. 374 309. flavala davisoni (Hume) ........20065. 376 310. flavala hildebrandi (Hume) ............ 376 218. macclellandi (Horsf.) ...... 0... eee eee eee 377 31f. macclellandi macclellandi (Horsf.)... .. 377 312. macclellandi tickelli (Blyth) .......... 378 813. macclellandi binghami (Hartert)........ 379 86. Genus Aleurus Hodgs. ...... 0.6 ccc cee 379 219. striatus (Blyth) 2.6: .cvsieuess soars suewss 379 87. Genus Molpastes Hume 12.00... . cere ee eee ee 381 220. hemorrhous (Ginél.).. 0. ce eee 383 314. hemorrhous hemorrhous (Gime.) ...... 383 315, hemorrhous pallidus Stuart Baker ...... 385 316. hemorrhous burmanicus (Sharpe) ...... 385 317. hemorrhous nigripileus (Blyth) ........ 386 318. hemorrhous chrysorrhoides (Lafr.)...... 387 319, hzmorrhous bengalensis (Blyth)........ 387 320. hemorrhous intermedius (Jerdon) ...... 389 221. leucogenys (Gray) ... ......-. ee ee ee 389 321. leucogenys leucogenys (Gray) .......... 389 322. leucogenys leucotis (Gould)............ 390 323. leucogenys humii (Oates).............. 391 88. Genus Xanthixus Oates ........ 0.00. cece cae 392 222, flavescens (Blyth) ........ 0. cc eee eee eee e ee 392 324. flavescens flavescens (Blyth) ........... 392 325. flavescens viridus Stuart Baker VI. Family Prcnonorrp a (cont.). Page 89, Genus Otocompsa Cabanis ............-.0004--.. B94 293. eMeria, (LAAN) sodden anime oad e tere 394 326. emeria emeria (Zinn.) .............-0. 394 327. emeria fuscicaudata (Gould)............ 396 328. cmeria peguensis, subsp. nov. .......... 396 224. flaviventris (Zich.) 2... ccc ccc cece eee 397 329. flaviventris flaviventris (Zick.) ........ 397 330. flaviventris minor Kloss .............. 398 90. Genus Pinarocichla Sharpe ...... 0.0... cece eee eee 399 225. eutilota (Jard. g Selby) ..... 0... cee cee eee 399 91. Genus Spizisus Blyth oo... eee 400 226. canifrons Blyth... 0.8... eee ec ee ees 400 331. canifrons eanifraos, (BIYth) cca vewicens 400 92. Genus Trachycomus Cabanis ...... 0.0.0 cee eee 402 227. ochrocephalus (Gmel.) ........0. eee eee .. 402 93. Genus Tole Blyth. 1... cece eee ee 403 228. malaccensis (Blyth) ....,..... cece eee 404 332. malaccensis malaccensis (Blyth) ........ 40+ 229. icterica (Strichkl.) cs ci secs ecesawieenineaae es 405 230. olivacea (Blyth) 22... feck eee ee 405 333. olivacea virescens (Blyth).............. 406 334. olivacea cinnamomeoventris Stuart Baker. 407- 335. olivacea lénbergi (Gyldenstolpe) ........ 408 231. nicobariensis (Horsf. § Moore) .............. 408 94. Genus Rubigula Blyth .... 0... ee eee 409 232, squamata (Temminck) ..... 00... . eee eee 409 336. squamata webberi (Hume) ............ 409 95. Genus Pycnonotus Kuhl .... 0... eee 410 233. golavier (Scop.) 2... 6. cece eee eee es 410 337. goiavier analis (Horsf.) .............. 410 234. aurigaster (Vieill.) 2.0.0... cee ee 411 .338. aurigaster xanthorrhous (Anderson) .... 411 235. finlaysoni Strickl... 0... 0. cee eee eee eee eee 412 339. finlaysoni finlaysoni (Sérickl.).......... 412 340. finlaysoni davisoni (Hume) ............ 413 236. melanicterus (Gmvel.) .. 0... eee eee ee 414 237. xantholemus (Gould) .........00 0.0 eee ee 415 238. gularis (Gould)... 0... cece ec eae 415 239. cyaniventris Blyth ..... 0.00... cee eee 416 341. cyaniventris cyaniventris (Blyth) .....: 416 240. luteolus (Less.)... 0. ce cee eens 417 241, plumosus Blyth... 0... ee ee 418 342. plumosus plumosus (Blyth) ............ 419 343. plumosus robinsoni (0.-Grant).......... 420 344. plumosus blandfordi (Jerdon) .......... 420 242, simplex: Less, seacvece- ee naaeeeseence sane 421 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. XX1 345. simplex simplex (Less.) .............. 421 Xxll SYSTEMATIC INDEX. VI. Family Pycnonorip & (cont). 95. Genus Pycnonotus (cont. ). Page 243. erythrophthalmus (Hume) ......----02+e00s 422 346. erythrophtbalmus erythrophthalmus( Hume). aoe 96. Genus Microtarsus Hyton.........-.- 00.5 ee cere 244. melanocephalus (Gmel.) .........+- é 433 347. melanocephalus melanocephalus ( @mel. ). . 423 348. melanocephalus fusciflavescens (Hume) .. 425 245. poiocephalus (Jerdon) ........ 000000 eeeeeee 425 246. cinereiventris (Blyth) .........- 0000 e eee ee 426 97. Genus Kelaartia (Blyth) ........-002 02 eee ees 426 247. penicillata (Blyth) 2.2... cece eee eee eee 427 VIL. Family CERTHIID HB... . 1. eects 428 98. Genus Certhia Linn, 1.0... 6. ce ee eens 428 248, himalayana Vigors .......--- sees cece eens 429 349. himalayana himalayana (Vigors) ...... 430 350. himalayana téenura (Severtz.) ........-- 431 351. himalayaua yunnanensis (Sharpe) ...... 432 352. himalayana intermedia Kinnear ........ 432 249, familiaris Lint... .. 00... ec eee 432 353. familiaris nepalensis (Blyth) .......... 433 354. familiaris khamensis (Bianchi) ........ 434 355. familiaris hodgsoni (Brooks) .......... 434 250. discolor (Blyth) .. 0.6. ccc cece cece tees 435 356. discolor discolor (Blyth) ...........55. 435 357. discolor manipurensis (Hume).......... 437 358. discolor victorie (Rippon) ............ 437 359. discolor fuliginosa, subsp. nov. ........ 438 251. stolicukee Brooks 1.2.1.0... ccc cece eee 438 99. Genus Salpornis Gray.... 6... 0. eee ee ees 439 252, spilonotus Frank............ ob oeiwewowiumeda 439 100. Genus Tichodroma Illiger .... 0... cc cece ee eee es 441 258. muraria (Linn.) 22... eee cece eee eens 441 VIII. Family TRoGLoDYTIDH .... 0... 6. cee eee eee 444 101. Genus Troglodytes Vieill. 2.0.2... .. cece eee eee 444 254. troglodytes (Linn.) 2... 0... cece eee eee ee 445 360. troglodytes nipalensis (Hodgs.) ........ 445 361. troglodytes talifuensis (Sharpe) ........ 446 362, troglodytes neglectus (Brooks).......... 446 363. troglodytes tibetanus (Walton) ........ 448 102. Genus Elachura Oates .... 0.0.0... see e eee eens 448 255. formosa (Walden) .. 0... .. cece eee cee e eee 449 256. haplonota Stuart Baker ......... ane 450 108. Genus Speleornis Sharpe ......ccsee eee ee tees 451 257. longicaudatus (Moore) .......0220220 0. ce aeee 451 364. longicaudatus longicaudatus (Moore) .... 452 365. longicaudatus chocolatinus (Godw. - Aust. Xe 453 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Xxili VIII. Family TRogLopytip # (cont.). 103. Genus Spelxornis (cont.). . Page 366. longicaudatus sinlumensis (Harington) .. 453 3€7. longicaudatus kauriensis (Harington) .... 454 368. longicaudatus reptatus (Bingham)........ 455 369. longicaudata oatesi (Rippon)............ 455 258. caudatus (Blyth) 2.2.0.6... cee ce eee 456 104. Genus Pnoepyga Hodgs. ....... 20.0.0. 457 259. squamata (Gould) 1... eee 458 370. squamata squamata (Gould) ....... .... 458 260. pusilla Hodgs. .. 0.0... 60 cece eee ee 459 371. pusilla pusilla Hodgs.............0.000. 459 105. Genus Sphenocichla Godwin-Austen g Walden ...... 460 261. humei (Mandelli).. 0.0... ee eee ee 461 262. roberti Godw.-Austen & Walden .............. 461 106. Genus Tesia Hodgs... 0.0.06. cece eee 462 263, cyaniventer Hodgs. 00... 0.60 ec eee 463 372. cyaniventer cyaniventer (Hodys.)........ 463 264. castaneocoronata (Burton) .........2...0000. 465 373. castaneocoronata castaneocoronata (Burton) 465 INTRODUCTION. Tue present volume is the first of the series of the new edition of the ‘ Avifauna of British India,’ and, funds permitting, it is proposed to bring out about one volume every two years until the work is completed. , It lras been my endeavour in writing this volume to disturb as little as possible the classification adopted by Oates in the first edition but during the thirty-two years that have elapsed since his first volume was published, much scientifie work has been done and many discoveries made which have rendered alterations imperative ; some of these, unfortunately, are of a drastic nature. In the first place, the trinomial system has been adopted—a de- cision which has added ver, greatly to the number of birds to be described, t.¢. to the total number of species and subspecies, though, on the other hand, it has reduced the number of species, for it has relegated to their proper positions as subspecies or geographical races many forms which have hitherto improperly held the status of species. In using the trinomial system I have adhered to the follow- ing rules :— Forms, or groups of forms, have been named as specific when there are noforms known which directly connect them with other forms or groups of forms. Subspecies or geog:aphical forms have been recognized when they differ in degree either in size, colour or some other characteristic from the forms with which they are most closely copuected, yet, though Imked with these forms by others which are litermediate, are themselves constant within some given area. Vou, I. B 2 INTRODUCTION. It is true that a few island furms may not come very exactly under this definition, but in these cases the differences are such as are obviously parallel to those obtaining in non-isolated areas on the mainland. Where evolution and isolation have. evolved forms which are definitely divided from all others by some characteristic which is not one merely of degree, I have treated thei as distinct species. In India we are constantly meeting with the most intricate cases of subspecific variation, and a study of birds which admits the recognition of these geographical races and the wisdom of naming them affords infinitely greater interest both to the field and to the scientific worker than does the easier method of lumping them all together. For instance, to take two of our most common birds, the Indian House-Crow and the Red-vented Bulbul. Two species of the former aud many of the latter have been recognized and given specific names, although the differ- ences between them are in no way specific and are not any greater than the differences which exist in many other forms which have been left undivided. The second point to which reference must be made is the unfortunate necessity which has arisen for very numerous corrections in Oates’ nomenclature. Such corrections cannot but be a source of some difficulty to the older race of field naturalists, and students who have learnt these names will now have to learn those which replace them. The younger generation will, Low- ever, have the satisfaction of knowing that they are learning names which, with few exceptions, will be permanent; for, with strict adherence to the laws of priority, a time will soon come when we shall really have arrived at the bed-rock of nomen- clatorial research. It should ve mentioned here that I have had the unstinted help of Mr. Tom Iredale in this particular branch of the work, and his unrivalled knowledge of bibliography and nomenclature has been of inestimable help to me. Auother difference between this and the preceding edition will also be noted. With the approval of the editor, Sir Arthur E. Shipley, the synonymy has been reduced to references to the original description and to the Blanford and Oates’ edition of this work, in the former case the type-locality being given in brackets after the reference. The saving of space thus obtained and the use of briefer descriptions has given additional room for INTRODUCTION. 3 field notes, which it is hoped will add to the value of the work both for field naturalists and the non-scientific lover of birds, for whom they are principally written. As regards the classification, this is founded mainly on Gadow’s work, but I have also had the valuable assistance of W. P. Pyeraft, and the results of his personal work will be found in almost every order, family and genus. I must, however, take upon my own shoulders any criticisms which may be made on the minor divisions in the Passeres, though, here again, my constant object has been to disturb as little as possible the careful work of Blanford and Oates, Ornithological work in India las hitherto been divisible into very definite periods. The first period was that prior to the publication of Jerdon’s ‘Birds of India’ in 1862 and the sub- sequent eight or ten years when the leading figares were Jerdon himself, Hodgson and Blyth, who may be considered the fathers of Indian Ornithology. An account of the chief writers on Indian birds up to 1862 was given by Jerdon in the Introduction to the first volume of the * Birds of India.’ The principal authors mentioned were Franklin, Tickell, Sykes, McClelland, Burgess, Adams, Tytler, Kelaart, Layard and Hutton, in addition to the three already nientioned. The next period, from about 1872 to 1898, may be termed Hume's period, the other most notable workers being Tweeddale, Wardlaw-Ramsay, Biddulph, Anderson, Elwes, Beavan, Scully, Sharpe, Stoliczka, Godwin-Austen, Brooks, Ball, King, Vidal, MeMaster, Blanford, Legge, Oates and Barnes, with many other minor writers. The third period is that of Blanford and Oates, both leading Ornithologists in the preceding period but completely dominating the position on the publication of the ‘Avifauna of British India.’ Since these volumes saw the light no big work has been published on Indian birds but Harington’s ‘Birds of Burma,’ Oates’ ‘Game-Birds of India,’ many popular works by Dewar, Finn and others, and the present writer’s different works on Indian Ducks, Pigeons and Game-Birds have appeared. In addition to these the ‘Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society ’ contains a mass of details on field ornithology by Harington, Osmaston, Davidson, Bell, Barnes, Inglis, Bailey, Whistler, Jones, Hopwood, B2 4 INTRODUCTION. Mackenzie, Ticehurst, Donald and others. There are many local catalogues, and, finally, Harington’s work on the Timaltide, in which the writer had the pleasure of co-operating. Anatomy has not been treated at the length it deserves, but those who intend to take up this much neglected but most im- portant branch of ornithology should refer to the well-known works of Dr. Hans Gadow, Huxley, Garrod, Bronn, Firbringer, Forbes, Nitzsch and Parker, and to the more recent writers such as Pyeraft, Beddard and Lucas. The would-be Ornithologist in India must also remember that it is not only the dry skins of birds which are required by the systematist who, thcugh he may have the good fortune to work in big museums and other centres where masses of material are available for comparison and where good libraries are at hand for reference, yet urgently needs specimens, especially of the rarer forms in spirit, not only for anatomical purposes but for the study of Pterylosis etc. Again, poor skins of moulting birds are often more valuable than those in the finest condition of plumage, while the nestlings and young of many of the most common birds are still desiderata in the British Museum and other institutions. As regards nidification, it will be seen that I have devoted con- siderable space and detail to this portion of a bird’s life-history. It is true that birds cannot be classified according to the eggs they produce, but at the same time it is equally true that a bird’s egg may be a valuable clue to show us where we should expect to find its nearest allies or, on the other hand, may cause us to suspect that it should be removed from amongst those with which it is now placed. E. C. STUART BAKER. 4th February, 1922. DIAGRAM OF A BigRD, to illustrate the terminology of the plumage and limbs. ee Re . Forehead. . Crown. Nape or occiput. . Lores (space in front of eye). . Supercilium. Cheeks. . Ear-coverts. . Upper mandible or maxilla. . Lower mandible. . Culmen orupper profile of maxilla, . Comimissure or line of junction of the two mandibles. . Rictal bristles or vibrissee. . Chin. . Throat. . Breast. . Abdomen. . Back. ’ Rump. . Scapulars. 20. Primaries (the earlier or outer- most 9 or 10 quills of the wing). 21, Outer secondaries (wing-quills springing from the radius and ulna). 22. Inner-secondaries. 23. Lesser wing-coverts. 24. Median wing-coverts. 25. Greater wing-coverts. 26. Primary wing-coverts. 27. Winglet or bastard-wing. 28, Upper tail-coverts. 29, Tail-feathers or rectrices. 30. Under tail-coverts. 31. Tarsus. 32. Hind toe or first toe or hallux. 33. Inner or second toe. 34, Middle or third toe. 35. Outer or fourth toe. 6 TERMINOLOGY. Flanks or sides of body are the parts approximately covered by the closed wing. Axillaries are the lengthened feathers springing from the axilla or region beneath the base of the wing. Supplementary bristles or hairs are those springing from the side of the forehead in front of the rictal bristles. Nasal bristles or hairs are those springing from. the front of the forehead and covering the nostrils. The measurements in this work are invariably in millimetres, and are taken thus :— Length.—The distance from the tip of the bill to the tip of the longest tail-feather, unless otherwise stated. Tail.—The distance from the root of the tail, generally indicated both in the fresh and dried state by the presence of a piece of flesh on the underside, to the tip of the longest feather. Wing.—The greatest distance from the bend of the wing’ to the tip of the longest primary, measured straight. When the wing is curved, it is flattened out for the purpose of measurement. Tarsus.—The distance from the centre of articulation of the tarsus with the tibia to the base of the middle toe. Culmen.—-The distance in a straight line from the feathering of the forehead to the extreme tip of the beak. AVES. Birps are distinguished from all other vertebrates by their covering of feathers. Though related to the Reptiles, they differ in being warm-blooded—a feature which is correlated with a four- chambered heart, in which the chambers are completely separated, thus preventing the interimixture of arterial and venous blood which obtains among the lower vertebrates. Of the right and left aortic arches present in the Reptiles, only the right persists in Birds and the left in Mammals. The skull, which presents no sutures in the adult, possesses but a single occipital condyle and the jaws are produced into a beak ensheathed in horn, whilst in more primitive, extinct species, they were armed with teeth. The lower jaw is a complex of several bones, but the right and left rami are never separable as in Reptiles and many Mammals. Proximally the mandible articulates with the skull, after the reptilian fashion, by means of a quadrate bone. The fore-limb has become transformed into a “wing,” and the sternum, in accordance with the requirements of flight, has taken on the form of a broad, oblong plate, usually provided with a median keel for the attachment of the pectoral muscles, which have become excessively developed. In the hip-girdle the three elements of the pélvis have become fused. ‘he ilium has become greatly elongated, and is closely applied to the vertebral column, preventing all move- ment between the vertebre within its grip. As a consequence, these vertebra, which include more or fewer of the lumbar, the sacral and a variable number of post-sacrals, have become welded together to form a synsacrum. In the hind-limb the proximal row of.tarsa:s have become fused with the shaft of the tibia to form a “ tibio-tarsus,” while the distal row have fused with the metatarsals to form a tarso-metatarsus. On this account the ankle-joint is “ intertarsal” as‘in many reptiles. Three of the four surviving metatarsals have fused to form a solid, cylindrical shaft or ‘“‘cannou-bone” as in Dinosaurs, while the fourth has become reduced to a mere nodule of bone supporting the hallux. In many species the hallux has become reduced to a mere vestige, and, in some, it has disappeared altogether, whilst in the Ostrich (Struthio) but two toes remain. With the reptiles on the one hand, and the primitive mammals Echidna and Ornithorhynchus on the other, birds agree in being oviparous. Hitherto most systems of classification have been founded on living birds only, and have therefore to some extent failed in their purpose. Birds have been commonly divided into two great groups or sub-classes, Ratite and Carinate, according to the 8 AVES. s presence or absence of a median keel to the sternum. But these groups, though accepted by Blanford and Oates, are very un- satisfactory, since in some flightless Curinate the sternum has become reduced to the Ratite condition. Taking into consideration birds both living and extinct, we have two well-defined sub-classes, the Archeornithes and Neornithes. Under view of the skull of 1 Raven. vo, vomer; map, maxillo-palatine process; pa, palatine; pig, pterygoid; g, quadrate; b.sph, basi-sphenoid ; sph.r, sphenoidal rostrum. The first is reserved for the Archewopteryx with an elongated reptilian chain of caudal vertebra, each bearing a pair of rectrices and having the jaws armed with teeth. The sub-class Neornithes AVES. 9 neludes all living birds in which ihe vertebre supporting the rectrices have become so abbreviated that the tail-feathers have to be arranged: fan-wise on either side of a fused mass.of bones known as the ‘ pygostyle.” As regards the Neornithes, the palate affords a much more satis- factory basis of division than the sternum. According to this, living birds are divisible into two further groups, the Paleognathe and Meognathe, the former in substitution for the Ratite and the latter for the Carinate. In the Paleognuthe the vomer is large, aud articulates by squainous suture’with the pterygoid, while the palatine is applied to the outer margin of the vomero-pterygoid articulation. In the Neognathe the palatines have shifted inwards, under the vomero-pterygoid articulation, to meet one another in the median line. The pterygoids, in early post-embryonic life, undergo a striking process of segmentation, inasmuch as that portion of their shafts which rests upon the proximal end of the palatine snaps off, as it were from the main shaft, and fuses with the palatine. Later, at the point of fracture a cup-and-ball joint is formed, affording: the strongest possible contrast with the squamous suture found in the Palwognathe. Where the vomer still retains some semblance of its former size, its proximal bifurcated end may just reach the extreme tip of the anterior end of the pterygoid, but it now depends for its support not upon the pterygoid, but upon the palatine, as, for exainple, in the Penguins. But among the Neognathe the vomer displays a striking series of stages in degeneration, becoming more and more divorced from the pterygoid, until it finally assumes the form of a minute nodule of bone, and at last, in the Galline, it becomes a mere spicule of bone held by a few tendinons fibres to the anterior border of the expanded ends of the palatines, and in some, as in the Falconide for example, vanishes altogether. If nothing were known of the early post-embryonic developmental stages of the Neognathine vomer, it would have been impossible to divine that the Weognathine was a direct derivative from the Paleognathine palate. These two orders, the Paleognathe and Neognathe, must be divided further, for the Class Aves, in the course of its evolution, has split up into a vast number of different forms. The genetic relation of these forms or types to one another, and the precise affinities of the individual members of the various groups, should as far as possible find expression in any system of classification. These divisions may be known as Orders, which are again divided . into Sub-Orders, Families, Genera and Species. Order I. PASSERES. This edition of the Fauna follows its predecessor in beginuing with the Passeres. The classification and further division of this Group presents more difficulties than all the rest put together. ; Briefly, the Passeres may be defined as follows :—Skull egithognathous (vomer truncated in front). Sternum with a large spina externa, and vo spinainterna. Clavicle with expanded free ends. Hypotarsus complex. Wing lacking the biceps and expansor secondariornm muscles. Thigh muscles having no accessory femorocaudal or abiens muscles present. Only one carotid—the left—is present. Czca are vestigial. Oil-gland nude. Wing eutaxic. The arrangement of the Sub-Orders adopted here is that of Gadow (Bronn’s Thier-reichs, Bd. vi., ii. Syst. Theil, 1893). But the subdivision of the Anisomyodi is based on that of Pyeraft (P. Z. 8. 1905-U-7), his Oligomyodi answering in part to that of Huxley (P. Z. 8. 1867). SvB-ORDER. GROUP. Famity. Scur-FamIxy. & f Eurylemide. | Cotingide. Clamatores ...... | Philepittide. Pipride. ; Tyrannide. : . . Pittide. S Oligomyodi ...... | Bhy tater dee. pf | Anisomyodi ...4 \ Oxythampidee. o - (Formicariide. n Dendrocolaptide. < Furnariide ... Furnariine. Ay Sclerurinz. gz Synallaxine. 3 Margarornithinz. a < a Tracheophone... Phylidorhine. e , ° Conopophagidz... Conopophaginz. Pteroptochinz. Hylactine. | Xenicide. Diacromyodiy. seve iseassawe verve cenews har aes < scines. Having regard to the fact that the main divisions of the Passeres are based on the structure of the syrinx, a brief summary PASSERES, 11 of the essential features of this organ, in so far as they concern the systematist, may be welcome. The syrinx is the term applied to the lower end of the wind- pipe and the adjacent ends of the bronchi in birds, wherein these portions have become variously modified to form the organ of voice, which, in Mammals, is formed by the larynx—the upper end of the windpipe. But while in the Mammals the larynx is a comparatively stable structure, in the birds the syrinx presents a very remarkable range of differences both in regard to its funda- mental structural characters, as well as of musculature. For the present it must suffice to give a brief survey of the essential features of the syriux in the Passeres and, for systematic purposes, the musculature is the dominant factor. The syrinx, then, in this Group presents wide contrasts, - even among Genera of the same Family, but nevertheless it conforms in its essential characters with that of the Aves as a whole. That is to say, it is formed of a number of bony or cartilaginous rings and semi-rings—some of which may be com- pletely or partially welded—held together by thin membranes which serve not merely to support the framework, but also in the production of the ‘ voice.” In the Anisomyodi the syringeal muscles are inserted either in the middle or on to the dorsal or ventral ends of the semi-rings. Syrinx of Pitta angolensis (after Garrod, P.Z.S. 1876, pl. liii), sowing the Anisomyodian attachment of the intrinsic muscles at the middle of the bronchial semi-rings. There is also a single pair of:bronchial muscles, continued down from the sides of the windpipe, insignificant in size, quite lateral, and termi- nating by being inserted into the middle of the outer surface of the second bronchial semi-ring. ' In the Diacromyodi these muscles are inserted into both ends of the semi-rings. They may be limited always to one pair as in Clamatores, to two as in Oligomyodi and some Tracheuphone or there may be as many as seven pairs as in the Oscines. But the structure of the syrinx itself, as apart from its musculature, has been, and still is, a feature of importance in 12 PASSERES. the classification of the Passeres—as witness the Z'racheophone. Briefly three types of syrinx are recognized—the ‘Tracheo- bronchial, the Tracheal and the Bronchial, the last two being derivatives of the first. The tracheo-bronchial is the type found in the Oscines and Sub-Oscines. Herein the lower end of the trachea has the last four or five rings welded to form a little «ice- shaped box communicating below with the bronchi. The bronchial rings I and II are closely attached to this box, while III forms a strong arcuate bar supporting a delicate sheet of membrane stretched between rings J and II on the one hand and 1V on the other. The bronchial rings are in- complete on their inner aspects, their free ends supporting a ‘tympanic membrane,” which plays an important part in voice Syrinx of a Magpie, showing the Diacromyodian attachment of the intrinsic muscles at the ends of the bronchial semi-rings. ‘The left-hand figure is a side view and the rigpihend figure a dorsal view of the syrinx. The membranous parts between the bronchial semi-rings and the internal tympaniform membrane are dotted ; II, III are the second and third bronchial semi-rings; 7.i, the internal tympaniform membrane; #, the muscle from the side of the trachea to the upper end of the clavicle; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, the syringeal muscles ; there is a 7th, which is hidden by the Gth; the 4th is hidden below and between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. production, At the junction of the bronchi with the trachea is a bony bar—the “ pessulus.” This supports a thin fold of mem- brane whose free edge cuts across the bottom of the dice-shaped box of the tracheal tube. By its vibrations it acts like the “ free reed” of an organ-pipe. Muscular lips extending from the inner surfaces of bronchial semi-ring III narrow the aperture on either side of the “reed” during the production of the “ voice” or song, and thus complete the mechanisin of voice production. In the Tracheal syrinx a variable number of the lower tracheal PASSERES. 13 rings are reduced in thickness, leaving wide spaces filled by mem- brane. The range of sounds produced by this modification is much more limited than in the ‘Tracheo-bronchial syrinx. In the Bronchial syrinx the voice is produced by modification of the bronchi. But as this type does not occur among the Passeres, its description may be deferred. It is not the purpose of this survey to pass in review all the anatomical characters which have been used as aids to the classifi- cation of this difficult Group, but rather to afford a concise summary of such as are regarded to-day as of importance. ankle. Setarctatie hates tarso-metatarsus, hallxsscausevaveraln Sketch showing the arrangement of the deep plantar tendons in a passerine bird. (From P. Z. 8. 1875, p. 347.) After the syrinx, systematists seem to have relied most upon the plantar tendons of the foot. Sometimes, indeed, too much reliance seems to have been placed upon these ; that is to say, a tuo arbitrary use has been made of the evidence they afford. Of these tendons two only are specially réeognized in this con- nexion. These are the Flecor profundus digitorum and the Flexor longus hallucis. The first named arises from the greater part of the hinder face of the fibula and tibia, beneath all the other flexors, and at the intertarsa] joint passes into a tendon, which, running through 9 perforation in the metatarsal tubercle, divides just above the distal end of the tarsu-metatarsus, sending a slip 14 PASSERES. to each front toe. The Flexor longus hallucis arises from the outer condyle of the femur and from the intercondylar region. Jt accompanies, and is closely associated with, the FJ. profundus throughout its whole length. Passing also into the tendinous condition at the intertarsal joint, it crosses the Fl. profundus tendon near its middle, from behind and from without inwards to be inserted on the terminal phalanx of the hind toe. This, at least, is what obtains in all the Passeres save the Eurylemide, where the hallucis tendon anchors itself to the profundus tendon at the point where the two tendons cross, by a number of tendinous fibres, to form what is known as a “vinculum.” No Jess than eight different modes of anchorage between these two tendons are recognized. The typical Passeri- form type is No. VII. of this series; that of the Lurylemide is No. I. Nitzsch, in laying the foundations of the study of the pterylosis, opened up a field of great promise, which, so far, has only very partially been explored by systematists. ‘The attempt to use the number of the remiges as a factor in the subdivision of the Passeres has only resulted in the formulation of a test which is based on error. Thus, in the previous edition of this work an attempt was made to form two Groups of Passeres, the one displaying 9, the other 10 primaries. This was unfortunate, since all the so-called ‘‘ 9-primaried” Passéres possess 10 remiges, while many of the so-called “10-primaried” Passeres possess 11° remiges. The error has arisen from a failure to distinguish vestigial quills. and their coverts. In the “9-primaried ” Passeres the 10th may be reduced to the vanishing point. Where the 10th primary is conspicuously long, as in the Corvide, the 11th will be found as a “yvemicle,” 1 cm. or more in length. Bearing these facts in mind, there can be no objection, for the sake of convenience, to the continued use of the division into 9-primaried and 10-pri- maried wings, the remicle being in both cases a negligible quantity. So far, untortunately, Ornithologists have made no more use of pterylosis than this numbering of the wing and _tail-feathers. A vast amount of work has yet to be done, in investigating the pterylosis of the trunk, for the sake of the evidence it will unquestionably furnish as to the relationship of forms whose affinities can at the present be no more than guessed at. ‘The Paride, Ampelide, Oriolide afford cases in point. True, we cannot discover this evidence by a study of the pterylosis alone— the osteology and myology of these puzzles must also be taken into account—but we shall have made great strides when this pteryological work has been thoroughly done. It is to be hoped that those who use these volumes will endeavour to take up this much neglected work. The juvenile or “nestling” plumage of the ‘Passeres affords very valuable data to the systematist. In the last edition of this PASSERES. 15 work it was pointed out that the juvenile plumage of the “10-primaried ” Passeres seemed to consist of five types. ‘In the first the nestling resembles the adult female; in the second the nestling resembles the adult female but is more brightly coloured and generally suffused with yellow; in the third the nestling is cross-barred ; in the fourth it is streaked; in the fifth and last mottled or squamated.” These divisions of the Passeres seem to be of great importance and have been adopted in this edition with but very minor modifications, The whole system of classification here accepted is merely pro- visional and does not, and cannot, pretend to be final, but it is hoped that it will provide a sound basis upon which future Ornithologists can work. No classification will be found upon which there is universal agreement. Many Ornithologists hold that, whilst it is sound science to split species ad infinitum, it is equally unscientific to use the same arguments tor splitting genera and families. I have considered classification purely as a means to an end—i. ¢. to enable the student to recognize any bird whose name and position he desires to ascertain. If “lumping ” will assist him in this, I have amalgamated genera and families ; but if lumping, by creating huge, unwieldy families, will lead to his confusion, I have split them so as to render his work easier and quicker. Each Order will be dealt with in turn as it is reached in the succeeding volumes. Scheme of Indian Passerine Families, A. (Diacromyop1.) Syringial muscles of the syrinx Pa ies on the ends of the bronchial semi-rings. . The edges of the mandibles never serrated though sometimes notched. a, panos non-tubular and not bifid or’ tufted. . The hinder part of the tarsus longitudinally laminated. a®. Wing with ten primaries, the 11th too minute to be seen. a‘. Nostrils clear of the line of the fore- head and nearer the commissure than the culmen. @, Plumage of the nestling like that of the adult female, but duller and sometimes darker. a’, Nostrils completely hidden by ~ or bristles. . First primary exceeding half the second in length; plumage glossy and firm ............ Corvide. bo’. First primary less than half _ SECON, gis! feds lows auc ..-., Paride. ce”. First rimary execeding half second ; plumage lax and soft, Paradoxorni- thide. PASSERES, b°. Nostrils bare or merely over- hung by hairs or plumelets. a’. Rictal bristles always present. a®, Inner and hind toe very un- QUAL gee vs aynsrde ouceee neon Sittide. v°. Inner and hind toe equal. a, Wing rounded, tarsus long and strong ............ Timaliide. bo”, Wing more pointed, tarsus less strong and long .... Pycnonotide, é”. Rictal bristles absent. , Tail-feathersstiffand pointed. Certhiide, d*, Tail-feathers soltandrounded. Troglodytide. u§, Plumage of nestling mottled or : squamated. c®, Nostrils not covered by any hairs. f7. Rictal bristles absent ........ Cinclide. g. Rictal bristles present ....., Turdidz. d°, Nostrils more or less covered by Wats. oe gesiee cs Suan ces amend gee ators Muscicapide. +e, Plumage of nestling cross- barred. e*. Folded wings not reeehing beyond middie ot tail. A, Shafts of rump-feathers soft .. Laniide. i’, Shafts of rump-feathers spinous. Campephagidez. a — wings reaching to tip of si eut RR achecerae ee olane Gein aiace Artamidz. a5, Phoae of nestling spotted with Sf linic raps aaanlors ne ase G Nea Dicruride. e*, Plumage of nestling like the adults, but brighter ...........-...06- Sylviide. f: Brumege of nestling like ahs adults, but paler sy recast hens: spihitiay Oo th 0% Regulidz. g’. Plumage of nestling streaked. se Rictal bristles present. . Nostrils covered with hairs ., Irenida. ie ig ier quite exposed. . First primary at least half length of second ....... . Oriolide. f°. First primary less than half BOCONG se avsie stiles e-arersiecie : Eulabetide. A®, Without rictal bristles ........ Sturnidz. 4, Nostrils pierced, partly within line of forehead and nearer culmen than COMMISSUTE 1.0... eee e ete e ees Ploceide. b?, Wing with nine primaries, the 10th obsolete. c+, Bill Gonical, pointed and entire, the longest secondaries reaching to a point midway between the “middle and top of wing... ... ee... eee Fringillide. a‘, Bill long, slender and notched, the longest “secondaries reaching almost to tipofwing ........ ......, Motacillide, e*, Bill flat, broad and notched, thelongest secondaries reaching to the middle OL WINDY ics cas coe canoe epee Hirundinidz, PASSERES. 17 6?, The hinder part of the tarsus transversely scutellated iiceciinr seat des adeataas. Alaudidz. &. Tongue tubular ......... 0. ce eee Nectariniidz. c’. Tongue bifid, with small brushes at tip. ec. Plumage not metallic...........-..0005 Zosteropidez. @, Plumage more or less metallic...,...... Chalcopariide. b. The edges of the mandibles finely serrated on the terminal third of their edges............ Diceide. B. (Anisomyon1.) Syringial muscles inserted either in the middle, or on the dorsal or ventral ends of the bronchial semi-rings. e, Flexor longus hallucis and Flexor profundus digitorum not united with a vinculum ...,.. Pittide. a. Flexor longus hallucis and Flexor profundus digitorum joined near the centre with a vin- culum..,.... ated ie NG terrae des «Weal eae DEES Eurylemide. VOL, I. 18 CORVIDE. Fig. 1.—Urocissa m. occipitalis, Family CORVIDA. The intrinsic muscles of the syrinx fixed to the ends of the bronchial semi-rings. The edges of both mandibles smooth, or the upper oue simply notched; hinder aspect of tarsus smooth, composed of two entire longitudinal lamine; wing with ten priniaries ;, tongue non-tubular; nostrils clear of the line of forehead, the lower edge of the nostril generally nearer to the commissure than the upper edge is to the culmen; plumage of the nestling like that of the adult but paler; nostrils hidden by feathers and bristles; rectrices twelve; sexes absolutely alike’; an autumn moult only. In this family the first primary is long, exceeding half the length of the second, whilst the bill exceeds its depth in length, It contains the Crows, Magpies, Jays, Nutcrackers, and CORVIDE. 19 Ohoughs. All species are resident within the limits of this work except the Rook and the Hooded Crow, which are winter visitors to the North and North-West. Their summer quarters are, how- ever, not far off and their migrations are only partial and local The members of the genera Corvus, or the true Crows, Pica, the Magpies, Nucifraga, the Nutcrackers, and Pyrrhocorax, the Choughs, are birds of wide distribution but the members of the other genera are nearly all restricted to small areas. The Corvide vary a good deal inter se in structure and habit. In one or two genera the nostrils are not so completely hidden by bristles as in the typical Crow. The majority feed completely on the ground, others are strictly arboreal. They all agree in laying four or five spotted eggs except certain species of the genus Podoces, which lay white eggs in burrows. ‘The mode of nidification of the remaining genera varies greatly, some species breeding in holes of trees and cliffs, the others, the majority, constructing large nests of sticks and twigs. Most of them are omnivorous, but some of the smaller tropical species appear to confine their diet to insects. The Corvide, as a family, have few characters in common, and yet there is no group of birds which is more easily recognized. Key to Genera. A. Nostrils distant from forehead about one- third length of bill; narial bristles rigid and straight, reaching to about middle of bill; or rictal bristles and feathers of face absent. a, Tail much shorter than wing............ Corvus, v. 20. 6. Tail much longer than wing ............ Pica, p. 37, B. Nostrils distant from forehead less than one- quarter Jength of bill; narlal bristles or pure short, never reaching to middle of pill. ec. Tail greatly graduated, cuter feathers less than half length of tail. a’. Middle tail-feathers uniformly wide throughout or widening gradually to- wards tip. a’, Bill red or yellow. a. Tail more than twice length of WING: nctains aie hon Maeties: cand Urocissa, p. 40. 6'". Tail less than. twice lenpth . of WING agian vedigde oxioseea ess Cissa, p. 45. bY, Bill black .............0eceve eee Denprocrrra, p. 47. b'. Middle tail-feathers suddenly broadening towards tip... eee e eee eee eee OCRYPSIRHINA, p. 56, d, Tail not much graduated, outer feathers more than half length of tail. ce’, Graduation of closed tail less than length of tarsus; rictal bristles extremely long.......... a ash aidan Daren jenna PLaTysmMuRvS, p. 58, | c2 20 CORVIDA, d’, Graduation of tail more than length of tarsus; rictal bristles moderate or obsolete. ce’ Nostrils nearer edge of culmen than to lower edge of aie mandible. e'’, Bill about half length ot head, deep and notched .............. GaRRTLTS, p. 59. a’, Bill about same length as head, slender and not notched ........ NucirraGa, p. 66. ad’, Nostrils nearer lower edge of upper mandible than to culmen. e'', Wings long, falling short of the tip of the tail by less than length of tATSUS 2.2.1 ee eee cece eee eeeee Pyrrvocorax, p. 69, f'". Wings short, falling short of the tip of the tail by more than length of tarsus. ...... 5.0000 seeeeees Povoces, p. 71. Genus CORVUS Linn., 1766. The genus Corvus contains the Ravens, Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws. Seven species are found in India, several of which are divisible into well-marked geographical races, some of which were ranked by Oates as species whilst others equally easily differen- tiated .were altogether ignored. Of the seven species some are widely distributed and well known to all, and others are confined to the Himalayas and the north-west portion of the Empire. Corvus has the plumage black throughout or nearly through- out, and may be recognized by the position of the nostrils, which are placed far forward, about one-third the length of the bill from the forehead, and are entirely concealed from view by a multitude of very stiff, straight bristles that reach the middle of the bill. In these characters this genus agrees with the Magpies; but the latter may be separated by the length of the tail, which is very much longer than the wing, and the shape of the first primary, which is figured on p. 37. The Crows are with two exceptions resident, the other two being only winter visitors. The Rook forms a partial exception to the general characters given above for determining Corvus. Up to nine months of age it has the ordinary stiff bristles over the nostrils, but at that age it casts them all off, as well as the feathers on the front part of the head. Its appearance in this state is well depicted in the fieure of the head given on p. 31. Key to Species. A. Size large, wing always over 380 mm. ...... C. corax, p. 21. B. Size smaller, wing always under 380 mm. a, Crown and neck concolorous or nearly so. a', Lower plumage with little gloss, and this blue or green; bill stout, face feathered in adults, CORVUS. 21 a", Plumage intensely black, feathers of hind neck firm and glossy with glistening shafts.................. C. corone, p. 24. b", Plumage not so black, feathers of hind neck soft and decomposed with in- j conspicuous shafts ................ C. coronotdes, p. 25. b'. Lower pluniage intensely glossed with blue and purple, bill slender, face of adults bare 20... 0... cece cece eee ees C. frugilegus, p. 30. b. Hind neck grey or ashy, contrasting with black crown. ce’. Wing exceeding 300 mm............. +» C.corniz, p. 32. d', Wing never as much as 800 mm. e", Chin and throat deep black contrasting with breast ...............0000> +, (, splendens, p. 32. 4", Chin and throat grey like breast .... ©, monedula, p. 36. Corvus corax. Key to Subspectes. A. Plumage glossy black, the brown tint if present almost imperceptible. a. Wing averaging about 420 mm. Bill about 71mm. Throat-backles short.......... C. c. laurence?, p. 21. .b. Wing averaging about 500 mm. Bill about 81mm, Throat-hackles long .......... C. c. tibetanus, p. 23. B. Plumage very brown on neck, upper back and BCAPWALS! i. soars pol aneionng a Gove yas Dem apeionene C. c. ruficollis, p. 23. (1) Corvus corax laurencei. Tue Punsas Raven. Corvus laurencer Hume, Lah. to Yark., p. 235 (1873) (Punjab). Corvus corax. Bianf. & Oates, i, p. 14 (1889). Vernacular names. The European Raven; Domkak, Doda (Hind. in the N.W.); Kargh (Candahar). Description. Entirely black, glossed with steel-blue, purple and lilac; the throat-hackles short and not very conspicuous. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; bill and legs shining black. Measurements. Length from about 600 to 620 mm.; wing from 400 to 440 mm. ; tail about 240 mm.; tarsus about 60mm. ; culmen about 64mm. to 75mm. Distribution. Punjab, Bombay, United Provinces and N.W. Provinces, and a rare straggler into Kashmir and Central India. It occurs also in Sind, but in the N.E. of that province the Brown-necked Raven takes its place. Outside of India the Punjab Raven is found through Baluchis- tan, §. Persia, Mesopotamia, Southern Asia Minor and Northern 22 CORVIDA Palestine. It is not easy to separate the breeding ranges of ruficollis and laurencei, but the former appears to be essentially a bird of deserts and bare hills whilst the Punjab Raven 1s more a bird of wooded country, though both are great wanderers and overlap one another constantly in their non-breeding haunts. Nidification. This Raven makes a large nest of sticks, sometimes lined with a little wool, leaves or smaller, softer twigs and places it near the top of a tree either in the open or in thin forest. The eggs number from four to six, generally four or five and are a pale blue-green marked with deep brown and with underlying marks of pale grey and neutral tint. The markings are usually thickly distributed over the whole surface but are sometimes bolder and blacker and more sparse, making the eggs very hand- some in appearance. They are typically rather long ovals. They average about 50°7x33'6 mm. The breeding season is from the end of December to early March. , Lia ) = Lf AeSS ESN SSS a AMINES NSS ee QUIS RUA _ Ae Fig. 2.—A throat-hackle of the Raven of Sikkim (a) and of the Raven of the Punjab (0). Habits. The Punjab Raven is a very bold, confiding bird and has all the habits of the Common Crow, attending camps aud villages and going about without fear but with the wariness of his tribe. Hume has noticed how a large number of Ravens die annually in the autumn on their first arrival in Sind from no apparent cause. This form of Raven will not be found far from trees in the breeding season, nor does it haunt hills and mountains of any great elevation, though it has been found at about 6,000 feet in the Simla Hills by Mr. P. Dodsworth. CORVTUS. 23 (2) Corvus corax tibetanus. THE Tipet Raven. Corvus tibetanus Hodgs., Ann. Mag. N. H., (2) iii, p. 203 (1849) (Tibet). Corvus corav. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 14. Vernacular names. The Tibet Raven, Jerd.; Neka-wak (Tibetan). Description. A much bigger, more powerful bird than the Panjab Kaven, with a bigger bill and the lanceolate hackles of the throat much longer and more pointed than in that bird. Measurements. Wing from about 480 to 530 mm., nearly always between 490 and 510 mm. Culmen about 80 mm. and running up to 85 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Kashmir to Eastern Tibet, including Sikkim, Bhutan and the hills north of the Brahmaputra in Assam. Nidification. The breeding season of this fine Raven appears to be from early March to the middle of April and the eggs are generally laid whilst the whole country is still under snow. It appears to nest both in cliffs and in stunted trees and is not un- common on the great Gyantse Plateau at 12,000 to 14,000 feet, nesting on the willows and thorn-trees. Mandelli also took its nest in Sikkim. The eggs number three to five in a clutch and taken as a series are very different from those of either laurencei or rufcollis. In general colour they are very dull, brown eggs; the ground-colour is much less blue or green-blue and the markings are more numerous, yet smaller and less bold in character. Twenty eggs average 49°0x 35'6mm. A broader, bigger egg than that laid by either of our other Indian Ravens, though we have but few to judge from. Habits. The Tibet Raven is a bird of lofty regions, being met with up to 18,000 feet in the summer and seldom below 9,000 feet even in mid-winter. Its note is said to bea harsher, deeper croak than that of the Punjab Raven, and over most of its range it is a much shyer, wilder bird, though it is said to haunt the vicinity of villages in ‘Tibet. It was also reported as common all along the route taken by the Military Expedition to Lhassa, frequenting the camps, feeding on the animals that died on the march and acting as regular scavengers. (5) Corvus corax ruficollis. THE BROWN-NECKED RAVEN. Corvus ruficollis Lesson, Traité d’Orn., p. 329 (1831) (Africa). Corvus umbrinus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 15. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from other Indian forms of Raven in 24 CORVID. being a much browner bird in general coloration, more especially so on the neck and shoulders. The neck-hackles are even shorter than in laurencet and it is rather smaller also than either of the previous forms. Measurements. Wing about 400 mm. and ranging between 380 and 420mm. The bill in the Indian form is also more slender than it is in either the Tibet or Punjab Raven. Distribution. Sind, Baluchistan, S. Persia, Palestine and N. Africa to Abyssinia. WY ws Fig. 3,—A throat-hackle of C. c. ruficollis. Nidification. The Brown-necked Raven builds in cliffs or river banks throughout its whole area. In Baluchistan it apparently occasionally breeds in the rocky sides of the steeper and more broken gorges and cliffs. In South Palestine it breeds in great numbers in the river banks or in the many precipitous ravines in that country and the little that is on record concerning its breeding elsewhere agrees with this. It usually lays four eggs, often three only and sometimes five. Col. R. Meinertzhagen took a fine series of the eggs near Jerusalem. They are very small and can hardly be distinguished from those of a Carrion- Crow but they are rather poorly marked on the whole, less brown than those of the Tibet Raven but much less richly coloured than those of the Punjab Raven. They measure about 45-0 x 31-5 mm. The breeding season in Palestine seems to commence in early March, but in Baluchistan they lay in December and January. Habits. This is essentially a bird of the desert or of rocky barren coasts and hills and wherever such are intersected by cul- tivated or better forested areas the Punjab Raven or some other form takes its place. It is a more companionable bird than either of its Indian relations and where it is most numerous several pairs may be seen consorting together. Meinertzhagen, who has recently’ examined a mass of material, -is unable to detect any characters by which umbrinus of India to Palestine can be separated from rufcollis of Africa. (4) Corvus corone orientalis. Tur Eastern Carrion-Crow. Corvus orientalis Eversm., Add. Pall. Zoogr., ii, p. 7 (1841) (Buchtarma). Corvus corone. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 16. CORVUS. 25 Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. The whole plumage very glossy black, the feathers of the hind neck firm and with glistening shafts. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; legs and bill shining black. Measurements. Length about 500 mm.; wing about 330 to 350 mm.; tail about 190 mm.; culmen about.58 to 60 mm.; tarsus about the same. The Eastern Carrion-Crow differs from the Common Carrion- Crow in being decidedly bigger, a more glossy blue-black in colour and in having the outer tail-feathers more graduated. Distribution. Siberia from the Yenesei to Japan, south to Central Asia, Afghanistan, Eastern Persia, Kashmir, Tibet and N. China. Whitehead found it common in the Upper Kurram Valley. Nidification. The Eastern Carrion-Crow is resident where found, but within Indian limits very little has been recorded about its history. It nests in the Kurram Valley, whence White- head sent me eggs, and also in Kashmir, from which State I have received others. It builds in trees and very often near villages or buildings, laying three to five eggs, which cannot be dis- tinguished from those of the Common Carrion-Crow. Habits. The Carrion-Crow is found up to 1,400 feet and higher during the hot weather but certainly breeds as low as 5,000 feet. In the winter it descends much lower and it was obtained by Magrath at Bannu. From its superficial resemblance to the Common Jungle-Crow it is possibly often overlooked and it may prove to be not uncommon in the plains in the extreme north- west of India. In Kashmir it is not rare but haunts the wilder parts of the country, thoagh on the Afghanistan and Baluchistan frontier it is, according to Whitehead, generally found in the neighbourhood of villages and mankind. Its voice is the usual croak of its tribe and its food is as omnivorous as that of the western bird. Corvus coronoides. Tue JuneLE-Crow. Our Indian Jungle-Crows have hitherto been known by the name of macrorhynchus, a name which really applies to their Javan cousin, but they are merely races of the Australian Jungle- Crow, and must therefore be known specifically by the name coronoides, though they form several well-defined subspecies. Key to Subspecies. A. Wing about 305 mm., billabout 60mm.. C. ¢. levaillanti, p. 27. B. Wing about 200mm, bill about 56mm.. C. ¢. culminatus, p. 28. C. Wing about 330mm. a. Bill about 60mm., more slender...... C. ¢. intermedius, p. 28. 6. Bill about 65 mm., more massive .... C. ec. andamanensis, p. 29. 26 CORVILD.. A feature which is also of some use in distinguishing gco- graphical races is the colour of the bases of the feathers. In southern birds these are nearly always very dark, in Central Indian birds they vary a great deal from pale dirty white to dark, whilst in the northern mountain birds when fully adult they are generally pale and often pure white. Andaman birds seem invariably to have the bases to their feathers a very pure white, and differ in this respect from their nearest allies in Assam and Fig. 5.—Foot of C. coronoides, Burma, from which it may be found necessary to separate them ; they agree with these, however, in their very heavy bills. As so much of the material for examination in museums is unsexed, it has been very difficult to draw conclusions from measurements. It must be remembered, however, that females on the whole run smaller than males and certainly have smaller, slighter bills. Although non-migratory birds and in their wilder coRvUS, 27 haunts keeping to very restricted areas, the races which have taken to scavenging cities and villages for food probably travel over very wide areas in the non-breediug season and the result of this habit is that we are often faced with conflicting measurements from the same locality. It is most noticeable in the geographical races of this Crow that the eggs are more easily differentiated than the birds themselves. (5) Corvus coronoides levaillanti. Tue Inpvian JunceiE-Crow. Corvus levaillanti Less., Traité d’Orn., p. 328 (1831) (Bengal). Corvus macrorhynchus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 17. Vernacular names. The Indian Corby, the Slender-billed Crow, Jerdon; Dhar or Dhal-Kawa (Hindi in the North); Karrial (Hindi); Dad-Kawa, Jungli-Kawa (Bengali). Description. Upper plumage glossy black, except the hind neck and sides of neck, which are almost glossless, and of which the feathers are disintegrated and silky, not of the intense black of the other parts, and with the shafts not conspicuously different from the webs. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown, or very dark almost black- brown ; legs, feet and bill black. Measurements. Length from about 430 to 510 mm. (about 17 to 20 inches); tail about 170 to 200 mm.; wing about 304 mm., but varying from about 290 to 330 mm.; culmwen about 60 mm, Distribution. The Common Indian Jungle-Crow extends over the whole of India south of the Himalayas, as far South as the Deccan and on the East to about the latitude of the Madras Presidency. To the North-east it is found upto the Bay of Benga!, but east of the Brahmaputra its place is taken by the Burmese form. Nidification. The breeding season of this race of Jungle- Crow over the greater portion of its habitat is from the middle of December to the middle of January but in the north-eastern portion of its range, such as Behar, Oudh, etc., it appears to lay in March and April. The nest is a very well-made neat cup of small and pliant twigs, much and compactly intermixed with leaves, moss, etc., and well lined with hair, grass or wool. It is generally placed high up in some tree away from villages and towns but may occasionally also be found building right inside the streets of big cities. The eggs number four or five, rarely six, and are quite typical Crows’ eggs, but, compared with those of the hill races, are much smaller and much paler in general tint. In shape also they average longer in proportion. One hundred eggs average 39°6 x 28'9 mm. 28 €ORVID.E. Habits. Normally the Jungle-Crow is, as its name implies, a bird of the forests and jungles rather than of cities and civiliza- tion : at the same time this particular race has taken to emulating the Indian House-Crow in haunting the abodes of men and, even where it still keeps to the jungles, generally selects places within easy distance of some village, possibly for the sake of the food it is able to sca\enge from it. It is not nearly so gregarious as the House-Crow, and, except in the towns, each pair has its own special territory, from which it excludes all others of its own kind. (6) Corvus coronoides culminatus. Tue Sovrarrn JunaLn-Crow. Corvus culminatus Sykes, P. Z. S., 1832, p. 96 (Deccan). Corvus macrorhynchus. Bianf. & Oates, i, p. 17. Vernacular names. Dheri-kawa (Hind. South); Maki (Telegu) ; Kadu-Kaka (Tel. Travancore); Kaka (Tamil) ; Goyegamma Kaka (Ceylon). : Description. Only differs from the previous bird in being smaller, with generally a smaller, more slender bill and in having the bases to the feathers nearly always dark in the adult as in the young. Colours of soft parts as in levaillanti. Measurements. Wing from 272 to 305 mm., in one case only 319 (possibly a wanderer), and averaging about 291 mm. Culmen about 55 to 56 mm. Distribution. India in the Madras Presidency southwards, the Deccan and south through Malabar and Travancore to the south of Ceylon. Nidification. In the northern portion of its habitat this Crow breeds in December to February, but in Ceylon it breeds in June and July, though possibly in other months also. The nest is similar to that of the Common Indian Jungle-Crow, but the 60 eggs available for measurement average only 38-0 x 28-1 mm. In colour they seem to be richer and darker than those of the northern bird and to be of a stouter, shorter oval. Habits. Similar to those of the other races, but it is perhaps more really a jungle bird than is levailianti. In Ceylon it is said (Wait) to keep much to the coastal areas, which are well forested. (7) Corvus coronoides intermedius. Tue Himatayan JuneiEe-Crow. Corvus intermedius Adams, P. Z. S., 1859, p. 171 (Kashmir). Corvus macrorhynchus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 17. Vernacular names. Ulakpho (Lepcha); Ulak (Bhutea). Description. A very large bird with a bill little if anything CORVUS. 29 larger than that of the Northern Indian race. In adults the bases of the feathers are generally pale and in some pure white. Colours of soft parts as in levadilanti. Measurements. Wing averaging over 330 mm. and running up to as much as 368 in two birds, one from Simla and one from Sikkim. If birds from only the higher portions of their habitat were taken, the wing average would probably be well over 340 mm., but the average is greatly decreased by late summer birds, whieh may well be visitors from the plains wandering into the hills after breeding. Thus both in Murree and Mussoorie individuals occur with wings of about 290 mm. and there is a specimen in the British Museum from Gilgit with a wing of only 285 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Afghanistan to Bhutan and ? Dafla Hills. Nidification. This form is essentially a jungle-breeder, though it may place its nest in forest not far trom habitations. Round about Simla the deodar is a favourite nesting site, the nest being placed very high up and even better and more compactly built than that of the plains’ birds. The clutch is bigger also, five being not uncommon and six sometimes met with. The eggs average 44-8 x 30-0 mmm. and are much more richly and brightly coloured than are the eggs of the plains’ birds. The breeding season lasts from the middle of March to the end of May. Habits. The Himalayan Jungle-Crow is found from the foot- hills up to at least 10,000 feet, though it may not be common at this elevation. Birds from the hot country below 1,000 or even 2,000 feet elevation are intermediate between the plains and the mountain forms and cannot be correctly assigned to either. This is, of course, the case in intermediate areas between geographical races of all species. The Himalayan bird is not so much addicted to haunting the vicinity of human habitations as is the Common Jungle-Crow and pairs may be found inhabiting stretches of forest far from any camp or village. Its voice is notably louder and deeper than that-of the plains’ bird. (8) Corvus coronoides andamanensis. Tur ANDAMAN JuNGLE-Crow. Corvus andamanensis Tytler, Beavan, Ibis, 1866, p. 420 (Pt. Blair, Andamans). : Corvus macrorhynchus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 17. Vernacular names. Kuk-sorai, Jungla Kak-sorai (Assamese); Hagrant Dao-ka (Cachari) ; Inrui-kak (Kacha Naga); Vo-kal: (Kuki); Z'aw-chegan (Burmese); Awak (Siamese). 30 CORVIDE. Description. This race is distinguished from the Himalayan bird by its long, very stout bill and from the other races by its greater size. Measurements. Wing about 325 mm.; the males run from 304 to 345 mm. and the females from about 290 to 321 mm, The bill is very long, never under 58, generally well over 60 and. running up to 70 mm., the average being about 65 mm. In addition to its length it is stouter and heavier than in any other form. Distribution. Andamans, Assam, Burma, and North and West Siam. I cannot find any satisfactory character which suffices to separate the Andaman birds from the others. In all the island adults the bases to the feathers are very pure white, whereas in the Assam and Burmese birds they range from almost pure black to more than equally pure white. Northern birds have more white than southern, but even this is only a question of degree in average. Nidification. In Assam and N. Burma almost entirely a jungle bird; in Central and Lower Burma it frequents the neigh- bourhood of human habitations more freely, occasionally building its nest in towns and villages. The nest is the neatest and best built of any made by Crows, and J] have seen specimens made entirely of moss and moss roots and so neatly lined with hair and fur that they would have been a credit to any bird architect. The eggs number four to six and differ from those of intermedius in being duller, browner and darker in their general tint and being some- what broader in proportion to their length. They average 43-1316 mm. In Assam and Upper Burma the breeding season is during Apriland May but in Lower Burma and Siam January and February are the laying months. Habits. These do not differ from those of the other Jungle- Crows, but over a considerable portion of their northern range they are shy, retiring birds, generally frequenting heavy forest and never scavenging round about villages. Each pair has its own territory over which it hunts and in the breeding season it is most destructive to other birds’ eggs and young. It ascends the hills up to some 6,000 feet but is not common above this height, though it wanders up to 8,000 or even 9,000 feet. It occurs al] over the plains except, perhaps, in the driest portions of Central Burma. (9) Corvus frugilegus tschusii. Tus Easrern Rook. Corvus frugilegus tschusit Hartert, Vog. Pal.,i, p. 14 (1903) (Gilgit). Corvus fruyilegus, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 18. Vernacular names. None recorded. 7 CORVUS. 31 Description. The whole plumage black; the head, neck and lower plumage richly glossed with purplish blue, the upper plumage with violet-purple ; the base of the bill and face without any feathers and showing up white. The Eastern race differs trom the typical bird in being smaller and especially in having a smaller, more slender bill. Colours of soft parts. Bill and feet black; iris deep brown; facial skin white. Measurements. Total length about 480 mm. or less; wing about 300 mm.; tail about 160 mm.; culmen 52 to 60 mm. The Nestling is without any gloss at first, but quickly assumes it. Until about 10 to L2 months old the face is fully feathered ; the nasal bristles are then cast, and by the time the bird is a year old the face is entirely denuded of feathers. Whitehead says that the Eastern form does not shed its facial feathers until April or until it is practically a year old. Fig. 6.—Head of C. f. tschusii. Nidification. The Eastern Rook breeds in Persia, Turkestan and North-West Siberia, and probably Ladakh. A nest taken for me by a native collecter was built on a small tree aid contained three eggs, similar to those of the Common Rook and measuring 34°0 x 26:0; 33°6x25°9; and 34:1x 25:0 mm. The female was shot on the nest. Habits. The Eastern Rook is a very common winter visitor to the North-West Himalayas and occasionally wanders into the plains, having been killed at Abbottabad. Whitehead and Magrath report it as visiting Kohat in enormous numbers. The Rook frequents the better cultivated parts of the country and feeds in ploughed and grass-covered lands on worms, snails, grubs and grasshoppers, etc. In Europe the Western form breeds in large societies but there is little on record about the Eastern form. 32 CORVIDA, (10) Corvus cornix sharpii. Tne Eastern Hoopvep Crow. ' Corvus sharp Oates, Avifauna of B: I., i, p. 20 (1889) (Siberia). Corvus cornix. Blanf. & Oates, i. p. 19. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Entire head and neck, the central part of the upper breast, the wings, tail and thighs glossy black ; remainder of the plumage drab-grey ; the shafts of the upper parts black, those of the lower brown. The light parts in the Common Hooded Crow are ashy-grey of quite a different tint and the races are easily separable. Colours of soft parts. Legs and bill black; irides dark brown. Measurements. Total length about 480 mm.; wing about 320 to 340 mm.; tail about 200 mm.; culmen 47 to 54 mm.; tarsus about 55 mm. Distribution. Breeding in West Siberia, Turkestan and Afghanistan, and migrating south to the extreme north-west of India, Punjab, Gilgit and the North-West Frontier. Rare visitor to Kashmir, where Mr. T. 8. Livesey records seeing it; this was on Jan. 10th near the Hokra Jheel. The birds of S8.E. Persia seem to be nearer to this race than to C. ¢. capellanus. Nidification. Mr. A. J, Currie obtained what he considered to be this form of Hooded Crow breeding in great numbers in and about Kerman, 8.E. Persia, at; considerable elevations. The nests were of sticks, twigs, roots, etc., lined with somewhat finer material and placed in trees both evergreen and deciduous. The eggs number four or five and are laid in early April. They are quite indistinguishable from those of the Common Hooded Crow and measure about 42°2x29°6 mm. They vary in coloration to the same extent as all Crows’ eggs do. Habits. The Hooded Crow has much the same habits as the Carrion-Crow, being shy and frequenting the more barren parts of the countries it inhabits. In addition to eating the usual food of its ally, it is said to feed on grain and to be found in fields searching the ground like the Rook. A common winter visitor to the extreme North-west of India. This form of Hooded Crow as well as the European form seems to interbreed freely over part of their northern habitat with the Carrion-Crow. Corvus splendens. Key to Subspecies. A. Difference between grey and black portion of plumage well defined.............-.. C. 8. splendens, p. 33, B. Pale portions of plumage very pale contrast- ing strongly with dark ...... ag Se vuaseanioate C. 8. sugmayeri, p. 34. CORVUS. 33 C. Contrast between pale and dark plumage very slight and ill-defined .............. C. s. insolens, p. 34. D. Contrast between pale and dark plumage slight, yet easy to define .............. C. 8. protegatus, p. 35. (11) Corvus splendens splendens. Tue Common Inpran Hovsz-Crow. Corvus splendens Vieill., Nouv. Dict. d’Hist, Nat., viii, p. 44 (1817) (Bengal) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 20. Vernacular names. Kawa, Pati-kawa, Desi-kawar (Hindi in various districts); Kag or Kak (Bengali); Myen-Kwak (Manipur) ; Kak-sorai (Assam); Noni Das-kak (Cachari); Manchi Kaki (Tel.); Naila Kaka (Tamil). Description. Forehead, crown, lores, cheeks, chin and throat deep glossy black; nape, ear-coverts, the whole head, upper back and breast light ashy brown; wings, tail and remainder of upper plumage glossy black; lower plumage from the breast dull brown- ish black; the feathers of the throat are lanceolate and the whole of the black portions of the plumage are highly resplendent with purple-blue and greenish reflections. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; legs and bill black. Measurements. Length about 420 to 440 mm.; wing from about 250 to 275 mm.; tail about 170 mm,; tarsus about 50 mm. and culmen 45 mm. Distribution. The whole of India, except Sind and perhaps the extreme north-west, to the extreme south, Assam, Manipur, Lushai and the north of Arrakan and the Chin Hills. Nidification. The breeding season varies very greatly according to locality. In the greater part of Bengal and its eastern range it breeds in March and April, but in Dacca I found it breeding in December, January and again in April and May; in its north- western range it breeds in May, June and July; and in Assam, Manipur and N. Burma in April and May. The nest is a rough affair of sticks lined with smaller twigs and other miscellaneous softer material, and is placed at all heights in trees, growing in and round about cities, towns and villages. The eggs number four or five or sometimes six, very rarely seven. ‘I'hey are typical Crows’ eggs and run through the same range of variations as do those of all the Corvide. The ground is any shade of blue-green, and the markings are of dull reddish and brown with secondary markings of grey and neutral tint, usually they are small and-irregular in shape and are scattered profusely over the whole egg. The average of 100 eggs is 37-2 x 27 mm. Habits. The Indian House-Crow is one of the most familiar birds throughout its habitat, whatever race it may belong to. It haunts human habitations and follows human beings as civiliza- tion gradually usurps the place of jungle or forest and wherever VOL. I. v 34 CORVID. man is, there, sooner or later, it will surely be found. Probably originally purely a plains’ bird it has followed rail and road routes into the hills almost everywhere, being now found in hill stations at elevations of 6,000 and 7,000 feet or even higher. Whitehead says that in the Kurram (this is probably zugmayert) it remains in the hills all the year round except in very severe weather but in most of the higher haunts it is a winter visitor only, It is one of the boldest, yet one of the most astute of birds, and whilst on the one hand it will snatch food from the very hands of the Indian servants, a very few shots will keep every crow in the neighbourhood out of shot until the gun is put away. In many cities and towns they are so numerous as to become an actual pest and measures have to be taken to suppress them. (12) Corvus splendens zugmayeri. Tur Stnp Hovss-Crow. Corvus zugmayert Laubm., Orn. Monatsb., xxi, p. 93 (1919) (Las ‘Bela, S.E. Baluchistan), Corvus splendens. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 20. Vernacular names. Pat-Kawar (Hind.). Description. Like C. s. splendens, but with the pale parts almost white and showing in sharp contrast to the black. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the Common House-Crow. Distribution. Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Sind, Mekran coast and 8.E. Persia as far north as Fao. It is common in Kashmir, where it breeds, and wanders into the Punjab. Nidification. The breeding season of the Sind House-Crow appears to commence in the latter half of June as soon as the monsoon breaks. It breeds in immense numbers all round and in Karachi and as nesting sites are here not too common, for trees are comparatively few, many eggs are thrown out of the nest during squabbles between the owner of the nest and other crows. Nest and eggs are like those of the other races but the nest is often ‘placed on quite low bushes, especially if they are thorny ones. Sixty eggs collected for me by General R, Betham average 37:5 x 25°8 mm. Habits. These do not differ from those of the other races. (13) Corvus splendens insolens. Tue Burmese Hovse-Crow, Corvus insolens Hume, S, F., ii, p. 480 (1874) (Te ae Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 21. te (1874) (Tenasserim) ; Vernacular names. Kyeegan, Chegan (Burmese). CORVUS. 35 Description. Similar to the Indian House-Crow, but with the dark parts shading into the lighter, which are ill-defined and a blackish grey. Distribution. Burma, Siam, Yunnan, Cochin China and the north of the Malay Peninsula. Its southern limit is not known, but it extends to villages some way south of Mergui. Birds from Assam, N. Chin Hills and N. Arrakan are somewhat intermediate as would be expected, but are nearer splendens than ingolens. Wickham reports that he found the Common Crow at Sandoway to be splendens and not the Burmese form. Nidification. Indistinguishable from that of splendens. One hundred eggs average 35:1 x 26:1 mm. Habits. In Burma this race takes the place of the Indian bird in every way, and is its equal in familiar insolence and crafty care for its own safety. (14) Corvus splendens protegatus. Tue Crrton Hovss-Crow, Corvus splendens protegatus Madar., Orn, Monatsb., xii, p. 195 (1904) (Colombo). Corvus splendens. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 20. ’ Vernacular names. Manchi Kaki (Tel.); Nalla Kaki (Tam.) ; Karari-Kaki, Kakum (Ceylon); Graya (Portuguese in Ceylon). Description. Very similar to ihsolens, but the light parts are not quite so dark as in that race and are more easily defined from the black. Colours of soft parts as in splendens. Measurements. A rather smaller bird than splendeas; wing generally between 220 and 250mm. ; other parts in proportion. Distribution. Ceylon only. Specimens from the extreme south of Travancore are very dark eompared with Northern Indian birds, but are nearer to those than to the small dark Ceylon subspecies. Nidification. One hundred eggs collected by Messrs. W. E. Wait and W. W. A. Phillips average 34°8 x 25:6 mm., and are not dis- tinguishable in colour from those of other races, Habits. Though neither so numerous nor so ubiquitous in Ceylon as its confreres in other parts, there is no difference to be recorded in their habits.* * Corvus splendens maledevicus Rehw. (Wiss. Erg. D. Tiefsee-Exp., p. 356, 1904) appears to be described from some form of House-Crow. imported into the Maldives. Only a single specimen was obtained. It is impossible to say what race this bird is, and the name cannot be maintained. p2 36 CORVIDE. (15) Corvus monedula sommeringii. Tue Eastery Jaoxpaw. Corvus semmeringii Fischer, Mém. Soc. Imp, Natur. Moscou, i, p. 3 (1811) (Moscow). Corvus monedula. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 22. ' Vernacular names. Paya (Tibetan). Description. Forehead and crown glossy black; nape and hind neck dusky grey; sides of the head and neck light grey, almost white, and forming a halt-collar on the posterior portion of the side of the neck; lores blackish; upper plumage, wings and tail bluish black with a considerable amount of gloss; chin and cheeks black with grey shaft-streaks ; throat and fore neck entirely black ; remainder of lower plumage slaty black with very little gloss. Fig. 7.—Head of C. m. semmeringii. Colours of soft parts. Iris nearly white; legs, feet and bill black. Measurements. Length about 320 to 340 mm.; wing 230 to 250 mw; tail about 135 mm.; tarsus about 44 mm.; culmen 32 to 34 min. Distribution. Breeding from Eastern Russia, Macedonia, Bul- garia, Turkey, through Asia as far east as the Yenesei and south to Persia, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Ludakh and Eastern Tibet In winter it wanders into the plains, being numerous close to the Himalayas and having been found as far south as Ferozepore, Jhelum and Kalabagh, and as far east as Umballa. Nidification. The Eastern Jackdaw breeds in great numbers in Kashmir, West Ladakh, Gilgit, etc., making its nest of all kinds of rubbish in old buildings, hollow trees and holes in cliffs. It lays four to seven eggs—of a very pale sea-green colour, sparsely marked with spots and specks of dark brown and purple. ‘They average about 342 X 249 mm. in size but vary very much both in length and breadth, even in the same clutch. The breeding season com- mences in April but eggs may be found until the end of June. PICA, 37 Habits. This Jackdaw is in habits much the same as its western cousin but in the wilder parts of its habitat it is essentially a cliff bird. It is very fond of company, and numerous birds are often seen tugether, though it can hardly be called gregarious like the Rook. Its food consists of all kinds of grain, seeds, fruit and insects. It will also kill and eat mice, lizards and nestlings of other species, though not nearly to the same extent as the Carrion- Crow or Raven. Our Indian and Central Asian bird has been again separated by Kleinschmidt as having the under parts darker and the wing longer than in Russian birds but the fine series in the British Museum does not endorse this diagnosis, Genus PICA Brisson, 1760. There is but one species of Pica in India containing three sub- species which grade into one another in the areas where they meet, but which are well differentiated over large tracts of country in which their characteristics are quite constant. Fig. 9.—First primary of P. pica bactriana. Pica differs from Corvus in having a very long graduated tail and in having a first primary of very peculiar shape. The Magpies are, however, more addicted to well-wooded districts ; they are equally wary and they are almost omnivorous. 38 CORVIDE, Pica pica. Key. to Subspecies. A. A white rump, sometimes reduced to a dull grey band. ‘ ; a. Gloss on wings green. .........0.005 P. p, bactriana, p. 38. b. Gloss on wings File sguecenentyecee: P. p. serica, p. 39. B. Rump wholly black .............0000 P. p. bottanensis, p. 39. (16) Pica pica bactriana. THE Kasamin Macpir, Pica bactriana Bonap., Conspect., i, p. 383 (1650) (Kandahar). Pica rustica. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 24. Vernacular names. Akha (Cabul); Ag ag (Mesop.). Description. The entire head and neck, the upper plumage, breast, thighs, vent and under tail-coverts black, the rump with a broad white band across it; scapulars, abdomen, and the greater portion of the primaries white; wings brilliantly glossed with blue, and the tail with green, lilac and purple. Differs from the British Magpie in having a broader white rump band. It is said also to be larger; Hartert gives the European bird a wing of 155 to 193 mm. and bactriana a wing of 210 mm. and over. .I find, however, that whilst many English birds have a wing of over 210 mm., many Indian specimens have it under 190 mm. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Measurements. Wing 182 to 227 mm., generally well over 200mm.; tail anything from 200 to 270mm., usually about 240 mm.; culmen 30 to 32mm.; tarsus from 40 to 45mm. Distribution. Throughout Northern Asia to Kamschatka and South to South Persia, Afghanistan and Kashmir. It is found also in Kumaun, the Simla Hills and Garhwal, but not apparently in Nepal. Nidification. The Kashmir Magpie seems to be resident and to breed wherever found. It is very common in Kashmir, breeding in great numbers between 6,000 and 10,0U0 feet, making a nest like that of others of its tribe—a cup of twigs, bents and roots with a dome of twigs, often with moss, thorns, and lined with roots or wool. It is usually placed well up in a fairly high tree but sometimes comparatively low down in thorny bushes. The eggs number four to seven and are indistinguishable from those of the Common Magpie. The ground-colour is a pale sea-blue green and the markings consist of small blotches, freckles and spots of dull reddish brown, scattered profusely all over the ege but more numerous at the Jarger end. ‘They average 35:7 x 24-4 mm. The breeding season is from early April to late May, according to elevation. PICA. 39 Habits. The Magpie is found in well-wooded parts of the country and near cultivation. Two or more pairs may often be seen in company, and in parts of Kashmir where they are very common several birds may be found together. They do not come very low down the hills in winter, and are seldom found below 5,000 feet. They are very conspicuous birds on the wing, their black and white plumage, long waving tail and undulating flight quickly attracting the eye. They eat insects, fruit and grain, and their voice is typically harsh and Corvine in character. (17) Pica pica serica. Tur CHINESE MacPte, Pica serica Gould, P. Z. S., 1845, p. 2 (Amoy, China). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. “Closely allied to the Common Magpie but differs in the wings being blue instead of green, in the rather less extent of the white” (Gould). Gould also says that this form has a larger bill and a much longer tarsus. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in bactriana. Distribution. Upper Burmese Hills, through China to South Japan, north to Korea and south to Hainan and Formosa. Nidification. This Magpie breeds freely in the Chin and Kachin Hills and in Shan States in February, March and early April, and eggs were also taken by Styan in Foochow in the latter month. In N.E. Chibli, La Touche found it breeding in May and June. Nest and eggs are similar to those of P. p. bactriana, forty of the eggs averaging 35°5 x 24'3 mm. In the Chin Hills this bird is often victimized by the Koel, and Col. Harington found many Koels’ eggs in Magpies’ nests. Habits. Similar to those of other members of the genus. According to La Touche it is migratory in China, assembling in large flocks prior to commencing its journey southwards. In Burma it is resident. (18) Pica pica bottanensis, Tur Buack-numpip Maerz. Pica bottanensis Delessert, Rev. Zool., 1840, p. 100 (Butan); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 25. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the Common Magpie, but with the rump entirely black. It is much larger, with a shorter tail. Colours of soft parts as in P. p. bactriana. Measurements. Length about 525 mm.; wing from 225 to 40 CORVIDA. 270 mm., generally over 250 mm.; tail from 250 to 300 mm. ; tarsus 56 mm.; culmen about 80 to 85 mm. Distribution. Sikkim, Bhutan and East Tibet to Kansu. ‘ Nidification. This fine Magpie breeds both in Sikkim and South and East Tibet at heights over 10,000 feet and up to nearly 15,000 feet The nest is similar to that of the Common Magpie but is often placed comparatively low down in thorn-bushes. ‘The eggs number from four to six in a full clutch, and are rather dark as a series but otherwise like those of other species of Pica. They are very big and forty-eight eggs average 38-7 x 26°7 mm. The birds breed from early April, when there is still snow about, through May and rarely, possibly a second time, in June. Habits. Similar to those of other birds of the genus. Genus UROCISSA Cabanis, 1850. The genus Urocissa contains a few brightly plumaged Magpies which are found in India and China. They diifer from the true Fig. 10.—Head of U. m. occipitalis. Magpies in having the nostrils, which are covered by rather soft plumes, not by stiff bristles, situated near the base of the bill; in having a longer tail and a bill which is red or yellow but never black. Key to Species. A. Bill red. Nuchal white peteh large, reaching to the end of the black on the hind neck :sscgcsseeces ees eekie, ase U. melanocephala, p. 40. B. Bill yellow. Nuchal patch small, not reaching to the end of the black ...... U. flavirostris, p. 48. Urocissa melanocephala. Key to Subspecies. A. Patch on the head pale blue .......... U, m. melanocephala, B. Patch on the head pure white. p a, Bill smaller, under 83 mm. .......... U. m. occipitalis, p. 41. 6. Bill larger, over 833mm. ............ U. m. magnirostris, p. 4 2 UROCISSA. 41 (19) * Urocissa melanocephala melanocephala. Tue Cuiness Rep-Bittep Macpis. Coracias melanocephalus Lath., Ind. Orn., i, p. 170 (1790) (China). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Head, neck and breast black; a large patch on the nape, continued down the back lavender- or pale blue-grey, and feathers of the fore crown tipped with the same colour ; lower plumage greyish white with a bluish sheen; under tail- coverts the same, but bluer and with a black band at the tips of the feathers with a greyish-white subterminal band; tail azure- blue, broadly tipped with white and all but the central pair of feathers with a broad subterminal band of black ; wings dull blue- brown, the primaries edged with brighter blue and brown on the inner webs; the inner secondaries blue on both webs. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or red-brown; Dill and feet coral-red to crimson, claws horny. Measurements. Total length about 550 mm.; wing 180 to 200 mm.; tail 375 to 425 mm. ; tarsus about 45 mm.; culmen about 32 to 33 mm. Distribution. China and Yunnan. A bird from the South Shan States, perhaps from the extreme East, seems referable to this subspecies. Nidification. In Chihli, La Touche took its nests and eggs in May. He describes them as having a clayey-brown ground-colour, very heavily marked. Two clutches sent to me are green eggs, very small, about 29 x 24 mm., and just like Koels’ eggs. There may possibly be some mistake about them. The breeding season seems to be May. Habits. These appear to be similar to those of our Indian birds. (20) Urocissa melanocephala occipitalis. Tap Rep-sitLEp Buur Maeris. Psilorhinus occipitalis Blyth, J. A.S.B., xv, p. 27 (1846) (N.W. Himalayas). Urocissa occipitalis, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 26. Vernacular names. Nilkhant (at Mussoorie); Digg-Dul (Simla). Description. Similar to U. m. melanocephala, but can be distinguished at a glance by its white nape-patch. The back is more purple, with a blue sheen rather than lavender-brown. Colours of soft parts and Measurements much the same as in the preceding bird. * Corvus erythrorhynchus Gmel., Syst. Nat., i, p. 372 (1788) is preoccupied by Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enlum., p. 38, 1783. 42 CORVIDS. Distribution. N.W. Himalayas through Nepal and Sikkim to Tibet. Nidification. This bird breeds commonly over a great portion of the Himalayas in the north-west at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet.. The nest is a roughly made cup of twigs and coarse roots lined with finer roots and fern rachides, and generally placed some 10 to 20 feet from the ground in a small tree in evergreen forest. The eggs, which number three to six, vary very much in colour. The ground ranges from a very pale yellowish stone-colour to a darkish, rather reddish stone-colour ; rarely there is a faint green tinge but this is quite exceptional. The markings consist of small specks and blotches, or all small irregular blotches, of various shades of brown, sienna or reddish brown, with a few underlying ones of pale sienna and purple. As a rule they are richly marked handsome eges but are not, as they have often been described, like those of Magpies except in general character. They measure about 33-9 x 23-9 mm. Habits. This Blue Magpie is found in small parties, probably consisting of the parent birds and their last brood. They keep much to evergreen forest at elevations between 5,000 and 12,000 feet, descending lower in the winter but never to the plains as does the next bird. Their flight is slow and undulating and they are rather noisy birds, especially during the breeding season. According to Col. Rattray, they are much given to feeding on the ground. Like all Magpies they are said to be addicted to stealing eges and young of other birds. (21) Urocissa melanocephala magnirostris, Tur BurMEsE Rep-BILLED BLUE MacrPiez. Psilorhinus magnirostris Blyth, J: A. 8S. B., xv, p. 27 (1846) (Ya Ma Ding Mt.). Urocissa occipitalis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 26. Vernacular name. Hnet-daw-pya (Burmese). Description. Diifers from oceipitalis in having a darker back, more suffused with purple-blue, and it also differs both from that bird and from melanocephala in having no white tips to the primaries. Colours of soft parts as in melanocephala. Measurements. This is a slightly larger bird than occipitalis, with a wing of about 200 to 210 mm. and a much larger bill, 36 to 37 mm. Distribution, Hills south of the Brahmaputra, Manipur and Burma to Siam. It is very rare in the Khasia, N. Cachar and Manipur Hills, but more common in the Naga Hills and compara- tively common in the Chin and Kachin Hills, West Shan States and North Siam. UROCISSA. 43 Nidification. Similar to that of occipitalis, but the eggs are quite different. The ground-colour seems always to be a very pale salon or pink stone-colour ard the marks consist of light reddish blotches and freckles over the whole surface, with numerous others underlying them of pale neutral tint. Eggs taken by Col. Bingham and by Messrs. Hopwood, Mackenzie and Harington were all of this description and I have seen none of occipitalis anything like them. The full clutch numbers three to six. The breeding season is March to April in Lower Burma, April and May in Upper Burma. Habits. This bird is said to come right down into the plains in winter and even to breed at very low elevations. In Assam and Northern Burma it keeps to the higher ranges and is seldom found below 5,000 feet. They are said to keep much to the deciduous forests in Burma, but in Assam haunt rhododendron, oak and mixed evergreen forests, Urocissa flavirostris. Key to Subspecies. A. Under parts a rather dark lilac.......... U. ft. flavirostris, p. 48. B. Under parts almost pure white .......... U. f. cucullata, p. 44. (22) Urocissa flavirostris flavirostris. Tun YELLOW-BILLED Maarten. Psilorhinus flavirostris Blyth, J.A.S. B., xv, p. 28 (1846) (Darjeeling). Urocissa flavirostris. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 27. Vernacular names. Tying-jongring (Lepcha); Pianging-jabring (Bhutea). Description. Head, neck and breast black, the nape white and the feathers of the crown tipped white; back, scapulars, rump and upper tail-coverts purplish ashy, the last tipped black and with a narrow pale band in front of the black; wing-coverts, the outer webs of the primaries and outer secondaries and the whole of the inner secondaries purplish blue; all the quills tipped white, the earlier primaries whitish on the terminal half of the outer web; tail blue with a broad white tip and all but the central pair of feathers with a subterminal black band; lower plumage from the breast downwards lilac tinged with purple. Colours of soft parts. Iris bright yellow; bill pale wax- yellow to a strong wax-yellow; legs and teet bright orange-yellow. Measurements. Length about 630 to 650 mm.; wing from 178 to 190 mm.; tail up to 470 mm.; culmen about 65 mm. The female is similar to the. male but generally smaller, wing 170 to 180 mm. and the iris is a dull blue-brown. 44 CORVIDA, Distribution. Bhutan, Sikkim and hills N. of the Brahma- putra, probably Eastern Nepal. Chin Hills. Nidification. I have one egg of this race from Chambi, north of Sikkim, taken from the usual twig nest at an elevation of some 9,000 or 10,000 feet. The egg is erythristic and almost certainly abnormal. The ground-culour is a very pale cream and the markings are bright reddish brown with others underlying of pale neutral tint. It measures 32:0 x 22-9 mm. and was taken on the 7th May. Habits. These probably do not differ from those of the better known Western form but it may be a bird of higher elevations, as my collectors assured me they met with it in Chambi in Tibet at about 11,000 feet. It is found at 6,000 to 8,000 feet round about Darjeeling and keeps much to the evergreen forests. A form of this Magpie extends well into Burma, but the only skin I have seen thence differed in many respects from the normal type, and further material may prove it to be a new subspecies. (23) Urocissa flavirostris cucullata. THE WESTERN YELLOW-BILLED Magpin. Urocissa cucullata Gould, B. of A., v, pl. 51 (1861) (Kulu Valley). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the last but altogether a paler bird, and more especially so in the lower parts, which are almost pure white with scarce a tinge of lilac. Distribution. N.W. Himalayas and W. Nepal. Nidification. This Magpie breeds wherever found above 5,000 feet. It is common at Simla and again in the galis in the Murree Hills, where Rattray, Buchanan and others have tuken many nests. The breeding season appears to be May but Major Lindsay Smith took one nest as late as the 15th July. Tt lays three or four eggs and both these and the nests are much like those of the Red-billed Magpie. As a whole, however, the eggs are duller and not so boldly marked. They measure 33°8 x 23-1 mm. (60 eggs) and do not differ in shape or texture from those of occipitalis. Habits. This Magpie, like the red-billed bird, haunts prin- cipally evergreen forests and heavy jungle. It is equally omnivorous and equally an enemy to small mammals, unfledged young of other birds, and to insects of al) kinds. It eats fruit greedily in captivity and probably also in a wild state. It is a shy and rather retiring bird and is never found in the vicinity of villages and cultivation. The call is very harsh and penetrating, and during the breeding season is freely indulged in, CISSA. 45 Genus CISSA Boie, 1826. The genus Cissa contains, among others, two Indian Magpies of very beautiful plumage. They differ from the Magpies of the genus Urocissa in having a much shorter tail and the eyelids wattled at the edges, a feature which is very distinct in life and generally visible in some degree in dry skins. Jerdon, very properly, placed this bird between Urocissa and Dendrocitta, but wrongly called it a Jay. Oates, in view of its long tail and bright coloration, more correctly termed it a Magpie, a name which is now generally accepted. The Magpies of this genus are forest birds of shy habits, feeding both on trees and low bushes and sometimes on the ground. In the construction of their nests they resemble Urocissa and not Pica. They have red bills. Davison has mentioned (S. F. vi, p. 385) that the habits of these birds closely accord with those of Garrulax but the resemblance is not very striking, although it is a curious fact that in structure these two genera also possess certain altinities. Key to Species. A. Head and neck green ............. 000 e eee C. ¢. chinensis, p. 45. B. Head and neck chestnut ...............00- C. ornata, p. 46. (24) Cissa chinensis chinensis. Tur Green Macptre. Coracias chinensis Bodd., Tabl. Pl. Enl., p. 88 (1783) (China). Cissa chinensis. Blant. & Oates, i, p. 28. Vernacular names. Zhe Green Jay, Jerdon ; Sirgang (Beug.); Chap-ling-pho (Lepcha) ; Jtab-ling-chapa (Bhutea) ; Pilitel (Dafla Hills); Lat Sorat (Assamese) ; Dao-gatang-lili (Cachari). Description. Head and neck greenish yellow; general body plumage green; lores and a band through each eye meeting on the nape, black ; cheeks, sides of neck and whole lower plumage paler green; tail green, the central feathers tipped with white, the others tipped with white and with a subterminal black band; lesser wing-coverts green, the other coverts red ; quills brown on the innér webs, red on the outer; the inner secondaries tipped with pale blue and with a band of black in front of the tips. Colours of soft parts. Iris blood-red, pale blue-brown in young birds; bill deep coral-red; legs coral-red; claws horny red; eyelids yellowish brown, the edges red. Measurements. Total length about 370 to 380 mm. ; wing about 150 mm.; tail about 200 mm.; tarsus about 40 mw.; culmen about 37 mm. The plumage of this bird in ill-health, in captivity and after death changes greatly ; the yellow pigment all evaporates, leaving 46 CORVIDE, the bright green a dull blue whilst the red also fades greatly, young birds occasionally have the whole lowe? parts almost white and in some adults the green is partially replaced by bright azure- blue. ; Distribution. Himalayas from the Jamna Valley to the extreme east of Assam, North and South of the Bramaputra, Eastern Bengal, Burma, Shan States and Northern Siam. Nidification. The breeding season in thé Himalayas commences in the last few days of March and continues through April and May, a few birds laying in June and even in July but these latter may be second broods. They build cup-shaped nests of twigs, leaves, grass, roots and bamboo-leaves, lined with roots and placed on a high bush, small sapling or a clump of bamboos. The eggs number from four to six, in Burma often only three and are very magpie- like in their general appearance, but more grey and not green in general tone. Here and there a rather reddish clutch may be found and even more rare, a clutch that is almost white. They measure on an average for 200 eggs 30°2 x 22°9 mm. This Jay breeds at all elevations from the foot-hills to nearly 4,000 feet, but is not common above 2,500 feet. Habits. This beautiful Magpie is an inhabitant of low- level, evergreen forests and heavy jungle, but may also be found in bamboo-jungle and the more dry, deciduous forests, such as oak, etc. In Burma they seem to be more often found in dry open parts than in the heavier evergreen cover. Their name “Hunting Jay,” or “ Hunting Magpie,” is well applied, as they are determined hunters of big insect life and of small unfledged birds, ete., and for their quarry they will regularly quarter the country they work over. They feed alike on high trees, scrub- jungle and actually on the ground itself. Their notes are very harsh and strident and they are rather noisy birds although shy and wild. (25) Cissa ornata. Tue CreyYtonesa Maeprin. Pica ornata Wagler, Isis, 1829, p. 749 (India Orientali), Cissa ornata. Bilanf. & Oates, i, p. 29. Vernacular names. Kahabella (Ceylon). Description. Whole head, neck, upper back and upper breast rich chestnut ; remainder of the body plumage bright blue, suffused with cobalt next the chestnut of the neck; tail blue tipped with white and subterminally with black; wing-coverts brown, more or less margined and suffused with blue; quills chestnut on the outer webs, black on the inner, changing to blue on the inner secondaries ; thighs dusky purple. Colours of soft parts. Iris light brown to dark brown; eyelid deep red; orbital skin somewhat paler; bill, legs and feet coral- red, claws more horny and yellowish at their bases. DENDROCITIA. 47 Measurements. Total length about 400 to 420 mm.; tail about 235 to 255 mm.; wing about 155 to 170 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm.; culmen about 37 mm. Distribution. Ceylon only. The type-locality must be restricted to Ceylon. Nidification. According to Legge, the breeding season of the Ceylon Magpie is December to February but eggs collected for me by Mr. J. E. Jenkins were taken in February and March and two clutches purchased with the skins of the old birds from Lazarus, a small dealer in Slave Island, were both taken in April. The nest is said to be like that of the preceding bird and to be in tall bushes in evergreen jungle. The eggs are large replicas of those of Cissa chinensis, measuring about 32°2 x 23:2 mm. Habits. Apparently similar to those of the Indian Green Magpie; Legge describes it as haunting evergreen forest up to at least 7,000 feet but also found it in similar forest in the foot-hills. It is a noisy bird, uttering its discordant notes both when perching and flying, so that but for its keeping to very dense cover its voice would have led long ago to its extermination by the plume-hunter. Genus DENDROCITTA Gould, 1833. In the Tree-pies we have a collection of birds which are closer to Pica than to either Urocissa or Cissa, inasmuch as they Have black bills and very numerous stiff, but somewhat short, bristles completely concealing the nostrils. The bill, however, is short, with the commissure greatly curved and in one species, D. bayleyi, the tail approaches the next genus in structure, the central tail- feathers being gradually enlarged throughout their length, not suddenly at the tip as in Crypsirhina. The Tree-pies are sociable, associating in small flocks and they are arboreal, seldom descending to the ground, They havea series of clear metallic notes, which sound very pleasantly in the jungle. They construct large nests, generally in trees, and lay eggs ‘which are less Corvine in appearance than those of the true Magpies. Their food consists of both fruit and insects. Key to Species. a. Crown brown, abdomen rufous ...,.... D. rufa, p. 48. db. Crown black, abdomen and hind neck oe WHILE) - i scssy tra a yecsrtip Wario aelaminte eames D, leucogastra, p. 51. Sst aR eres ONL tp lahie de dud ie yOvcarvisiamtndeerdars D. sinensis, p. 52. d, No white spot on wing................ D. frontalis, p. 54. sissauatsyw.abectendeel ng D. bayleyi, p. 55. 48 CORVIDZ. Dendrocitta rufa. This species extends over a very wide area and, as might be expected, varies greatly in different portions of its range, though their variations have until now been almost entirely overlooked. Lanius rufus of Linné*, the name which has generally been accepted as applicable to this bird, cannot be used as it is pre- oceupied by bim in anearlier page of the same work. Curiously enough, however, Latham* independently named it Corvus rufus a few years later from a bird obtained on the Malabar coast, so the name rufus will, therefore, still hold good. Fig. 11.—Head of D. rufa rufa. Key to Subspecies. A. Colours of head and back contrasting strongly. a. Lighter both above and below and not nearly so richly coloured ......... ... D. rufa rufa, p. 48. 6, Darker and more richly coloured above and DOLOW fissrinss Deni Mak nescopinarcatenas D. 1, vagabunda, p. 50. B. Colours of head and back blending with one another. ce. Tail 195 to 241 mm.; dark dull plumage. a’. Darker, more brown................ D. r. saturatior, p. 51. bo’. Paler and redder ..... amin ive seeeee. Di. kinneart, p. 51. d. Tail 242 to 287 mm.; pale dull plumage JD, r. sclateri, p. 50. (26) Dendrocitta rufa rufa. Tue Inptan TREE-PIE. Corvus rufus Latham, Ind. Orn., p. 161 (1790) (Malabar Coast). Dendrocitta rufa. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 30. * Lanius rufus Linné, Syst. Nat., i, 1766. Corvus rufus Lath, Ind. Orn., p. 161, 1790. The description given is very poor, but it is founded on Sonnerat’s plate, vol. ii, p. 161,‘ Voyage de Sonnerat,’ and cannot be mistaken. Although called “‘de Chine” it was apparently obtained on the Malabar Coast. On p. 171 Latham describes C. vagabunda and here lays stress on the black head and red back, evidently having obtained a N.E. Indian bird, possibly from the vicinity of Calcutta. DENDROCITIA, 49 Vernacular names. Mahtab and Chand (Sind); Gokurayi, Konda-kati-gada (Tel.); Mootri (Lucknow) ; Maha-lat (Hindi). Description. The whole head and neck with the upper breast, sooty-brown ; remainder of the plumage fulvous or reddish fulvous, darker on the back and scapulars; wing-coverts greyish- white; wing-quills dark brown, the outer webs of the inner secondaries grey; tail pale ashy-grey, darkest at the base, broadly tipped with black. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown to red-brown; bill dark slaty horn-colour, albescent at the base; mouth flesh-colour; eyelids plumbeous ; legs dark brown, claws horn-colour. Measurements. Length from 365 to 450mm., according to length of tail which varies from 193 to 257 mm., in one case actually 305 mm.; wing from 137 to 159 mm., and in the one case 177 mm.; tarsus about 33 min. ; culmen about 28 mm. The young are duller in colour than the adults, the head is lighter brown and the lateral tail-feathers are tipped with white or buffy-white. Distribution. The whole of Southern India, North to, and including, Orissa; West to Sind, Punjab and Afghanistan and thence East to the South of Kashmir, Simla Hills and Garhwal. Nidification. In the southern part of their range these Magpies breed in February and March, whilst further north they breed principally in May and June. As, however, with so many common birds, their breeding extends over a prolonged period and eggs are laid both later and earlier than the above months. ‘lhe nest is a rather untidy, but not very bulky, affair of twigs, roots and other material, carelessly interwoven and lined with roots and sometimes a scrap or two of wool. Generally they are placed well up in trees of some size, but often in thorn hedges, Bér bushes or cactus clumps. In the north the birds lay three to five eggs, most often four, but in the south they lay fewer and generally only two or three. The majority are of two distinct types: one pale greenish in ground-colour with blotches and spots of light and dark grey- brown; the other pale reddish white or salmon-colour with blotches of reddish and dark brown and others, underlying, of lilac and neutral tint. 150 eggs average 29°2 x 21-7 min. Habits. This Magpie is more of a plains than a mountain bird, but in some parts of the Himalayas it is said to wander up to as high as 7,000 feet and to breed at this height. It is a sociable, noisy bird but many of its notes are very musical, though it can give vent to most unmusical discords at times. Its usual call is an oft-repeated ‘‘bob-a-link bob-a-hnk ” as it flies from one bush to another, the cry being eee by each member of the flock in turn. They are practically ommivorous and are arrant egg and nestling thieves during the breeding seasons of the smaller birds. VOL. I. E 50 CORVIDE, Their flight is dipping and consists of alternative flappings of the wings with short spells of sailings with the wings stiffly outspread. ~ This Magpie is everywhere one of the most familiar of birds, frequenting gardens and the outskirts of towns and villages and not penetrating into the wilder parts. The type locality of rufa was certainly somewhere in South India, probably Malabar and therefore that place may be now designated. (27) Dendrocitta rufa vagabunda. Tae Beneat TREE-PIE. Coracias vagabunda Lath., Ind. Orn., p. 171 (1790) (India). Vernacular names. Bobalink (Europeans Bengal); Kotri (Hindi in Beng.); Takka-chor, Handi-chacha (Bengali); Kash- kurshi(N.Cachar); Khola-Khoa(Assam.) ; Dao-ka-link (Cachari). Description. Differs from the last in beiug more richly coloured ; the head is blackish and the red of the back is almost chestnut and the fulvous red below also much richer. Colours of soft parts as in rufa. Measurements. Wing 145 to 172 mm.; tail 209 to 253 mm. Distribution. Northern India from Garhwal to Eastern Assam, Behar, U. Provinces, Bengal and Manipur. The type locality may be restricted to Calcutta. Nidification. Similar to that of the last bird and neither nest nor egg can be distinguished. Habits. An equally confiding, common bird, being found in flocks in gardens and parks in the centre of Calcutta and haunting the immediate vicinity of every town and village. (28) Dendrocitta rufa sclateri, subsp. nov. Tae Cun Hitis Tree-pin, Description. Similar to D. rufa rufa but with the whole plumage very pale and washed out and the dark grey of the head gradually merging with the pale dull rafous-brown or rufous-grey of the back. Colours of soft parts as in the rest of the subspecies. Measurements. Wing 142 to 161 mm.; tail 242 to 287 mm., generally well over 260 mm. Distribution. Chin and Kachin Hills, Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. Type. No, 1905—9. 10.6. Brit. Mus. Coll., Mt. Victoria 1,600 feet. ‘ DENDROCITTA, 51 (29) Dendrocitta rufa kinneari, subsp. nov. Tue Burmise TReE-PIE, Description. Similar to the last but much darker both above and below, the colour of the head and back blending with one another, the red of the back dull and brownish. Measurements. Wing 137 to 151 mm.; tail 195 to 241 mm. Distribution. The whole of Burma south of the Chin and Kachin Hills down to N. Tenasserim and east into Yunnan, Shan States and West Siam. Nidification. Similar to that of D. rufa rufa. Habits. The Burmese Tree-pie, though equally tame and confiding in its ways, is not so exclusively confined to open country in civilization as is the Indian Tree-pie and it may also be found in thin forest and the more open parts of evergreen forest. Type. 2, No. 87—11. 20. 213 Brit. Mus. Coll. Toungoo. (30) Dendrocitta rufa saturatior. . Tue Tunassurim TREE-PIE, Dendrocitta vagabunda saturatior Ticehurst, Bull, B. O. C., xlii, p, 56 (1922) (Kaukareyet, Amherst). Description. Similar tu that of the Burmese Tree-pie but still darker and browner, the back having the red hardly visible at all. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in tlhe Burmese race. Distribution. Peninsular Siam and Burma but how far its limits extend cannot at present be defined. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. (31) Dendrocitta leucogastra, Tue Sournern TREE-PIE. Dendrocitta leucogastra Gould, P. Z.38., 1833, p, 57 (Malabar Coast) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 31. Vernacular names. Neela val Kaka (Tel.). Description. Forehead, anterior half of crown, sides of the head, chin, throat, upper breast and thighs black; posterior crown to hind neek, lower breast to vent and upper tail-coverts white; back, scapulars and rump chestnut-bay ; under tail-coverts chest- nut; wings black, the primaries with a large patch of white at their base; central tail-feathers grey, broadly tipped black; the next pair half grey and half black and the others nearly entirely black. n2 52 CORVIDE. Colours of soft parts. Bill black, legs and feet duller black ; iris brown to red-brown. ; Measurements. Length about 475mm.; tail 250 to 300 mm.; wing about 140 to 155 mm.; tarsus about 30mm. and culmen abcut 25mm. Distribution. Southern India from South Travancore to the Wynaad. McMaster records a specimen from Chikalda in the Gawilgarh Hills, apparently a straggler only. It keeps principally to the western coast. Nidification. Nest and eggs of this bird were taken by Bour- dillon in March and by Mr. J. Stewart from February to May and again in August, and the latter gentleman informs me that they breed twice in the year. The nest is similar to that of the preceding bird and is placed in small trees and high bushes but it is always built in heavy forest and never near villages. Three eggs only are most often laid but four is not uncommon and sometimes two only are incubated. In general appearance they cannot be separated from those of himalayensis, described below. Fifty eggs average 28-2 x 20-5 mm. Habits. Found from the foot of the hills up to about 5,000 feet, generally below 3,000 feet. The flight, voice and general babits are like those of the Common Indian Tree-pie but this bird is essentially an inhabitant of heavy forest and shuns the immediate vicinity of mankind. Dendrocitta sinensis. Key to Subspecies. A. Central tail-feathers pale grey, with no BACK py cis Petes snes ee gets D, s. sinensis. B, Central tail-feathers darker grey, with a black tip. a. Paler and brighter in colour; vent and centre of abdomen almost white. D. s. himalayensis, p. 52. }, Darker and duller in colour; vent and centre of abdumen ashy ...... D. s. assimilis, p. 53. (32) Dendrocitta sinensis himalayensis. Tur Himatayan TREE-FIE, Dendrocitta himalayensis Blyth, Cat., p. 92 (1865) (Himalayas) Blant. & Oates, i, p. 32. Vernacular names. Kokia-Kak (at Mussoorie) ; Karrio-pho (Lepcha) ; Karriah-ban (Bhutea);. Kok-long-ah (Assam) ; Dao-ka- line (Cachari); Inrut-ko-kink (Naga). Description. Forehead, lores and feathers above the eye black ; sides of the head, chin and throat dark sooty-brown, fading and spreading over the sides of the neck and breast; crown of the head, nape and upper back ashy; back and scapulars clear brown- ish buff; rump and upper tail-coverts ashy ; wings and their coverts ? DENDROCITYA. 53 black, all the primaries but the first two with a patch of white at their base, forming a conspicuous spot ; central pair of tail-feather's ashy for two-thirds of their length, then black; the others all black except their extreme bases, which are ashy ; abdomen and flanks cinereous ; thighs brown; vent and under tail-coverts chestnut. Colorrs of soft parts. Bill black; irides reddish brown; feet brownish black, claws horny black. Measurements. Total length about 400 mm.; tail from 200 to 210 mm.; wing from 132 to 140 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; culmen about 32 mm. The young are paler and duller, the feathers of the upper part are tipped with buff, the under tail-coverts and vent are reddish brown and the legs are dull leaden black and the iris blue-brown. Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from the Sutlej Valley, through Assam and throughout the Burmese hills as far as, but not including, Tenasserim. Nidification. The Himalayan Tree-pie breeds during April, May and June at all heights from the level of the plains tu at least 7,000 feet. It makes a nest like that of D. rufa rufa and builds it in similar situations, but selects forest, either light or heavy, well away from habitations for this purpose. The nest is often much smaller and more fragile than that of the Common Tree-pie and I have known it placed in quite low bushes. The eggs number from three to five, the latter number being excep- tional. The ground-colour may be any tint of pale stone, very pale cream or pale reddish, and more rarely pale greenish white. The markings are of pale sienna and grey-brown, darker richer brown, or dark reddish brown ; typically the markings are richer and bolder than they are on the eggs of the Common Tree-pie and are often confined to the larger end in a ring or cup. Very few of its eggs could be confounded with those of that bird. Two hundred eggs average 28°8 x 20°1 mm. Habits. The Himalayan Tree-pie is found all over the plains of Assam and also in the plains close to the foot-hills of the Dooars and Nepal Terai and ascends everywhere up to 5,000 feet and often considerably higher. They are forest birds and do not care for the vicinity of villages and houses but otherwise they are much like +. rufa in their ways. They are equally noisy but not, I think, so musical, and like the rest of the family, are great persecutors of small birds during the breeding season. (33) Dendrocitta sinensis assimilis. Tur Burmese Hitt Tree-Prr. Dendrocitta assimilis Hume, 8. F., v, p. 117 (1877) (Muleyit): Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 32. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. This subspecies is a rather darker, duller bird 54 CORVIDA. than the last; the under parts are more uniform in colour and the centre of the abdomen less white. The cheeks, ear-coverts and throat are a paler brown. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in D. s. himalay- ensis but the bill more massive. Distribution. Burma as far north as the Chin Hills and Shan States and to the west the Pegu and Arrakan Yomas. Nidification similar to that of D. s. himalayensis. Habits. A‘hill bird confined to elevations principally between 1,000 and 4,000 feet, but descending to the foot-hills in the winter. In the summer it is found at least up to 6,000 feet, probably higher. (34) Dendrocitta frontalis. THE BLAcK-BROWED TREE-PIE. Dendrocitta frontalis McClell,, P. Z.S., 1839, p. 163 (Assam) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 33. Vernacular names. Hamshi-bon (Lepcha); Kolio-Ko (Bhutea) ; Dao-ka-link gaschim (Cachari). Fig. 12.—Head of D. frontalis, Description. Forehead, the greater part of the crown, sides of the head, chin, throat, fore neck, tail, wing-quills and the primary- coverts black; the remainder of the wing ash-grey ; nape, hind neck, upper back, sides of the neck, breast and upper abdomen pale grey ; lower back, scapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, lower abdomen, thighs and under _tail-coverts chestuut, the thighs tinged with brown: Colours of soft parts. Bill and legs black; irides red-brown, often very bright. Measurements. Total length about 370 to 380 mm.; tail 245 to 255 mm.; wing 120 to 126 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm. ; culmen about 25 mm. Distribution. Himalayas from Eastern Nepal to the extreme east and south of Assam into the higher hills of Manipur, but apparently not into Lushai or Chin Hills. DENDROCITTA. 55 Nidification. This bird breeds freely in the N. Cachar, Khasia and Naga Hills east as far as Lakhimpur but it seems to be much rarer north of the Brahmaputra. I have not personally found it breeding much below 4,000 feet but the Nagas brought in nests and eggs to Dr. Coltart from much lower elevations in Lakhimpur. ‘I'he nest is a small, neat replica of that of the Himalayan Tree-pie but is much more compact and well put together. They are often built quite low down in scrub-jungle, undergrowth and even in high weeds and small bushes. ‘I'he breeding season lasts from the end of April into July. The eggs also are similar to those of the last bird but are more handsome and nearly always much more profusely marked. They measure about 27-0 x 19-9 mm. Habits. The Black-browed Tree-pie is essentially a bird of heavy evergreen forest, though it affects the more open glades on the outskirts of these. It goes about in small parties of half-a- dozen or so, and has a very musical note rather like, yet easily distinguishable from, the call of its plains’ cousins. Like these birds also it has many discordant notes, though it is not nearly as noisy abird. It does not appear to be a regular egg and young- bird thief, but doubtless despises neither if fate throws them in its way. It eats fruits, seeds and insects but chiefly the Jast. It is common between 4,000 and 7,000 feet and descends in the winter still lower, coming into the plains themselves in Eastern Assam but not elsewhere. (35) Dendrocitta bayleyi. THE ANDAMAN TREE-PIE. Dendrocitta bayleyi Tytler, J. A. S. B., xxxii, p. 88 (1863) (Anda- mans) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 34. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. The feathers round the base of the bill black ; the remainder ot the head, neck, upper back and. upper breast dark bluish ashy ; lower back, scapulars and rump pale rufous- olive; upper tail-coverts bluish ashy; lower breast rufescent ashy ; abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts chestnut; tail and wing black, the latter with a large white patch on the primaries and outer secondaries. Colours of soft parts. Bill, legs, feet and claws black, the sides plumbeous grey; iris bright yellow, in some rich golden yellow. (Hume.) Measurements. Total length about 35u to 56U mm.; wing 120 to 126 mm.; tail from 180 to 280 mm., generally about 210; tarsus and bill from about 25 mm. Distribution. Andamans only. Nidification. Nothing on record, but I have 18 eggs collected for me by a Pathan convict which can all be matched by eggs of 56 CORVID. himalayensis. They average about 28°5x 21-9 mm and were taken in April and March near Port Blair. Habits. Davison obtained this bird near Port Blair and more commonly at Mount Harriet and Aberdeen. He observes that it is a forest bird and never ventures away from the cover of large trees; also that it never descends to the ground. Oates did not obtain it either on the Great Cocos or on Table Island. Genus CRYPSIRHINA Vieill., 1816. With this genus we come to the end of the true Magpies or Long-tailed Crows. The members of the present genus are sinall and are characterized by a tail of peculiar structure, the central pair of feathers being spatulate at the ends. The bill is small and the nostrils are concealed by a mass of fine velvety plumes, which also surround the base of the bill. The Racket-tailed Magpies are quite arboreal and in the course of many years’ observation Oates never saw one of them on the ground. Key to Species. A. All tail-feathers black ......... 0.000. caeee C. varians, p. 56. B. Central tail-feathers black, outer feathers grey. C.cucullata, p. 57. Fig. 13.—Head of C. varians. (36) Crypsirhina varians. Tae Buack Racxet-TaILED MaGPre. Corvus varians Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., xxvi, (1801) (Java) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 35. - Vernacular names. Ami-whine (Burmese). Description. The whole plumage metallic bronze-green, tinged with bluish on the head; wings brown, the outer webs of the primaries greenish, the other quills more or less entirely tinged with greenish ; tail black, with the same tinge but with more sheen ; forehead, round the eye and about the gape dull black, the feathers of a velvety texture. Colours of soft parts. Iris blue; bill black, mouth flesh-colour ; legs and claws black. Measurements. Length about 310 to 330 mm.; wing about 110 to 116 mm.; tail from about 175 to 200 mm. ; tarsus about 30 mm. ; culmen about 23 mm. ‘ CRYPSIRHINA. 57 Distribution. This fine little Magpie has its headquarters in Pegu, extending up the valleys of the Irrawaddy and Sittaung to some way north of Thavetmyo and Toungoo. To the west it extends to Bassein, south to Mergui and into Sumatra, Borneo and Java. To the east it extends to Siam, where it is very common in the south, and to Cochin China. Nidification. The breeding season lasts from April, in which month Hopwood took eggs in Tavoy, through May and June to July, in which latter month Nurse took eggs in Pegu and Herbert found them breeding in Siam. The nest is a typical Magpie’s nest, though without a dome. It isa shallow cup of fine twigs, roots and tendrils with a diameter of about 5” to 6” by 1” deep intern- ally and some 9" in external diameter. It is generally placed in a thorny bush or tree 8 to 12 feet from the ground. The eggs are two to four in number, typically Corvine in appearance, and average 24°8 x 18:3 mm. Habits. The Racket-tailed Magpies are birds of comparatively open forest and light bush, tree, or bamboo-jungle. ‘hey eat both fruit and insects, and may be seen clinging to the outer branches of trees as they search the leaves and flowers for the latter. They are not gregarious, though sometimes two or three may be seen in company ; their usual note is a not unpleasant metallic call, and they do not appear to possess the harsh notes so common to this group. (37) Crypsirhiua cucullata. TsE Hooprep Racket-Taitep MaGrre. Crypsirhina cucullata Jerdon, Ibis, 1862, p. 20 (Thayetmyo) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p.35. : es Vernacular name. Amt-whine (Burmese). Description. Whole head, chin and throat black; round the neck, next to the black, a ring of ashy white; the whole upper plumage, wing-coverts and inner secondaries vinaceous grey ; lower plumage the same but rather more rufous; central tail- feathers black, the others the same colour as the back; primaries and their coverts black ; outer secondaries black with ashy-white edges. Colours of soft parts. Iris blue; eyelids plumbeous; bill black ; legs and claws dark brown ; inside of the month flesh-colour. Measurements. Total length 300 to 315 mm.; tail 180 to 200mm.; wing 102 to 108mm.; tarsus about 26 to 27 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. The young have the head brown; the central tail-feathers and wings are blackish brown and the general colour of the body plumage is less ashy and more vinaceous; the bill is black, with an orange gape and inside tothe mouth; the eyelids are pale blue with orange edges. 58 CORVIDE. This Magpie has the central tail-feathers narrower than in C. varians and more abruptly spatulate at their ends. Distribution. Central and South Burma, Siam and N. Malay Peninsula. Harington obtained it as far North ns Monywa and Pymmana on the Chindwin, and it extends East into West Central Siam. Wickham obtained it as far North as the foot of Mt. Vic- toria in the Chin Hills. Nidification. Similar to that of C. varians, though the nests appear to be smaller and neater. The eggs are small replicas of those of that bird and measure 23:0x18°0 mm. Harington obtained its eggs in May. Habits. Differ in no way from those of the Black Racket-tailed Magpie, but it seems to keep more exclusively to bamboo-jungle and serub. It is a bird of the dry zone, and will not be found in those parts of Burma where the rainfall is very heavy. Genus PLATYSMURUS Reich., 1760. The genus Platysmurus contains two species, one of which is resident in Tenasserim whilst the other inhabits Borneo. In many ways this genus connects the typical Magpies and the typical Jays. The bill is very much curved and shorter than the head and the bristles covering the nostrils are numerous and stiff but short. The feathers of the crown of the head are very barsh. The tail is of no great length but well graduated. Thesexes are alike and the young resemble the adults. (38) Platysmurus leucopterus. THe Wuiti-winced Jay. Gluucopis leucopterus Temm., Pl. Col., No, 265 (1824) (Sumatra). Platysmurus leucopterus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 37. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. The whole plumage black; the terminal halves of the larger upper wing-coverts and a large patch on the exterior webs of some of the outer secondaries white; the forehead crested and the feathers stiff. In some specimens the smaller wing-coverts are narrowly mar- gined with white, and this probably means immaturity. Colours of sof parts. Bill, legs, feet and claws black ; irides lake-red to crimson, (Davison.) Measurements. Length about 400 to 410 mm.; wing about 190 to 200 mmn.; tail about 200 to 220 mm.; tarsus 35 to 88 mm ; culmen about 35 mm. GARRULUS. 59 Distribution. Tenasserim, S.W. Siam, Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Nidification. The nests were first obtained by Davison and again quite recently by Messrs. Hopwood and Mackenzie in Tenasserim. They are rough, heavy affairs of twigs, roots, ete., cup-shaped with a shallow internal hollow. ‘hey are placed in tall bushes, small trees or palms some 6 to 8 feet from the ground. The eggs number two or three and are exactly like big eggs of Cissa chi- nensis. They measure about 33°5 x 23°1 mm. The breeding season appears to be March and April. Fig. 14.—Head of P. leucopterus. Habits. According to Davison ‘this species keeps entirely to the forests, going about usually in parties of from four to six. They have a deep, rolling, metallic note, which they continually utter as they move from tree to tree. I havenever seen them ou the ground; they probably get their food, which consists of insects, and, occasionally at any rate, of fruit, amongst the trees. They are excessively restless aud always on the move, flying from tree to tree, generally at a considerable height and continually uttering their harsh, metallic call. They restrict themselves to the evergreen forests, never, that I am aware, coming into the gardens or open ground.” Hopwood says they arecommon about Tavoy and that they are not shy. Genus GARRULUS Briss., 1760. The genus Garrulus contains the True Jays, of which there are numerous species in Europe and Asia, three species and several subspecies being found within the limits of the Indian Empire. These Indian Jays are resident species but may be partially migratory to the extent of moving up and down the slopes of the mountains according to season. The Jays are birds of bright plumage, the wing especially being marked with vivid blue. They are not exactly gregarious but often three or four are found together. 60 CORVIDA. In the Jays the bill is strong, about three-quarters the length of the head and the commissure is straight. The nasal bristles are short and numerous, completely covering the nostrils. The tail is of inedium length and slightly graduated. G, lanceolatus has been separated generically under the name Laletris on acount of its crested crown and more stiffened feathers of the throat. These characters are, however, only questions of degree and I see no reason to accept them as generic in the Jays when we discard far greater differences as of no value specifically in other birds. Key to Species. A. Tail blue barred with black ...........+.- G. lanceolatus, p. 60. B. Tail all black. a. Forehead white, crown black or black and White. vevhwctsetaesietekeee neers -see G. leucotis, p. 61. 6. Forehead and crown vinaceous like the back G. bispecularis, p. 62. (39) Garrulus lanceolatus. THE BLACK-rHROATED JAY. Garrulus lanceolatus Vigors, P. Z. S., 1880, p. 7 (Himalayas) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 88. Vernacular names. Ban-sarrah (of the Simla hillmen). Description. Forehead, crown, nape, crest and sides of the head black ; remainder of upper plumage vinous grey, brighter ou the rump and upper tail-coverts ; tail blue, barred with black, tipped with white and with a broad subterminal band of black ; primuries and secondaries black, barred with blue on the outer web; the primaries narrowly, the outer secondaries broadly tipped white ; the inner secondaries grey, with a subterminal black band and a white tip; lesser coverts vinous, the median and greater black; primary coverts almost entirely white; winglet barred with blue and tipped with white. Chin, throat and foreneck black with white shaft-streaks, the black terminating in a patch of iron grey on the upper breast; remainder of the lower plumage and sides of the neck vinous grey, brighter than the back. Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet livid flesh or slaty pink; claws more horny; Dill slaty pink at base, yellowish at tip ; iris red-brown, red or deep red-lake. The colour of the iris probably changes with age. Measurements. Length about 225 to 235 mm.; wing 150 to 155 mm. ; tail about 160 to 175 mm.; tarsus 32 to 34 mm.; culmen about 27 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Chitral aud Hazara to N epal and the whole of Garhwal and Kashmir up to some 8,000 feet. GARRULUS. 61 Nidification. Breeds from the middle of April to early June at heights between 4,000 and 8,000 feet, making a shallow cup-shaped nest of twigs and roots, more rarely of grass, lined with moss, fern rachides, or fine roots. It is generally placed in a small oak or. other tree, 10 to 30 feet from the ground in thiu forest. The eggs vary from three to six, generally four or five. Incolour they vary from pale yellowish stone to pale greenish, finely stippled everywhere with olive-brown and, more seldom, with a few hair- lines of black. They measure about 28-6 x 22-6 mm. Habits. The Black-throated Jay is a bird of forests but of the thinner more open parts, venturing often into comparatively un- wooded tracts. Like the European Jay its voice is loud, harsh and penetrating, and it is a noisy bird, more’ especially in the mornings and evenings in the breeding season. Itis omnivorous, eating fruit and insects, small mammals, birds and reptiles and other birds’ eggs. Its flight is like that of its European cousin and it indulges in the same flappings and contortions when on the wing. > a Garrulus leucotis. Key to Subspecies. A. Crown all black .........., cee gece eee eee G. 1, leucotis, p. 61. B. Crown white, narrowly streaked with black .. G. 1. oates?, p. 62. (40) Garrulus leucotis leucotis. THE BurmMesz Jay. Garrulus leucotis Hume, P. A. S. B., 1874, p. 106 (Kaukaryit) ; Blant. & Oates, i, p. 39. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead and front of crown white, with brown shaft-streaks ; anterior crown and crest black; lores, feathers under the eves, ear-coverts, chin, throat and front of neck white F a broad moustachial streak black; back, rump and scapulars vinous brown, paler on the rump; breast the same as the back ; abdomen and flanks paler vinous brown; upper and under tail- coverts and vent white; tail black, barred with ashy towards the base; lesser and median wing-coverts like the back; winglet, primary-coverts, the outer greater coverts and the outer webs of most of the secondaries on their basal halves, bright blue banded with black ; remainder of greater coverts and quills black, the primaries with some portions of the outer web grey; the inner- most secondary partially chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Iris hazel-brown to dark brown or wood- brown ; bill almost black with pale or whitish tip; legs horny white to dull flesh-colour, claws a little darker. Measurements. Total length about 300 to 325 mm.; wing 165 to 177 mm.; tail about 130 mm. tarsus about 45 mm.; culmen about 26 mm. 62 CORVID&. Distribution. The hills of Burma from the Kachin Hills in the north-east, through the Shan States, Karen Hills to Tenasserin. Nidification. This bird breeds in great numbers all round about Maymyo, and its nests and eggs have been taken by many collec- tors. The nests are wide, untidy cups of twigs, grass and roots, and the eggs are like those of G. lanceolatus but very much larger, averaging about 33-0 x 23-0 mm. It appears to nest in com- munities. The breeding season commences in the end of March and lasts up ‘to the end of May. ‘Three to five eggs are laid, generally four. 2 WY ss Fig. 15.—Head of G. 1. leucotis. Habits. Found principally between 4,000 and 7,000 feet, and keeping much to pine and dry deciduous rather than to evergreen forest; there is little otherwise in the habits of this Jay which calls for remark. Harington. found it very common in the oak forests near Maymyo, and obtained six or seven nests close to one another in quite small patches of forest. (41) Garrulus leucotis oatesi. SHARPE'S JAY. Garrulug oatesi Sharpe, Bull. B. 0. C., v, p. 44, 1896 (Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Like the Burmese Jay but has the anterior crown and crest white, broadly streaked with black instead of wholly black. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in G. 1. leucotis. Distribution. Upper and lower Chin Hills right up to the borders of Manipur and Looshai and probably inside these countries also, though the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers may prove to be its west and eastern boundaries, a GARRULUS. 63 Nidification. This Jay breeds in the Chin Hills in April and probably May between 3,500 and 5,000 feet. Mr. J. M. D. Mac- kenzie describes a nest as “a shallow cup in a low tree in scrub jungle on a steep hillside. It was placed about 10 feet up and made entirely of roots with a few scraps of moss outside. It measure externally 6” x 22’, inside 43" x 2".” The eggs are like those of the Burmese Jay but the few I have seen average smaller, being about 29°5 x 23'1 mm. The hen sits very close and has literally to be driven from the nest. Habits. Messrs. Hopwood and Mackenzie found this, Jay fairly common in the Chin Hills, keeping to hillsides with oak and scrub forest. Voice, flight aud habits generally are in no way dis- tinguishable from other species of the same genus. They report this Jay as moving about fairly widely in the spring and autumn, visiting comparatively low valleys in the winter but always breeding at over +,000 feet. Garrulus bispecularis Key to Subspecies. A. The palest of all the forms, Throat vinaceous Hikes ead, saeco ences 25 pavers a Base Shs bee G. 6. bispecularis, p. 63. B. Darker and browner and less vinaceous; throat and lower breast about the same COLGUE” sos 4. iat Seep ethas yveme-e ware ene ae G. b. interstinetus, p.64. C. Still darker and browner; throat and breast Concolorous ........ eee eee eee e eee G. b. persaturatus, p. 65, D. Above very rich red-vinaceous; throat and sides of head much paler; forehead faintly streaked ais sic sie cod alse se aba P45 ead G. b, haringtont, p. 65. E, Above rich red-vinaceous; throat almost pos white und sides of head paler; fore- ead faintly streaked ...............065 G. b. rufescens, p. 65. It is very doubtful whether the whole of the Garruli should not be treated as subspecies of the same species in so far as leucotis and bispecularis are concerned. Haringtoni in many ways links up the white-eared forms with the dark-eared ones but the breeding areas still require to be carefully worked out and, until this is done, it seems desirable to keep them apart. The above key is a far from satisfactory one but may suffice to enable students who know whence their specimens come to identify them. (42) Garrulus bispecularis bispecularis, Tue Himanayan Jay, Garrulus bispecularis Vigors, P. Z.8., 1831, p. 7 (Himalayas) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 39. I restrict the type-locality to Murree, Punjab. 64 CORVID. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A broad black moustachial band ; lower part of rump, upper and lower tail-coverts, vent and thighs white; with these exceptions the whole plumage of the head, neck and body is a rich vinaceous fawn-colour ; tail black, with some interrupted ashv hars near the base of the central pair of feathers; wings as in leucotis. Colours of soft parts. Bill dusky; margins of eyelids dull brick-red ; iris reddish brown; tarsi and toes pale pinkish fleshy ; claws livid. (Scully.) Measurements. Length about 300 mm.; wing 160 to178 mm. : tail about 180 mm.; tarsus about 32 mm.; culmen about 26 mm. Distribution. Western Himaiayas from Cashmere to Nepal and Garhwal. - Nidification. Breeds in April, May and June, making a nest of twigs and roots, lined either with grass or with finer roots and sometimes having a little moss on the exterior. In shape it varies from a shallow to a deep cup some 6” to 8” in diameter and it is placed in a fork of some small tree, near the top. Chestnuts and oaks seem to be specially favoured. It breeds up to 7,000 feet or higher and sometimes as low as 3,000 feet. The eggs number four or five and are like those of lanceolatus but more boldly speckled and often more reddish in the ground- colour and markings. They measure 27:5 x 21-4 mm. Habits. The Himalayan Jay is a resident bird throughout the range between 3,000 and 7,000 feet, perhaps moving up and down a little in summer and winter. It haunts forest of all kinds, both evergreen and deciduous, and in general habits it closely resembles the Black-throated Jay. (48) Garrulus bispecularis interstinctus. Tue Sixxim Jay. Garrulus bispecularis interstinctus Hartert, Nov. Zoologice, xxv, p. 480 (1918) (Darjeeling). Vernacular names. Lho-Kurrio-pho (Lepcha). Description. Similar to the Himalayan Jay with the upper parts darker and more reddish brown. The throat is concolorous with the lower breast and upper abdomen. Measurements. Wing 150 to 170 mm. (Hartert). Distribution. Sikkim and probably all the hills north of the Brahmahputra as far as the Mishmi and Dafla Hills, where Dr. J. l’alkiner obtained it. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. GARRULUS, 65 (44) Garrulus bispecularis persaturatus. Tae Kuasta Hitis Jay. Garrulus bispecularis persaturatus Hartert, Nov. Zoologice, xxv, p. 480 (1918) (Shillong). Vernacular names. Dao-flampu (Cachari). Description. The darkest and brownest of all the races. Measurements. Wing 162 to 176 mm, Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra, but the limits still undefined. South of Manipur it is not found in the Chin Hills and east of the Naga Hills the country is still utterly unknown. Nidification. Breeds in the Khasia Hills in May, during which month two nests were brought in to me with the parent birds. They were made of twigs, roots and tendrils and lined with finer roots and fern rachides; in shape broad cups about 10” x42”, Both nests were placed in rhododendron trees 15 to 20 feet from the ground in mixed oak and rhododendron forest at about 6,000 feet. The eggs are like those of the Himalayan Jay and average about 29-0 x 22°5 mm. Habits. I found this bird more than once in N. Cachar in stunted oak forest at 5,000 to 6,000 feet but it was very rare; in the Khasia Hills it was generally to be found either in the pine- forests or in the patches of oak-forest just above the pines. In habits and manner it was very like the common European Jay, but much more shy and not so noisy. (45) Garrulus bispecularis haringtoni. Rippon’s Jay. Garrulus haringtont Rippon, Bull. B. O. C,, xv, p. 97 (1905) (Mt. Victoria, S. Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the Sikkim Jay, but throat whitish and sides of head and ear-coverts much paler. The crown is also distinctly, sometimes strongly, streaked with blackish. Measurements. This is a large bird, the wing-measurements being 170 to 178 mm., so that in size as well as in colour it approaches the Burmese J. ay. Distribution. South Chin Hills and South Kachin Hills, where they seem to overlap with the Burmese Jay. A Jay which is found in the N. Shan States may be this or leucotis. Nidification. The nest and eggs of this Jay were taken on Mt. Victoria but no details recorded. Habits. Similar to those of the other Jays. It is said to keep much to pine-forests and to grass-covered hills with scattered oaks.* * G. b. rufescens, the Yunnan Jay, is almost sure to occur wishin the Shan States and may be distinguished by the characters given in the key. VOL, I. F 66 CORVIDE, Genus NUCIFRAGA Briss., 1760. The genus Nucifraga contains the Nutcrackers, birds of well- marked form and colour, two of which are found within Indian limits, inhabiting the higher part of the Himalayas where they are resident. : In the Nutcrackers the plumage is more or less spotted with white ; the bill is straight, pointed and about as long as the head ; the nasal bristles are short and stiff and completely cover the nostrils; but the tail is short and very little rounded. Key to Species. A. Rump and upper tail-coverts not marked with white .......... N.caryocatacteshemispila, p. 66. B. Rump and upper _ tail-coverts marked with white ........+ . NN. multipunctata, p. 67. (46) Nucifraga caryocatactes hemispila. Tue HimMaLayan NUICRACKER, Nucifraga hemispila Vigors, P.Z.8., 1830, p. 8 (Himalayas); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 41. Vernacular names. Lho-kariyo«pho (Lepcha). Description. Narial bristles black and white; forehead, crown, nape, hind neck and upper tail-coverts chocolate-brown ; with these exceptions the whole of the plumage is umber-brown, the sides of the head and neck streaked with white; chin and throat with a few small white shaft-streaks ; the back, breast and upper abdomen with oval white drops ; under tail-coverts pure white; wings glossy black, the lesser and median coverts with triangular white tips ; a few of the inner primaries with a large oval white mark on the inner webs, probably disappearing with age, as it is absent in some birds ; central tail-feathers black, the others broadly tipped white, the amount of white increasing outwardly. Some birds have the breast-spots pale rufescent instead of white, a feature which seems to have nothing to do with age. Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet black; iris reddish brown to hazel or deep brown ; bill brown with paler tips. Measurements. Total length about 370 mm.; tail about 150 to 160 mm.; wing 205 to 225 mm., averaging about 210 or rather more; bill 40 to45 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm. The young are pale brown, with rufescent drops everywhere instead of white. These, however, turn white at the first moult, when the head also acquires the white colour. This bird is merely a local race of the European Nutcracker, from which it differs in having a far darker head, the centre of the throat and neck unspotted with white and the outer tail- feathers almost entirely white instead of merely tipped with white. NUCIFRAGA. 67 Distribution. The Himalayas from the extreme N.W., Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan into Tibet. Its distribution still requires a considerable amount of consideration as it seems to overlap in many places with the next. Nidification. Hume took its nest with young in May near Simla, 6,500 feet, and Mr. A. E. Jones found a nest witn young and one addled egg in April in the same district, whilst Whymper took nest and eggs in Garhwal 16.5.06 at 10,500 feet. The nests are described as being like neat Crows’ nests but with a thick lining of fir-needles and grass. ‘Iwo clutches of eggs were obtained for me in Tibet on 30.4.20, both of which were second layings after the first had been destroyed. The two clutches con- tained three and four eggs, butall were unfortunately broken except one. This, and the eggs taken by Messrs. Jones and Whymper are similar in character to those of the European bird, except that they are duller pale sea-green in colour and have much larger blotches of olive-sienna and neutral tint. My egg measures 35:0 x 26-0 mm. Habits. This bird keeps much to forests of pine, cedar and fir between 3,000 and 12,000 feet, and subsists largely on the seeds of these trees ; but they also eat other seeds and fruits as well as insects. Though not regularly gregarious, they are suid sometimes to collect in small parties. Their notes are harsh and loud. (47) Nucifraga multipunctata. Tue Larcer-seorvep Nurcracker. Nucifraga multipunctata Gould, P.Z.5S., 1849, p. 23 (N.W. Hima- layas); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 41. Vernacular names. Khak-kharra (Pushtu); Tong-she-sha-ga (Tibetan). Description. Differs from the Himalayan Nutcracker in being darker, a chocolate rather than an umber-brown, and in being much more profusely marked with white. The lores and narial bristles are white or black and white; the ramp and upper tail-coverts have a white spot on each feather; the wing-coverts and quills are ¥2 68 CORVID. more profusely spotted with white, and the white on the lower lumage is so extensive as to sometimes make this look almost wholly white. Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown ; bill horny brown ; legs and feet black. Measurements. Length about 350 mm. ; wing 190 to 210 mm., average about 200 or rather less; tail 160 to 170 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm.; bill about 50 mm. and decidedly more slender than in hemispila and its subspecies. Distribution. N.W. Himalayas from Afghanistan, Gilgit, Kashmir, Ladakh to S.E. Tibet, whence I have had specimens sent me. Chambi Valley in Tibet and Sikkim. Nidification. Eggs sent me by Mr. D. Macdonald with the parent birds from the Chambi Valley are exactly like ihose of the European Nutcracker, very pale blue-green speckled with dark brown sparsely everywhere and a little more numerous at the larger end. They measure about 33°6 x 24°6 mm. The nests were said to be neat facsimiles of those of the Indian House-Crow, but neater and with a lining of pine-needles. Habits. These differ in no way from those of the last bird. Osmaston says that it feeds principally on the seeds of the Blue Pine (Pinus eacelsa) and of the Spruce (Picea morinda). Genus PYRRHOCORAX Vieill., 1816. The genus Pyrrhocorax contains the Choughs, of which there are two species—P. pyrrhocorax, the Red-billed Chough, and P. graculus, the Yellow-billed Chough, which occur unchanged over a great area of three continents. Both are found within Indian limits. They resemble the true Crows in colour, but differ from them all in having the bill and feet brilliantly coloured. The bill is long and slender and gently curved throughout its length ; the narial plumes are very short and dense, The tarsus is quite smooth, diftering markedly from the true Crows iu this respect. (48) Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. Tuer REp-BILLED CHovGH. Upupa pyrrhocorax Linn.;Syst. Nat., ed. x, p. 118 (1758) (England). Graculus eremita. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 43. Vernacular names. Tsagh (Kandahar). Description. The whole plumage glossy black. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown ; legs and feet vermilion-red, claws black; bill vermilion-red. Measurements. Total length about 450 mm.; wing 270 to 315 mm.; tail 150 to 170 mm.; culmen 45 to 60 mm.; tarsus 45 to 53 mm. PYRRHOCORAX. 69 The Indian bird seems to average much larger than the English though not larger than the Continental bird. Distribution. Northern Africa, Europe and N, Asia. In India it is found throughout the Himalayas to Eastern Tibet. Fig. 18.—Foot of P. pyrrhocorax. Nidification. The Red-billed Chough breeds freely in Tibet, Ladakh and Northern Kashmir, breeding generally in cliffs, but, in Tibet, frequently in the Tibetan houses and buildings whether occupied or not. They are early breeders, laying in the end of March and April and often having a second brood. The eggs are like those of the English bird, but much duller and more brownish in tint and they average much bigger, 41-7 x 28-4 mm. against 40°7 x 27-9 mm. Whymper took its eggs at the end of April in Garhwal at 9,000 and 12,400 feet. The nests were of sticks with wool lining, placed in clefts of rocks. 70 CORVIDA. Habits. The Red-billed Chough is found in summer up to 16,000 feet and over, descending in winter to 5,000 feet or even lower. It is a gregarious sociable bird feeding together on the ground much like Rooks. They are noisy birds and haunt human habitations and camps as well as wilder tracts. (49) Pyrrhocorax graculus. Tuer YELLOW-BILLED CHOUGH. © Corvus graculus Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. xii, p. 158 (1766) (Swiss Alps). Pyrrhocorax alpinus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 44. rp. WES Fig. 19.—Head of P. graculus. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. The whole plumage black with a slight gloss, more developed on wings and tail. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown to red-brown ; bill yellow; feet vermilion, the claws horny brown or black. Measurements. Total length about 420 mm.; wing 262 to 287 mm.; tail about 180 mm.; culmen 25 to 30 mm.; tarsus 45 to 48 mm. Distribution. South Europe and Central Asia. In India throughout the Himalayas from Kohat to Central Tibet and South-East Tibet. Nidification. Eggs have been taken in the Liddar Valley and in S.E. Tibet in April and May from nests placed in steep rocky cliffs,. either in holes or in crevices in rocks. As a rule the breeding places are almost or quite inaccessible. The eggs differ in no way from those of the European bird. The ground-colour is a very pale yellowish grey, rarely with a cream tint, and the spots are of light brown and neutral tint, rather sparse as a rule but more numerous at the larger end. Habits. In summer it is found between 10,090 and 15,000 feet, coming down to 5,000 feet in winter. According to Stoliczka this species is very social and frequently visits the camp of the traveller in Spiti and Ladakh, as it does also in Tibet. It is as familiar and noisy in the neighbourhood of villages and camping- grounds as the common House-Crow is in India. In the breeding season it to some extent deserts human habitations for the wilder cliffs. PODOCES. 71 Genus PODOCES Fischer, 1823. In this most remarkable genus are found certain species of birds which appear to be most nearly related to the Choughs but should possibly be placed in a family by themselves. The bill is slender and very long and the nostrils completely concealed under stiff plumes; the wing is short and rounded and the legs long and strong. These curious birds, to which the name of Ground Choughs has been given, differ from all other forms of Corvide in their very weak flight. In habits they are strictly ground-birds spending practically their whole time upon it. They are found only on the high plateaus of Central Asia, a single specimen of one species having straggled into India. (50) Podoces humilis. Home's Grovunp CHovex. Podoces humilis Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 408 (Saryu Pass, Yarkand). Vernacular names. Day-day (Tibetan). Description. Above sandy brown with whitish collar around neck ; wing-coverts like the back with faint terminal brown bars ; quills brown with pale edges; below pale isabelline with centre of abdomen almost white; central tail-feathers blackish brown paling to isabelline-white on the outermost. Colours of soft parts. Bill and feet black; iris brown. Measurements. Wing 90 to ¥3 mm.; tail about 65 mm.; tarsus 28 mm.; bill about 23 mm, The female is a trifle smaller, wing 88 to 90 mm. Distribution. Yarkand to Tibet, Koko Nur and Kansu. A single specimen has been sent me from the Chambi Valley in the extreme north of Native Sikkim. Nidification. This bird breeds freely in Tibet between 11,000 and 15.000 feet, making its nest, a soft pad of grass and. fur, in burrows of the Mouse-hares, or self-made. According to Dresser the nest is sometimes placed at the end of a tunnel as much as 12 feet long, such as one would hardly expect the bird to excavate for itself. The eggs, either three or four in number, are pure white and measure about 22°9x16'4 mm. The breeding season is May, June and July. Habits. They inhabit the same uplands as those inhabited by the Mouse-hares but are sometimes seen away from them. Their flight is very low and feeble and they are essentially ground-birds, spending their whole time thereon and never perching on trees or bushes. They are insect feeders. I bo PARIDE. Family PARID. Tue TITMOUSES. Oates included the Titmouses in the same family as the Crows and the group of birds he called Crow-Tits. “Whilst, however, they show certain affinities with both of these groups, the three seem to be much easier to separate than are many others, such as the Thrushes, Flycatchers and Warblers, the true Shrikes, etc., and it, therefore, seems to be more consistent to keep these separate also. The Titmouses, Paride, differ from the Corvide in having the first primary equal to or less than half the length of the second, ‘whereas the latter have this always more than half as long as the second. Like the Corvida, the Paride have the nestrils concealed by feathers or bristles, though in the genus Melanochlora the soft feathers which lie over the nostrils do not wholly cover them. The bill is short and conical, varying considerably in depth and stoutness ; the rictal bristles are short, the tarsus well developed and the surface scutulated; the wing is generally weak and rounded but is longer aud more pointed in Melanochlora. Hellmayr has divided the Titmouses into several subfamilies, and includes amongst them the Paradoxornithide. These latter birds, however, seem to me to constitute a good family, showing in some respects an affinity to the Titmouses, but in others a still closer connection with the Timeliide. The genus Panurus, the Bearded Tits, should probably also be placed with the Paradoxornithide. As regards the Indian Titmouses, 1 see no reason to divide them into subfamilies, and I include them all in the same. Since, however, the ‘ Fauna of India’ was published, we have had to add other genera and species to our list, the principal being Remiz (Anthosvopus) coronatus and Parus (Cyanistes) cyanus. The key to. the genera given below applies only to our Indian species. Hellmayr includes Lophophanes, Sylviparus, Machlolo- phus and Cyanistes in the genus Parus, but though Cyanistes cannot be divided from that genus, the other three appear to me to be generically distinct and are therefore retained. Lopho- phanes, it is true, is not always crested. Our Indian Lophophanes ater enwdius has a well-developed crest, although it is only a sub- species of L. ater ater which has none and the two extremes are linked up by geographical races which have crests in varying degree. On the other hand, the shape of the tail in this genus quite suffices to keep it distinct from Parus. Cyanistes is a trne Parus in everything but colour. The young are like the adult but paler, and in some species the grey or black in the adult is strongly suffused with green in the young. PARUS. 73 Key to Genera. A. Tail slightly rounded. a. Head not crested. a', Outermost tail-feathers falling short of the tip of the tail by length of hind claw only ..............0005 Paros, p. 73. b’. Outermost tail-feathers falling short of the tip by length of hind toe and Claw os ccerwws cadences weade cats ANGITHALISCUB, p. 93. 6. Head crested. e'. Wing never as much as 90 mm....... MacHLoLopuvs, p. 89. d'. Wing never as short as 100 mm...... Mrtanocutora, p. 101. B. Tail square or very slightly forked. ce. Head crested ...............00 ee eens LoPpHOPHANRS, p. 83. d, Head not crested. e’. Plumage above yellowish green...... SyLviparus, p. 88. Ff’. No green on upper plumage ........ Renz, p. 100. Genus PARUS Linn., 1766. The genus Parus, of which the Great Tit of England may be considered the type, contains those Tits which are not crested and in which the tail is slightly rounded. ‘They have a broad, black, ventral band and in this character agree with Machlolophus, which, however, possesses a long pointed crest. The true Tits are found over a considerable portion of the world. Five species inhabit the Indian Empire, two being found over the greater part of Europe and Asia, i.e. major and palustris ; two, nuchalis and monticolus, being local; and the fifth, cyanus, a very rare visitor. In Parus the feathers of the crown are rather long, but do not form a crest; the tail is considerably shorter than the wing, and the outer feathers are shorter than the central ones by about the length of the hind claw. Key to Species. A. Plumage not-blue and white. a, Lower plumage whitish buff, or fawn, but not bright yellow. a’, Back and rump ashy or greenish ...... P, major, p. 73. 6’. Back and rump black ................ P. nuchalis, p. 79. e’. Back and rump olive-brown .......... P. palustris, p. 81. 6. Lower plumage bright yellow............ P. monticolus, p. 80. B. Plumage all blue and white above ........ P. cyanus, p. 81. Parus major. The Great-Tits or Grey-Tits may be divided into two groups— the first group with green backs and yellow under purts, the second with grey backs and the under parts ranging from practically pure white +o fawn or buff. The first group, that of the true Parus major, ranges over the whole of Europe, extren.e Northern Africa and Northern Asia to 74 PARIDE. Japan. Southwards it extends to Palestine, Asia Minor and Northern Persia. The second group, which we may call the Indian cinereus group, is to be found through Southern Persia and North Arabia, throughout India and in a loop working North, including Afghan- istan, Syr Daria and Amu Daria in Turkestan, Tiansehan and Kashmir. East it is found through Burma and Southern China and the countries South of them. Between these two distinct groups we have more or less intermediate forms found in Tibet, Northern Shan States, and Central Asia. Within Indian limits we have no form approaching the European Parus major major group, all our geographical races belonging to the grey cinereus group. Key to Subspecies. A. No green on back. a. Upper and lower plomore darker ; tail black on inner web with grey edge, and all grey on outer web. Wing 60 to 68 mm., tail 53 to 61 mm............. P. m, cinereus, p. 74. , Paler; upper parts a pale clear blue-grey, under parts almost white, nuchal patch distinct and nearly white. Wing 68 to [p. 76, 75 mm., tail 52 to 63 mm............. P. m. intermedius, ec. Upper and lower parts darker, nuchal patch greyer and inconspicuous. a’, Larger; wing 70 to 79 mm., tail 60 [p. 76. 16°10 MMI wig gine ocgreses acorn P. m. kaschmirvensis, 6. Smaller; wing 63 to 70 mm., tail 52 [p. 77. HOGS. MAT 5 oe sessis ea causie esdoens oan seg P. m. planorum, ad. Upper plumage as dark as cinereus; tail black on both webs with narrow grey edges. Wing 63 to 74 mm., tail : [v. 77. OL 46: GBEMMT 9 es cingawe tigers ceded emis P. m. mahrattarum, B. Some green on upper plumage. e. Upper parts and scapulars all olive-green ; wing 66 to 79 mm., tail 66 to 74mm... P. m. tibetanus, p. 78. Jf. Green confined to extreme upper back; {p. 78. wing 61 to 68 mm., tail 538 to61 mm... P. m. commiatus, (51) Parus major cinereus. THe Inpian Garey Tir. Parus cinereus Vieill., Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., xx, p. 216 (1818) Pee teape: Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 46. Vernacular names. Ram-ganyra (Beng.). Description. Forehead, lores, crown, nape, chin, throat, breast, a band on either side the neck connecting the nape with the breast, and a band down the middle of the abdomen, black; cheeks PARUS. 75 and ear-coverts white ; the upper part of the back next the nape white; remainder of back, rump, scapulars, lower and median coverts ushy grey; winglet and greater coverts black, edged with ashy grey and the latter broadly tipped with white; quills dark brown, the earlier primaries and inner secondaries edged with white, the other quills with ashy grey; upper tail-coverts deep ashy blue; tail black, the four median pairs of feathers ashy grey on the outer webs and all but the middle two pairs tipped with white ; fifth pair white, with the shaft black and a band of black on the inner web; outer pair nearly entirely white with black shafts ; sides of the breast and abdomen yinaceous; under tail-coverts black in the centre, white at the sides. Fig. 20.—Head of P. m. cinereus, Colours of soft parts. Bill black; iris brown; legs and feet plumbeous, Measurements. Total length about 140 mm.; wing 60 to 68 mm.; tail 53 to 61 mm.; tarsus about 15 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. The young of this and all the allied grey forms have a tinge of yellow on the lower parts and generally a good deal of green on the upper. Distribution. Northern India, Assam, Western Burma to Sunda Island and Java. Nidification. Breeds throughout its range but at different ~ times in different localities from March to June. The nest is placed in a hole of a tree, wall or, more rarely, in a bank and consists of a pad of moss, hair, wool or fur: occasionally with some vegetable cotton and feathers. Wickham reports that it took readily to nest-boxes placed low down on trunks of trees in his garden at Maymyo. The eggs, four to six in number in India, three or four only in Burma, are white or very pale pink with spots and specks of reddish brown. They average about 17:0 x 133 mm. Habits. Though not gregarious in the strict sense of the term, these little birds are very sociable and may often be seen con- sorting in small parties in favourite feeding-haunts. They are restless, active little birds, clambering about branches and twigs in their search for insects, now hanging head downmost to reach some tempting morsel below, now standing on tip-toe to get to one above them and then once more scuttling round to catch some quickly moving ant or spider. They feed on all kinds o 76 PARIDA. insects, many seeds and fruits and in times of stress practically anything that comes to hand. A meaty bone is a tempting bait to them as is a split cocoa-nut hung in a tree near their haunts. They are essentially arboreal in their habits but occasionally descend to the ground after insects. Their note is a rather shrill whistle and their flight rather feeble and dipping. They are resident birds almost wherever found, moving about to some extent according to the seasons. (52) Parus major intermedius. Tue AFcHsan Grey-Ti?, Parus bocharensis var. intermedius Sarudny, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscow, (No. 3), vol. iii, p. 789 (1890) (S.W. Transcaspia). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A very pale race, the upper parts a clear blue- grey, the under parts almost pure white with very little tinge of vinaceous; the nuchal patch is white and conspicuous and the grey of the tail pale and extensive. Colours of soft parts as in cinereus, but the legs are pale slaty grey. Measurements. A rather large bird with a comparatively short tail. Wing 68 to 75 mm.; tail 52 to 63 mm. Distribution. Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Chitral, East Persia and 8.W. ‘Transcaspia. Nidification and Habits as in cinereus; the eggs average about 17°5x13°6 mm. Its nest avd eggs were taken by White- head at Kalhutty, Baluchistan, and by Harington in the Khagan Valley. Fulton found it up to 12,000 feet in Chitral, where it was very common, and, took two nests from holes in Walnut-trees. (53) Parus major kaschmiriensis. Tue Kasumir Grey-Ti1, Parus major kaschmiriensis Hartert, Vig. Pal., i, p. 345 (1905) (Gilgit). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A dark bird distinguishable from all others of the dark forms by its greater size; both upper and lower parts are not as dark, however, as in cinereus, but the nuchal patch is grey and very inconspicuous. Colours of soft parts as in cinereus. Measurements. Wing 70 to 79 mm.; tail 60 to 70 mm. a ia Kashmir, Garhwal, Simla, and Hills of the North- est. PARUS. 77 Nidification. Breeds freely in Kashmir and elsewhere, from 3,500 feet up to 9,000 feet or higher. The eggs four to six, or even seven, are more richly coloured than are those of the Indian Grey-Tit and measure about 185x135 mm. The breeding season is from the end of April to early June. Habits as in the other Grey-Tits. (54) Parus major planorum. Tun PunsaB Grey-Tir. Parus major planorum Hartert, Nov. Zool., 1905, p. 499. (S. Punjab). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. This bird is a small replica of the Kashmir Grey- Tit, much the same size as cinereus but decidedly paler. Colours of soft parts as in cinereus. Measurements. Wing 63 to 70 mm.; tail 52 to 63 mm. Distribution. Plains of N.W. India and Punjab. Nidification. Nothing recorded. Eggs-of a clutch sent me, and said to have been taken at Lahore, average about 17-5 x 13-4 mm. Habits as usual, but according to Hartert this is purely a plains form though there is very little material available for study in the shape of breeding specimens. (55) Parus major mahrattarum. Tre SourHern Grey-Tit. Parus major mahrattarum Hartert, Nov. Zool., 1905, p. 499 (Ceylon). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the Indian Grey-Tit or even darker, the nuchal patch hardly noticeable and the tail-feathers wholly black on both webs, with only narrow grey edges to the outer webs. The black central streak on the abdomen is generally very wide. Measurements. Wing 63 to 74 mm.; tail 51 to 62 mm. Distribution. The whole of Central and South India and Ceylon. It is found as far nérth as Northern Bombay across to Chota Nagpore and E. Bengal. Nidification. Breeds throughout its range in the more hilly parts which are well wooded. In the northern drier countries it lays in February, March, and early April; in South India in March and April and in the higher hills in April to June, whilst in Poona Betham took eggs as late as August, possibly second broods. The eggs are more richly coloured, as a rule, than those of cinereus and the average size of 30 eggs is 17-4 x 136 mm. 78 PARIDA, Habits. Similar to those of cinereus. This little Titmouse is really more of a hills than a plains bird, though in, the winter it wanders over a very wide extent of country. It prefers hills and broken country, more especially such as are fairly well covered with trees and forest, and it is found in the hills of Southern India practically up to their summits. (56) Parus major tibetanus. Tux Tipuran Gruat-Tir. Parus major tibetanus Wartert, Vig. Pal., p. 846 (1905) (Chakeam), Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Back decidedly green and the lower parts suffused with yellow. Its size alone at once distinguishes it from com- mixtus and minor, and it has more white on the tail than either of these races. Colours of soft parts as in cinereus, but tarsi apparently paler and brighter slate-blue. Measurements. Wing 66 to 79 mm., generally over 70; tail 66 to 74 mm. Distribution. S.E. Tibet, Yunnan and N.E. Kauri Kachin Hills. Chumba Valley, Sikkim. Nidification. A common breeder in the Gyantse Plain, Tibet, breeding both in holes in trees and in walls and banks. Eggs of a clutch, taken from a small natural hole in a willow, measure about 18-8 x 13°5 mm., and are richly marked for Great-Tit’s eggs. The nest was of wool and Mouse-hare (Lagomys) fur. It was taken on 18.5.17. Habits. Those of the species. (57) Parus major commixtus. Trae BormrsE Great-Tir. Parus commizxtus Swinhoe, Ibis, p. 63 (1868) (S. China). Parus minor. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 48. Vernacular names. Buinum memka (Burmese). Description. Differs from tibetanus.in having the green con- fined to the upper back and scapulars, the yellow below is obsolete or very slight, and the white on the outer tail-feathers is less extensive. From the true minor of Japan and N. China it differs in being much. less green above, and niore buff or vinaceous rather than yellow below. Colours of soft parts as in cinereus. Measurements. Wing 61 to 68 mm., generally under 66; tail 53 to 61 mm. Distribution. Tenasserim, Eastern Burma, Siam, Shan States and S. China. PARUS. 79 Nidification. Breeds in April and May and possibly sometimes earlier, as a- clutch in the Waterstradt collection was taken on the 20th February. The nest is made of fur, wool, or hair, sometimes with a base of soft moss and sometimes mixed moss and other materials, but nearly always lined with wool, hair, or fur. It is generally placed in some hole in a tree or dead stump but Harington took it trom a hole in a bank. The eggs, four to six in number, are like those of cinereus and measure about 16:2 x 12-8 (16°80 x 13-05 mm. Mackenzie). Habits. Much the same as those of cinereus in India. A sociable, lively little bird frequenting, preferably, broken hilly country and ascending the hills to at least 6,000 feet but also being found in the low country, perhaps, however, more frequently in the winter than in the summer. (58) Parus nuchalis. THE WHITE-wINGED BuacK-T'1r. Parus nuchalis Jerdon, Madr. Journ., xiii, p. 131 (1844) (Eastern Ghats) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 49. Vernacular names. Nalla patsa jitta (Tel.). Description. The whole upper plumage, wing-coverts, lores, sides of the crown, chin, throat, centre of the breast and a broad ventral band black; a large nape-patch, the cheeks, ear-coverts and those parts of the plumage not already mentioned white; the under tail-coverts streaked with black; quills with the outer webs white at base and a partial narrow edging of white elsewhere ; the later secondaries ‘broadly edged white and the innermost one or two wholly white. The two outer tail-feathers white, the next with the outer web white, the inner web black with a white tip, the other feathers black with white tips. The amount of white on the tail varies considerably in different individuals. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; bill black; legs and feet slaty-plumbeous (Butler). Measurements. Total length about 140 mm. ; wing 61 to 71 mm.; tail 51 to 57 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. Distribution. From the country round the Sambhar Lake through Ajmere to Deesa and on to Cutch; Jerdon first obtained it on the Eastern Ghats west of Nellore and Dr. Stewart obtained it at Bangalore. The specimen in the British Museum from the Gadow collection is labelled Bhutan, but this assuredly is a mistake. Nidification. Nothing on record. Habits. Apparently a resident bird wherever found, but very little is known about it. Jerdon records it ar keeping to the tops of heavily wooded hills on the Eastern Ghats. 80 PARIDA. (59) Parus monticolus monticolus. Tue GREEN-BACKED ‘IIT. Parus monticolus Vigors, P, Z. S., 1831, p. 22 (Himalayas, Simla) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 49. Vernacular names. Sarak-chak-pho (Lepcha); Daosi-whet (Cachari). Description. Cheeks and ear-coverts white; the whole head, nape, breast and a broad band down the middle of the abdomen black ; a whitish patch on the nape; back and scapulars greenish yellow ; rump slaty ; upper tail-coverts black ; tail black, the outer webs suffused with blue, all the feathers tipped with white, the outer web of the outermost feather entirely white; lesser wing- coverts black, edged with slaty ; the other coverts and the winglet black, edged with blue and tipped with white, forming two wing- bars ; the earlier primaries edged with white at base and below the emarginations ; the others, with the outer secondaries, edged with blue and tipped with white; innermost secondaries black edged and tipped with white; abdomen, sides of breast and axillaries bright deep yellow ;, under tail-coverts black, tipped with white. Colours of soft parts. Bill black ; iris brown; legs dark slate or plumbeous, claws borny-brown to blackish. Measurements. Total length about 130 mm.; wing 64 to 69 mm. ; tail 54 to 60 mm.; tarsus about 18 to 20 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. The female is a little smaller with a wing of 60 to 65 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from the extreme N.W. to Manipur, Chittagong and the N.E. of the Chin Hills. Nidification. This little Tit breeds throughout its range at altitudes between 4,000 and 9,000 feet in April, May and June. It makes a nest of moss, fur, wool and hair, sometimes of one, sometimes of two or more of these materials, and often with a dense lining of feathers. Any convenient hole will suftjce whether it be in a tree, a wall, part of a building or occasionally a bank. In Shillong it has been found in a hole in the thatch of a house but, for nesting purposes, this bird does not frequent houses and buildings as often as do the Grey-Tits. The eggs number from four to six and even eight and are white, boldly and freely blotched with red and reddish brown. 100 eggs average 1771 x 12°8. Habits. A high-level bird, this little Tit is seldom found much below 5,000 feet, whilst it may be seen in the Western Himalayas up to and over 10,000 feet. It is a sociable, familiar little bird, haunting gardens and the vicinity of human habitations, keeping much to the trees and taller shrubs, on which it keeps up an ever-restless hunt for its insect food. It also eats many fruits t PARUS. 8) but is not a seed-eater, nor does it seem to enjoy a stray meat- bone from the kitchen as cinereus does. Its note is a very loud four syllabic whistle, which may be written ti-ti-tee-t, the third syllable much prolonged. In Shillong, where it is very common, this call is the first bird-note to be heard in the early dawn when it is most persistent and shrill though quite musical. (60) Parus cyanus tianschanicus. Tae TranscHan Buive-Tir. Cyanistes cyanus var. tianschanicus Menzbier, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, ix, p. 276 (1884) (Mountains of Central Asia). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A thin line of deep blue running through the eye and over the ear-coverts in a narrow collar round the nape ; remainder of head pale vinous blue or blue-grey; back pale blue-grey ; upper tail-coverts bright dark blue, tipped with white ; outermost tail-feathers white, with the basal third of the inner web black; on each succeeding pair the white decreases and the black increases and becomes more blue, especially on the outer web, until the central rectrices are all dark blue, except for broad white tips. Visible portion of closed wing deep blue, the quills edged with white on their terminal halves and the inner secondaries with bold white tips also; greater coverts with similar tips making a broad bar of white across the wing. Below pale vinous blne-grey with a broad patch of black on the abdomen forming an interrupted black median line on these parts. Colours of soft parts. Bill slaty horn; irides brown; legs and feet plumbeeus. Measurements. Wing about 75 mm., tiil about 65 mm. ; culmen about 7 mm.; tarsus about 15 mm. Distribution. ‘Tianschan, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Chitral. Nidification. It is said to breed in May, laying 10 or 11 typical Blue-Tits’ eggs, white spotted with red, in a nest of hair and grass ina hole. In size they seem to vary between 185x125 (Dybowsk:) and 14:8 x 11°5 mm. (Rey). Habits. Those of the genus. They are found at considerable elevations, certainly up to 12,000 feet, descending lower in winter, especially in the most northern parts of their habitat where they may be found at the level of the Plains. Fulton obtained five young birds in Chitral, at 10,000 feet in July 1902; he reports that this Tit was common there in the river-bed, where they were frequenting dense scrub of willow, juniper and birch. VOL. I. G 82 PARIDE, Parus palustris, Key to Subspecies. A. Back grey, tinged with olive-green ...... P. p. korejewi, p. 82. B. Back olive-brown, much darker.......... P. p. pecilopsis p. 82. (61) Parus palustris korejewi, Tun Turkestan Marsu-Trv. Parus communis korejewt Zarud. & Harms, Orn. Monatsb., x, p. 54 (1902) (Karatau, Turkestan). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Head, nape and extreme upper back, chin and upper throat black; back grey, tinged with olive-rufous ; next to black of head on nape pure white, fading into smoky fulvous on neck; below white tinged with fulvous on flanks and abdomen; wing-quills brown, with silver-grey edges; coverts broadly edged grey. Measurements. Wing about 65 mm.; tail about 56-2 mm.; tarsus about 16 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. Distribution. Turkestan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan. A rare stragegler into extreme N.W. India. Nidification. A clutch of eggs taken at Sarsen, Turkestan and given to me by Herr M. Kuschel are indistinguishable from those of the British Marsh-Tit. They average about 16-0 x 12-5 mm. and were taken on the 10th May, 1896. Habits. Similar to those of other races of the Marsb-Tit, (62) Parus palustris pecilopsis. Tuu-Younnan Manrsu-Tit, Lophophunes pecilopsis Sharpe, Bull. B. O, C., xiii, p. 11 (1902) (Chatung, W. Yunnan). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the last, but much darker olive-brown above and darker, duller fulyous below. Colours of soft parts. Not given, but appear to be the same as in the British bird. ' Measurements. Total length about 120 mm.; culmen about 10 mm.; wing about 65 mm.; tail about 52 mm.; tarsus about 14 mm. Distribution. Yunnan. A specimen obtained by Col. H. H. Harington near Maymyo in the Kachin Hills is referable to this race. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. LOPHOPHANES, $3 Genus LOPHOPHANES Kaup, 1829. This genus is very similar to Parus, but can be distinguished by the shape of its tail which is square or slightly forked. Our Indian species are crested but others are not and even in the same species the crest may be absent, moderate or well developed as in Lophophanes ater ater which has no crest, and in Z. a. emodius which has a long one. Key to Species. A. With a double row of spots on the wing- coverts. a, Abdomen iron-grey .......-.000e00e L. melanolophus, p. 83. 6. Abdomen ferruginous ......... cose. DL, ater emodius, p, 84. B. With no spots on wing-coverts. c. Chin and throat black or blackish. a’, Breast and abdomen ferruginous.... LZ. rubidiventris, p. 84. b'. Breast black .......0... 0 se eeeee L. rufonuchalis, p. 83. d. Chin and throat fulvous grey ........ L. dichrous, p. 86. (63) Lophophanes melanolophus. Tue Crested Brack-Trr. Parus melanolophus Vigors, P. Z.S., i, p. 23 (1831) (Himalayas). Lophophanes melanolophus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 57, Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown, crest, hind neck, lores, chin, throat and crest deep black; a large patch on the nape white ; the ear-coverts extending down the sides of the neck, the cheeks and under the eye white; upper plumage iron-grey, the exposed parts of the wing and tail paler; thé middle and lower series of the wing-coverts, the inner and some of the outer secondaries tipped with white, the tips of the coverts more or less tinged with rufous; lower plumage from the breast downwards iron-grey; the under wing-coverts, axillaries and a portion of the flanks chestnut ; under tail-coverts nearly all chestnut. j Colours of soft parts. Bill black; legs, feet and claws dark bluish grey ; iris brown (Davison). Measurements: Length about 110mm. ; wing 60 to 63 mm. ; tail about 37 to 38 mm.; tarsus about 16 mm.; culmen about 6 mm. The young have the head brown; the upper plumage greyish- brown; the wing spots very rufous; the chin, throat, and crest brown ; the remainder of the lower plumage fulvous-brown with the axillaries pale chestnut. Distribution. The Himalayas from Afghanistan to Garhwal, between 6,000 and 12,000 feet. Nidification. Breeds at all heights from the end of March to the middle of June, most eggs being laid in May. The nest may be placed in any convenient hole, in tree, wall, bank or rock. It has generally a substantial basis of moss, sometimes several inches G2 84 PARIDA, thick, over which is placed a mass of fur, hair or wool. The eggs number from four to ten and are white with spots of bright brownish red, Typically they are longer ovals than are the eggs of the genus Parus and one hundred eggs average 15°7 x 11-7 mm. They are said to generally rear two broods. Habits. This little Tit is extremely common over the Western Himalayas, being found up to 12,000 feet in summer and down to 9,000 feet in winter, perhaps even lower. It goes about in flocks of some dozen or more birds and is very partial to oak forest when not too thick. It is said by Adams often to associate with Cephalopyrus flammiceps. (64) Lophophanes ater emodius. Tae Himatayan Cornz-Tir. Parus emodius Modes., Blyth, J. A. 8. B., xiii, p. 948 (1844) (Nepal). Lophophanes emodius. Blant. & Oates, i, p. 58. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown, crest, lores, sides of the head and nape, chin, throat and sides of the neck black; cheeks, ear- coverts and a nape-patch white; upper plumage and exposed parts of wings and tail bluish ashy ; the rump tinged with ferruginous ; the median and greater coverts tipped with white, forming two wing-bars ; the inner and a few of the outer secondaries minutely tipped with white; lower plumage, axillaries and under wing- coverts ferruginous. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown ; legs leaden grey ; bill black (Blanford). Measurements.. Total length about 105 mm., wing 59 to 61 mm.; tail about 40 mm.; tarsus about, 17 mm.; culmen about 6 mm. Distribution. Nepal and Sikkim. 1t extends into the South of Tibet as I have had a skin sent me of a bird caught on the nest in the Chambi Valley. Nidification. A bird sent me with some eggs was caught on its nest in a hole of an onk-tree at between 10,000 and 11,000 feet elevation. ‘The nest was all of rat fur, a well matted pad fitting into the bottom of the hollow. The eggs are indistinguishable from thuse of the European Cole-Tit and measure about 17:9 x 129mm. The nest was taken on the 13th June. Habits. This isa bird of high elevation from 6,000 feet upwards, ascending 98 high as 12,000 feet at least. (65) Lophophanes rubidiventris. Tur RUFOUS-BELLIED CRESTED Tir. “s Parus rubidiventris Blyth, J. A. S. B., xvi, p. 445 (1847) (Nepal). Lophophanes rubidiventris. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 58. Vernacular names. None recorded. LOPHOPHANES, 85 Description. Cheeks, ear-covers, sides of the neck and a large nuchal spot white, remainder of head and neck dark brown or blackish, but more the deep black of melanolophus ; upper plumage olive-brown; the wings and tail brown, with bluish-ashy edges and the upper tail-coverts tipped with fulvous; lower plumage and under wing-coverts ferrugious, Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; bill black; legs and feet plumbeous-brown. Measurements. Total length about 115 mm.; wing 60 to63 mm. ; tail about 42 to 43 mm. ; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 8 mm. Distribution. Nepal and ‘N.W. Himalayas.” The latter locality is given for some specimens in the Pinwill Collection, and may refer to Kumaon. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. Lophophanes rufonuchalis, Key to Subspectes. A. Upper and lower breast black and abdomen [nuchalis, p. 85. BBHY OMVEs ce viedendices ao maleck ox eet L. rufonuchalis rufo- B. Upper breast black ; lower breast and abdo- men ashy olive.............ceneeee we. Lr. beavani, p. 86. (66) Lophophanes rufonuchalis rufonuchalis. Tae Simya Buacg-Trr. Parus rufonuchalis Blyth, J. A. S.B., xviii, p. 810 (1849) (Simla). Lophophanes rufonuchalis. Blant. & Oates, i, p. 58. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Ear-coverts, under the eye and a stripe down the neck white; remainder of head and neck, breast and a broad band down the abdomen black; uuchal spot white, tinged with ferru- ginous next the back; upper plumage olive-green ; lower abdomen and sides uf the body ashy-olive; under tail-coverts and axillaries chestnut ; under wing-coverts pale fulvous. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown; legs, feet and bill black. * Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 73to 77 mm.; tail about 55 mm.; tarsus nearly 20 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. The young have the black replaced with brown and the chestnut with pale rufous. Distribution. Turkestan and Afghanistan and N.W. Himalayas to Garhwal. Nidification. Mr. L. L. Whymper is the only collector who has ever found this bird’s nést. He writes :— “T found this bird fairly common at 10,000 feet and upwards in the Bhaghirattie Valley, where Brooks got a nest with young 86 PARIDE. and I was lucky enough to find six nests. These were all in the ground, either under stones or in actual holes such as rat-holes, and all were found between the 8th and 22nd of May. “Speaking generally it is impossible to find them except when the birds are building, for they are in the most unlikely places that show no sign whatever of a nest. . Four eggs seem to form the.full clutch. The nest is the ordinary pad of wool and hair with a little moss below and around. “The male has an aggravating habit of carrying in wool after the eggs have been laid.” Three eggs given me by Mr. Whymper measure about 18:0 x 13-0 mm. Habits. Similar to those of the Crested Hill-Tit, with which it sometimes consorts. (67) Lophophanes rufonuchalis beavani. Tue Sikkim Brack-Ti1. Lophophanes beavani Blyth, Jerd. B. 1. ii, p. 275 (1863) (Mt. Teringloo, Sikkim); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 59. Vernacular names. Liho Tasso (Lepcha). Description. The colour of the back is blue-grey, instead of greenish, the light parts on the face are yellowish or yellow ; below a greenish grey with no traces of a black band. Colours of soft parts and measurements much the same as in the last. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet and Western China. Nidification. Nothing recorded. ‘T'wo eggs sent by Mr. St. J. Hickley were taken at about 10,000 feet elevation from a hole in the roots of a small tree. ‘The nest was a pad of hair and wool, and the eggs only differ from those of the last in being rather larger, measuring about 18-5 x 13°7 mm. Habits. This is a bird of great elevations, and has so far not been recorded much below 8000 feet. The Sikkim Black-Tit does not seem to intergrade anywhere . with the Simla Black-Tit, but until more material is available from the intervening country it appears better to treat them as geographical races of the same bird. Lopbophanes dichrous. Key to Subspecies. A. Paler above, more rufescent below ........ L. d. dichrous, p. 87. B. Darker above, more buff below .......... L. d. wellsi, p. br : LOPHOPHANES. 87 (68) Lophophanes dichrous dichrous. Tan Brown Crustep Tit, Parus dichrous Hodgs., Blyth, J. A. S. B., xiii, p. 493 (1844) (Nepal). Lophophanes dichrous. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 59. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Upper plumage brownish grey ; the wing-feathers very narrowly edged with hoary grey; forehead and sides of the head fulvous mottled with brown; a half collar round the hind-neck, interrupted at the nape, cream-colotr; chin and throat fulvous grey ; lower plumage ochraceous. Colour of soft parts. Bill dusky bluish; feet plumbeous; iris brick-red (Jerdon). Measurements. Length about 115 mm.; wing about 65 to 71mm.; tail about 55 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; zulmen about 11 mm. Distribution. Himalayas; South Kashmir, Garhwal, Nepal and Sikkim. Nidification. The nest of this Tit was taken by Mr. B. B. Osmaston in the Tons Valley first with the young in 1894 and finally with eggs in 1899. The nests are described as pads of moss with a lining of fur placed in small holes in pear and other trees. They were taken at an elevation between 8,000 and 10,000 feet in April and May. The eggs are described as ‘‘ white, spotted and blotched fairly thickly all over with chestnut markings.” They measured °67 x ‘51 in. (=17-0 x 13-0 mm.). The nest with eggs was placed in a natural hole in a rotten branch of a pear-tree beside the Chakrata—Simla road and in 1917 a second nest with five eggs was taken near Chakrata similar to the other but lined with hair. This too contained five eggs measuring *69 x ‘50 in. (=20:0 x 12:7 mm.). Habits. Those of the genus. (69) Lophophanes dichrous welisi. THe Yunnan Brown Cresrep Tir. Lophophanes dichrous wellst Stuart Baker, Bull. B.O.C., xxxviii, p. 8 (1917) (W. Yunnan, Yangtse big bend). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. This form differs from both L. d. dichrous and L. d. dichroides in being much darker above and paler below, more buff than rufous. The head and back are practically concolorous and do not contrast, a distinctive feature in the latter race. Dimensions and colours of soft parts as in LZ. d. dichrous. Distribution. Yunnan and N. Shan States. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. 88 PARIDE. Genus SYLVIPARUS Burton, 1835. This genus closely resembles Parus but differs in baving a roportionately shorter, smaller bill and a square or very slightly forked tail; plumage greenish with no ventral band. There is only one species. Sylviparus modestus. Key to Subspecies. [ p.88. A. Above olive-green, below ochraceous yellow .... S, m. modestus, B. Above darker and duller, below dull yellowish [p. 88. PLOY ae cacare pale anne gpiaeaserd a aveine a ated Be waa we aan eS S. m. saturatior, C. Above paler and brighter, below brighter and (p. 89. paler and more yellow .....-..c cee e ee eee ees S. m, simlaensia, (70) Sylviparus modestus modestus. Tun YELLOW-BROWED Tir. Sylviparus modestus Burton, P.Z.8., p. 154 (1885) (Nepal); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 58. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Upper plumage, sides of the neck, the wings and tail olive-green, the feathers of the crown centred with brown ; sides of the head yellowish green slightly mottled with brown; a ring of feathers round the eye and a short eye-brow yellow; lower plumage yellow vinged with ochraceous ; edge of wing and under wing-coverts bright yellow. Colours of soft parts. Bill dark plumbeous, palest along the commissure and at base of the lower mandible; legs and feet plumbeous ; iris very dark brown (Davison). Measurements. Total length about 100 mm.; tail about 35 mm. ; wing 60 to 64 mm. ; tarsus about 15 mm. ; culmen about 5 mm. Distribution. Garhwal, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and hills N. of the Brahmaputra at least as far East as the Abor Hills. Nidification. Nothing known. Habits. A bird of the hills above 6,000 feet. In winter it apparently comes much lower, possibly on rare occasions into the plains. (71) Sylviparus modestus simlaensis. Tue Simua YELLOW-BRownp Tr. Sylviparus modestus simlaensis Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C., xxxviii, p- 8 (1917) (Simla). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the true modestus in being a much brighter yellower green above and in being paler and purer yellow below. MACHLOLOPHUS. 89 Colour of soft parts and measurements as in the Nepal bird. Distribution. Simla Hills, northwards. The division between the Garhwal and Simla birds is curious and unusual but is very marked. (72) Sylviparus modestus saturatior. THE CHINESE YELLOW-BROWED Tit. Sylviparus saturatior Rippon, Bull. B.O.C., xvi, p. 87 (1900) (Mt. Victoria, Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Like the Nepal Yellow-browed Tit but much darker and duller both above and below. The under plumage is also more grey and less yellow. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, N. Burma, East into China. Nidification unknown. Habits. Very little recorded. A bird of high elevations like the other races. Genus MACHLOLOPHUS Cabanis, 1850. This genus contains a group of rather large Titmouses with black and yellow plumage, structurally close to the genus Parus but with long pointed crests. Like Parus, however, the birds of this genus have a broad ventral band and graduated tails. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Forehead bright yeilow. a. Paler and brighter, green of back more yellow and less olive .... MM. spilonotus spilonotus, p. 89. b. Darker, green of back more olive, less yellow and with more black in proportion ....... ce eee eee MM, 8, subviridis, p. 90. B. Forehead black. ce. Paler and brighter, tips of wing- [p. 90. coverts yellow.............005 M. wvanthogenys xanthogenys, d. Darker and duller, tips of wing- coverts white ..........ee sees M, «x. aplonotus, p. 91. (73) Machlolophus spilonotus spilonotus. Tue Northern Buack-sporrep YELLOW-Tir. Parus sptlonotus Blyth, Cat. B.M.A.S., xvi, p. 445 (1849) (Hima- layas, N. Cachar). Machlolophus spilonotus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 54, Vernacular names. Muchetink-pho (Lepcha). 90 PARIDA. Description. Forehead, lores, a broad supercilium, a nape- patch, sides of the head and neck bright yellow; crown, crest, a patch on either side the nape, chin, throat and a broad mesial line down to the vent black; the longer feathers of the crest tipped with yellow; sides of the breast yellow; remainder of the lower plumage olive-yellow, purer next the black band; under tail- coverts mixed grey and white ; under wing-coverts and axillaries yellowish white; back and scapulars yellow, each feather laterally margined with yellow ; rump yellowish green ; upper tail-coverts dark bluish grey; tail black, broadly edged with bluish grey and tipped with white, the outer web of the outermost feather entirely white; lesser wing-coverts black, tipped with bluish grey; median and greater coverts and inner secondaries black with broad white tips; primaries white at base, the outer ones edged with white, the others and the outer secondaries edged with bluish grey and the latter narrowly tipped white. Colours of soft parts. Irides brown or red-brown; legs and feet bluish plumbeous or dark blue-slate; bill black. Measurements. Length about 140 mm.; wing 72 to 78 mm. ; tail about 58 mm.; tarsus about 22 mm.; culmen about 10 to 11 mm. The young have no black margins to the feathers of the back and the throat, breast and ventral band are tinged with green. Distribution. Nepal to Miri Hills north of the Brahmaputra hills south of Brahmaputra to Looshai and Lakhimpur and ? Chin Hills. Nidification. Breeds very commonly in the Khasia Hills in April, May and June, a few birds nesting both earlier and later. The eggs are laid in holes of trees, stone walls and, very rarely, banks. The nest is a pad of moss, grass and bits of bracken mixed with fur, wool or hair and with a layer entirely composed of the three latter on the top. The eggs number from four to six and are white boldly spotted, blotched and speckled with light reddish brown with a few underlying of pale neutral tint or grey. The average of 100 eggs is 176x141 mm. Like most Tits these birds are very close and fearless sitters, often allowing themselves to be caught on the nest rather than leave their eggs or young. Habits. North of the Brahmaputra this fine Tit is confined to elevations of 5,000 feet upwards but in the Khasia Hills, Manipur, etc., it is common at 4,000 feet and descends in winter even lower. It may be found either in small parties of half-a- dozen or so, or in pairs. It is a bold familiar bird entering compounds freely and with little fear of watchers. Less restless than the Grey-Tits it is still an active, energeti¢ bird and when hunting for insects assumes the same curious attitudes. It is a much stronger flier than the Grey-Tits and keeps more exclusively to the higher trees but I have seen it hunting low down in Mimosa trees when they are in flower. MACHLOLOPHUS, 91 It is an early riser and its loud ‘“ Did-he-do-it Did-he-do-it No, he didn’t” may be heard soon after dawn Ureaks. This call is generally uttered from the top of some tree, especially the first thing in the morning. (74) Machlolophus spilonotus subviridis. Tus BurMEst Biack-sporrep YELLow Tir. Parus subviridis Tickell (Blyth), J. A. S.B., vol. xxiv, p. 265 (1855) (Tenasserim). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. ‘his is a darker bird than the last, the green of the back and tlanks more olive and the extent of the black greater both above and on the median ventral line. Measurements etc. as in the last bird. Distribution. Burma, Siam, Shan States and south to Tenas- serim, where it was obtained on Mt. Muleyit. Nidification. Similar to the last. The eggs measure about 18:5 x 13°5 mm. (Mackenzie). Habits. Is apparently found down as low as 3,000 feet but generally keeps more, or less to the pine forest region of about 4;500 to 6,000 feet. (75) Machlolophus xanthogenys xanthogenys. Tue NortHern YELLOW-CHEBKED Tit. Parus xanthogenys Vigors, P.Z.8., i, p. 23 (1831) (Himalayas). Machlolophus xanthogenys. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 55. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Lores, forehead, crown, crest, sides of the nape, a bar on the side of the neck, a broad streak behind the eye, chin, throat, centre of the breast and a broad band down the middle of the abdomen black, the longer feathers of the crest tipped with yellow ; a distinct supercilium over the eye ani] ear-coverts, a nape- patch, the cheeks, ear-coverts, sides of the breast and of the upper abdomen bright yellow; remainder of the lower surface olive- yellow; under tail-coverts white; back and rump olive-green, upper tail-coverts slaty; scapulars and lesser wing-coverts black, broadly edged with olive-green; the other coverts black tipped yellow ; primary coverts dark brown; primaries white at base, and the outer ones edged with white below the emarginations ; outer secondaries edged with bluish and tipped with white, the inner secondaries with still broader white tips; tail dark brown suffused with ashy-blue on the outer webs, all the feathers tipped with white and the outer web of the outermost pair entirely white. 92 PARIDA,. Colours of soft parts. Iris deep brown; bill black; legs and feet clear light slaty blue or lavender-blue. Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 69 to 73 mm. ; tail about 58 mm.; tarsus about 20 mm.; culmen about 10 mm. The young differ from the adult in having the black mostly replaced with greenish brown and the crown the same colour as the back. Distribution. Murree to Nepal and Sikkim. The many birds recorded ag wanthogenys from various places south of the Himalayas are all the next bird as far as can be now ascertained. Nidification. Similar to that of AL s. spilonotus. The average of thirty eggs is 17°7x 13-1 mm. Habits. This Tit is found between 4,000 and 7,000 feet in summer and does not seem to work much lower in winter. In its habits generallv it differs little from the Black-spotted Yellow- Tits. Its call, flight and feeding-habits are all described as similar. (76) Machlolophus xanthogenys aplonotus. Tus SourHERN YELLOW-CHEEKED TIT, Parus aplonotus Blyth, J.A.S8.B., xvi, p. 444 (1847) (Mts. of Central India). Machlolophus haplonotus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 56. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the northern bird in having the wing-coverts tipped with white instead of yellow and in having the green and yellow portions of the plumage dull instead of bright. In this bird also the line over the ear-coverts only extends to the corner of the eye and not over it. Colours of soft parts and measurements as in the Northern Yellow-cheeked Tit. A careful examination of the big series in the British Museum does not show that there is any difference in size between the Northern and Southern races in spite of Oates’s opinion to the contrary. Distribution. Throughout the Peninsula of India South of a line drawn from Abu to Paresnath in Chota Nagpur, up to elevations of about 6,000 feet. This Tit does not appear to be found East of Paresnath or West of Abu. Nidification. Similar to that of the Northern race. The average of thirty eggs ‘is about 17-4x13-9 mm. They are not distinguishable from those of the Jast bird. It is said to breed from May to September. Habits. Is found during the breeding season between 2,000 and 6,000 feet, wandering higher than this in the Nilgiris and coming down to the level of the plains, especially in winter. There is nothing special recorded about its habits. EGITHALISCUS. 93 Genus HGITHALISCUS Cabanis, 1850. The genus Hyithaliscus contains a group of very small Titmouses with tails longer in proportion and more graduated than in Parus. There is no crest but the feathers of the crown are very long and full. There is no ventral band. Key to Species. A. Chin white, throat black .............. 4E, concinnus, p. 93. B. Chin and upper throat black ina <-shape 4! bonvaloti, p. 96. C. Chin and thruat broadly black .......... 4G. leucogenys, p. 97. D. Chin and throat all white .............. AE, niveigularis, p. 98. E. Chin and throat with silver-white centre and rufescent sides............0+.005 E, toschistos, p. 99. Agithaliscus concinnus Gould, 1855. Our little Indian Tits hitherto known as erythrocephalus are. only a geographical race of the Chinese concinnus, moreover the name itself cannot be used for this Tit as it is invalidated by Linné’s Parus erythrocephalus, x. ed. p. 191 (1758), and I have therefore had to give it a new subspecific name. Key to Subspecies. A. Broad supercilium white ...........6.. &. ¢. tredalei, p. 93. B. Supercilium mixed black and white ...... AE. e. manipurensis, C. Supercilium all black [p. 94. a. Crown ochre; pectoral band dark and well developed ........0cceeeees eee 4B. c. talifuensis, p. 95. b. Crown brownish buff; pectoral band paler . c. puichellus, p.95. (77) Aigithaliscus concinnus iredalei. THE Rep-HEADED TIT. Atyithaliscus concinnus iredalet Stuart Baker, Bull. B. 0. C., xli, p. 2 (1920) (Simla). Aigithaliseus erythrocephalus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 50. Vernacular names. Pyiong-Samyi (Lepcha). Description. Forehead, crown and nape chestnut; a broad eye- brow from the eye to the nape white; lores, round the eye, ear- coverts, a band under the eyebrow and a large round patch on the throat black; chin and a moustachial streak white; remainder of the lower plumage ferruginous, with a paler band acrass the breast next to the black of the throat; upper plumage and wing- coverts bluish grey; primary wing-coverts and winglet dark brown ; quills brown, narrowly edged with bluish grey ; tail dark brown suffused with bluish grey, the outer web of the outermost feather white, the inner tipped with white ; the next two feathers tipped with white. 94 PARIDEA, Colours of soft parts. Bill black; gape fleshy ; iris pale yellow or‘creamy yellow; legs buffy yellow ; claws livid (Scully). Measurements. Length about 110 mm.; wing about 48 to 52 mm.; tarsus about 13 mm.; culmen 6 mm. Distribution. Himalayas from Chitral to the Mishmi Hills over 5,000 feet, aud in the Miri Hills, according to Stevens, over 4,000 feet. Nidification. The breeding season of this little Tit commences about the middle of March and continues throughout April and May. The nest is a lovely little ball of moss, mixed with cob- webs, lichen and seed-down and is thickly lined with soft feathers or with feathers an seed-down mixed. About Simla it is often placed at the end of a branch of a deodar, at other times in small oaks and even in bushes and tangles of creeper. The eggs are a very pale pink with aring of faint red freckles round the larger end, but they vary from almost pure unmarked white to a pink with a dense dark ring of reddish brown. 100 eggs average 13°88 x 10°57 mm. The clutch is from three to eight eggs. They breed at heights from 6,000 to 10,000 feet or more. Habits. The Red-headed Tit associates in small flocks, probably merely family parties, frequenting both lofty trees and low bushes and shrubs when hunting for food, which consists almost entirely of insects.- It is said, however, to also eat certain fruit and nuts. It is as restless and energetic as the rest of the family, and keeps up a constant rather shrill ‘ tweet” as it flits or scrambles from one branch to another. It appears to be a resident wherever found, moving up and down very little with the change of seasons. (78) Adgithaliscus concinnus manipurensis, Humz’s Rep-awapep Tir. Agithaliscus manipurensis Hume, 8. F., xi, p. 264 (1888) (Manipur) ; Blant. & Oates, i, p. 51. Vernacular names. None recorded.. Description. Differs from iredalez in having the eyebrow white and black, instead of pure white ; the pale pectoral band next the black throat very white and distinct and the lower plumage chestnut, the portion next the pectoral band being brighter than elsewhere. Colours of soft parts. Male.—Legs and feet warm reddish mahogany brown; claws darker; bill black; irides bright yel- lowish white. Female.—Legs and feet very pale orange-brown ; bill black; irides creamy white. Measurements as in iredalei, perhaps averaging a trifle sinaller; several birds have the wing under 48 mm. EGITHALISCUS. 95 Distribution. Hill ranges South of the Brahmaputra, Ma- nipur, Looshai and the extreme northern ranges of the Chin Hills. Nidification. Its eggs have been taken by myself in Shillong, and by Messrs. Hépwoud, Mackenzie and others in the northern Chin Hills, and many by Col. Tytler in the Naga Hills where it is quite common. Mr. Mackenzie describes the nest as like a small and beautiful specimen of the Long-tailed Tit’s and remarks on its predilection for brilliant feathers for use as a lining. The eggs are like those of the Common Red-headed Tit and are nearly always three only in number. They measure about 13:0 x 10°3 mm. The breeding season seems to be May. Habits. Similar to those of others of the genus. In the Khasia Hills and Cachar it is found as low as 5,000 feet, but over most of its range it keeps above 6,000 feet and ascends at least as high as 9,000 feet. (79) Aigithaliscus concinnus pulchellus. Tue Suan ReEp-HeaDED Tit. igithaliscus pulchellus Rippon, Bull. B, O.C., xi, p. 2 (1900)(Nanci, S. Shan States), Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Can be separated at once from Hume’s Red-headed Tit by the wholly black supercilium, whilst from the next bird it can be differentiated by the colour of the crown, which is brownish buffyrather than ochre. Colours of soft parts and measurements as in manipurensis, Distribution. Southern Shan States, Karenni. The limits of the range of this subspecies are rrot yet known. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. Wardlaw Ramsay got it in Karenni at 3,000 feet. : (80) Aigithaliscus concinnus talifuensis.* Rippon’s RED-HEADED T11, Aigithaliseus talifuensis Rippon, Bull. B. 0. C., xiv, p. 18 (1903) (Gvi-dzin, N. Shan States), Vernacular names. None recorded, Description. Similar to Hume’s Red-headed Tit but has the crown ochraceous rather than chestnut; the supercilium is black, the plumage below is whiter, and the pectoral band darker, though not so dark as in the Shan bird. * This form is very doubtfully distinct from yithaliscus concinnus cons cinnus, from China and Yunnan. ° 96 PARIDA. The race is nearest to true Z. ¢. concinnus of China but is dis- tinguished from that bird by the more chestnut flanks and sides. Colour of soft parts as in iredalei. Measurements. A rather bigger bird than the Common Red- headed Tit. Total length about 115 mm.; wing 53 mm.; tail 53 mm.; tarsus about 14 mm. Distribution. Mt. Talifu, W. Yunnan, S.W. China and N. Shan States as far west as the Irrawaddy. Nidification. Harington, who took this Tit’s nest in the Shan States, describes it as like that of the Long-tailed Tit—a ball of moss lined with feathers and with an inner lining of seed-down, placed in a raspberry bush within two feet of the ground. The full clutch of eggs seems to be three only and they measure about 13:5 x 10°9 mm. Harington took the above nest in the end of April but Mr. F. Grant found it breeding in March and early April. , Habits. This Tit seems to be obtained principally between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. Little has been so far recorded of its habits, which doubtless do not differ from those of others of the genus. AXgithaliscus bonvaloti. Key to Subspecies. A. Below white with ferruginous pectoral band. Wing 56-61 mm. ........ eee eee eee E. b. bonvaloti, p. 96. B. Below rutescent with brownish band. Wing 50-B5:MMi sisieeci mews ems ewe crease ere ZE, b. sharpei, p. 97. (81) Agithaliscus bonvaloti bonvaloti. Tue Cuinese Brack-HEADED TIT. fHgithaliscus bonvaloti Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat. Zool., (7) Vol. 12, p. 286 (1891) (Ta-tsien-lu). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Head black, a coronal streak white on the fore- head and becoming chestnut-buff posteriorly; upper back dull chestnut, fading into dull olive on back andrump; feathers of the latter tipped with dull chestnut; chin and upper throat black, somewhat mottled in the centre with white edges to the feathers ; below white; a broken pectoral band, flanks, vent and under tail- coverts sandy chestnut ; tail blackish brown, the outermost three pairs of rectrices with terminal broad streaks of white; wings brown, quills pale-edged and coverts tipped with olive. Colours of soft parts. Not recorded. Measurements. Total length about 110 mm.; wing 56 to 61 mm.; tail 51 to 60 mm. 7 EGITHALISOUS, 97 Distribution. Western China, Yunnan and N.E. Shan States. There are several specimens from the last place in the British Museum Collection. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. (82) Mgithaliscus bonvaloti sharpei. Tue Mv. Vicvorra BLack-HEADED Tit. Aigithaliscus sharper Rippon, Bull. B.O.C., xiv, p. 84 (1904) (Mt. Victoria, Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the preceding bird, but is wholly rufes- cent on breast and belly. The pectoral band is brownish and the black on chin and on the throat is V-shaped. Measurements. Wing 50 to 55 mm.; tail 48 to 51 mm.; “culmen 0:3”, tarsus 0°65" ” (Sharpe). Distribution. Higher mountains of the Chin Hills. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded beyond the fact that it is found in forests on the mountains of the Mt. Victoria chain at 5,000 feet and upwards. (83) Aigithaliscus leucogenys. Tan WHITE-CHEEKED TIT. Orites leucogenys Moore, P. Z. S., xxii, p. 139 (1855) (Afghanistan). Asgithaliscus leucogenys. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 51. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and nape pale reddish brown; lores, a very broad band through the eye to the nape, chin and throat black; cheeks and ear-coverts white; upper plumage, a band over the ear-coverts, wing-coverts and the edges ot the wing- feathers olive-grey; winglet and primary-coverts dark brown; tail brown, the outermost feather with the outer web white and the inner tipped with white, the next feather obliquely, and the one next to this again very narrowly tipped with white; lower plumage reddish fawn, the portion immediately next the black throat deep rusty red. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; iris pale creamy or white ; feet pale orange, claws dusky or brown (Scully). Measurements. Total length about 130 mm.; tail about 55 mm.; wing about 55 mm.; tarsus about 17 mm.; culmen about 8 mm. The young have the black chin and throat of the adult faintly indicated only and the colours duller. VOL. I. H 98 PARIDE, Distribution. Garhwal, Simla Hills, into Kashmir and thence into Afghanistan. Nidification. Whitehead (Ibis, Jan. 1909) describes the nesting of this species in the Kurram Valley, where it breeds freely in the jlex scrub between 4,000 and 8,000 feet. The nest is like that of the British Long-tailed Tit but smaller and Jess neat. It is made of moss and cobwebs externally, then a little green grass and finally a thick lining of feathers. The eggs seem to number from five to eight and to be very like those of the Red-headed Tit and measure 14-7 x 9°5 mm. They breed from the end of March to early May. Habits. In summer the White-cheeked Tit is found between 5,000 or 6,000 and 12,000 feet, but in winter descends much lower and down to some 2,000 feet. Whitehead obtained a specimen, presumably after it lad bred, at Safed Koh at 1,800 feet on the 20th July. It goes about in parties of eight or nine in scrub-jungle, con- tinually uttering its call-note, which Whitehead syllabifies as ‘* prit-t-t.” It is sometimes found in company with Grey Tits. (84) Migithaliscus niveogularis, Tun WHITE-THROATED Tir. Orites niveogularis Moore, P. Z. S., xxii, p. 140 (1855) (North India). Agithaliscus niveogularis, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 52. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead and front of crown, cheeks, chin, throat and sides of neck white; lores and a very broad eye-band black; the two bands partially blending on the nape; ear-coverts hair- brown slightly streaked with whitish ; hind crown and nape buffy brown; upper plumage, wing-coverts and edges of the wing- feathers ashy grey, all but the latter tinged with isabelline; tail brown, the outermost feather with the outer web white, the next two white along the shaft and at the tip; lower plumage pinkish buff, divided from the white of the throat by a broad brown band. Colours of soft parts. Bill dark slaty; legs reddish ; irides pale yellowish. Measurements. Total length about 110 mm.; wing about 64 mm.; tail about 56 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 8 mm. Distribution. From Garhwal and Simla to Gilgit, Chitral and Baluchistan, between 6,000 and 14,000 feet. Nidification. The eggs of this bird were first taken by Whymper in June 1905 at Dumdar, Garhwal and more recently other nests by Messrs. B. B. Osmaston and P. Dodsworth. The ZEGITHALISOUS. 99 nests are described as being like that of the Red-headed Tit but larger and densely lined with feathers. That first found by Whymper was placed in the fork of a willow about 6 feet from the ground and others as much as 30 feet from it, whilst Osmaston’s was in the fork of a cherry-tree, both nest and tree being covered with lichen. The eggs appear to be four in number and are like those of the Red-headed Tit’s but more spotted and less zoned with the markings. They breed from May to June at elevations of 11,000 feet upwards. Eggs sent me by Dodsworth from above Simla measure about 140x105 mm, These were taken from nests in small oaks. Habits. Osmaston found this bird common in the Tons Valley, and Whymper equally so in Garhwal at elevations of some 11,000 or 12,000 feet. It seems to haunt both thick and sparse forest equally, and to go about ih little parties like the rest of its tribe. Whitehead likens its note to the ‘‘ Wi” of the Goldfinch. (85) Aigithaliscus.ioschistos. Tus Rovuroos-rronrep Trt. Parus toschistos Uodgs., J. A. S. B., xiii, p. 943 (1844) (Nepal). Aigithaliscus ioschistus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 52. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, a broad band on the middle of the head, the sides of the neck aud a broad collar on the upper back fawn- colour; lores, under the eye, and a broad band on the side of the crown extending to the upper back and there blending with the band on the other side, black; ear-coverts blackish in front, rufous behind; upper plumage, wing-coverts and the edges to the wings and tail ashy olive; primary-coverts and winglet dark brown ; tail brown, the outer web of the outermost feather white, the next two with some white at the tip; chin and throat silvery white, with the black bases of the feathers showing through; the chin and a stripe under the cheek blacker than the other parts ; cheeks and entire lower plumage dark ferruginous. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; legs yellow-brown; iris brown (Jerdon) ; iris yellow (Blanford). Measurements. Length about 100 mm.; tail about 55 mm.; wing about 60 mm.; culmen about 7 mm.; tarsus about 17 mm. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Nidification and Habits. Very little on record. Blanford found it in Sikkim at 9,000 feet and upwards, and believed that it kept only to the pine-forests. n3 100 PARIDA. Genus REMIZ Stejn., 1886. This genus contains a group of small birds generally known as Penduline Tits, extending from South and East Europe to China. They are all small in size, have square tails, no crests, and have no green on the upper plumage. ‘fey are more or less migratory in their habits and only enter India as rather rare winter visitors. (86) Remiz coronatus. Tur Penpurinn Trt, Aigithalus coronatus Severtz., Izv. Obsck. Moskov, viii, p. 136 (18738) (Chodynt, Syr Daria). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Crown white, varying considerably in extent ard the hinder part much marked with black; forehead, lores, sides of crown, cheeks and ear-coverts black, running round the nape as a broad band ; chin, throat and neck white, forming a collar below the black band; back dark rufous, paling to dull fulvous on the lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts; tail blackish brown, most of the outer webs and edges of inner webs white; lesser and median wing-coverts like the back but duller; greater coverts blackish suffused with deep chestnut and with broad tips of pale rufous-cream ; quills blackish brown edged with white. Below white, suffused with vinous or rufous on breast and flanks; under tail-coverts white. Measurements. Length about 105 mm.; wing 52 to 55 mm. ; tail about 42 to 45 mm.; culmen 5 to 6mm.; tarsus about 12 mm. Distribution. Transcaspia, West Turkestan, to East Persia, Baluchistan and extreme N.W. India. It has been recorded from Sukkur in Sind (7. R. Bell), Lachi and Kohat (Whitchead & Magrath) and Jhelum (H. Whistler). Nidification. This little Tit makes a wonderful retort-shaped nest of vegetable wool and down lined with the softest seed-down and with an entrance near the top. It is fastened to the end of a branch of a tree, The eggs, four or five in number, are white faintly marked with reddish specks. Four eggs in my collection measure about 143x11-0mm. The birds are said to breed during Mavand June. Habits. Apparently very similar to those of the Long-tailed Tit. In Sukkur, Bell found them in small parties in well-watered, dense tamarisk-acacia jungles but in Kohat they were noticed im flocks numbering as many as forty. Here they were seen frequenting Shisham-trees and also orchards and camel-thorn serub. The call-note is said to resemble that of the White-eye (Zosterops) and to be constantly uttered as they hunt about for insects, their principal food, though they will also eat seeds and fruit, as do most other Tits. MELANOCHLORA. 101 Genus MELANOCHLORA Lesson, 1839. This genus was placed by Oates amongst his Liotrichine, with which, however, it appears to have nothing in common. It is undoubtedly, a very aberrant form of Titmouse and might possibly be well placed in a Family or Sub-family by itself. The wing is long and pointed and the nostrils are slightly exposed, both features unlike any other of the Paride. On the other hand bill, feet, habits and nidification all point strongly to its affinity with these birds, There is only one species extending from Nepal to the Malay Peninsula. Melanochlora sultanea. Key to Subspecies. A. Yellow very brilliant and strong ; rather larger soc aneiGaes var vsankinn tec icee M. ». sultanea, p. 101. B. Yellow paler and less bright; rather BM GUST 5 cieisarg 4 Case gee sigan se se sheen ML, s. flavocristata, p. 102. (87) Melanochlora sultanea sultanea. Tue Inpran Suuran Tit. Parus sultaneus Hodgs., Ind. Rev., 1836, p. 31 (Nepal). Melanochlora sultanea. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 24). Vernacular names. Bon-tylia-pho (Lepcha); Dao-rajah-gatang- lili (Cachari). Description. Adult male.—Forehead, crown and crest brilliant yellow; the rest of the head, whole upper plumage, wings and breast deep black, with a metallic lustre on wings and back; tail the same with outermost feathers tipped with white; remainder of lower plumage deep bright yellow, the thighs mixed with some white. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; mouth dark fleshy ; eyelids plumbeous; irides dark brown or red-brown; legs dark slaty, claws dark horny. Measurements. Total length about 200 mm.; wing 110°5 to 115 mm.; tail about 85 to95mm.; tarsus about 24 mm.; culmen about 17 mm. Adult female and young. The black of the male is replaced with greenish brown, the yellow is paler and duller, and the chin and throat are yellowish brown. Distribution. The Lower Himalayas from Nepal,through Assam, North and South of the Brahmaputra to the Kachin and Shan Hills and to Arrakan. Birds from Karenni and North Siam are of this race. 102 PARIDE. Nidification. A nest taken by me in N. Cachar on the 17th May, 1890, was similar to that of a Titmouse, a pad of moss with dense lining of cotton-down, placed in a crevice in a big bough of an oak. The eggs, seven in number, are like those of a Machlolophus and measure about 19°2x15-3 mm. They were on the point of hatching. Habits. The Sultan Tit goes about in small flocks of half-a- dozen or so very much like the birds of the genus Machlolophus and have the same manner of searching for insects in the branches of trees, but their actions are somewhat slower and more deliberate. They eat both insects and fruit and seeds, principally the first- named, and their call is a Joud, rather shrill note bearing a resemblance to the note of the Great Tit. They are low-level birds, being found principally at and below 2,000 feet, though they ascend sometimes as high as 4,000 feet. They may be found both in evergreen and deciduous forest, preferring the former, and they also frequent bamboo-jungle aud scrub and secondary growth. They are not shy birds. (88) Melanochlora sultanea flavocristata. Tye Manay Surran Trt. Parus flavocristatus Lafres., Mag. de Zool., Cl. 2, p. 80 (1837) (Iles de la Sonde). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the last but with the yellow paler and less rich. Measurements. Rather smaller than true sulianea with a wing under, 110 mm. Distribution. Peninsular Siam and Burma to Sumatra. Nidification unknown. PARADOXORNITHIDE. 103 Family PARADOXORNITHID. When Blanford and Oates wrote the ‘Avifauna of British India’ very little had been recorded about the habits. and nidifi- cation of this group of birds and it was, perhaps, on account of this that they were placed by them as a Sub-family of the Corvida. When Harington in 1914 wrote his ‘ Zimeliides” in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, he incorporated the Paradoxornithide in this so-called Order. I can, however, see no reason for raising the Timaliide to the rank of an Order, and though it appears that in many respects these curious birds do form alink between the Titmouses and Babblers, it appears prefer- able to give them the rank of a family between the two. The genus Panurus is undoubtedly a close relation of some of our Indian Parrot-Bills, and will have to be incorporated in the same family. The Paradoxornithide differ from the Paride in having a much longer first primary, the plumage very soft and lax, and in having a thick, soft crest of feathers arising from the whole crown. From the Zimalitde they differ in having the nostrils completely covered with bristles. They are very gregarious in their habits and build cup-shaped nests in reeds, bushes, etc., whilst their eggs are of several types. The bill is very deep, being greater in depth than length in all but Conostoma. The culmen is very rounded transversely and the margins of the mandible in most species are curiously sinuate. Key to Genera. A. Tail longer than the wing. a, Tail less graduated; outermost pair of feathers fully 3 leneth of tail.......... Conostoma, p. 103. b. Tail more ‘graduated ; outermost pair of feathers not more than 2 length of tail. a’. Height of bill more than length. Commissure preatly curved ........ Panavoxornis, p. 105. 6’. Height of bill less than length. Commissure very slightly curved .... SurHora, p. 107. B. Tail no longer, or shorter, than wing. ec. Wing well over 8 inches or 76mm,...... PsiTTIPARus, p. 116. d, Wing well under 3 inches or76mm. .... Nrosutnona, p. 115. Genus CONOSTOMA Hodgson, 1841. The genus Conostoma contains only one species, the largest member of the family. Itis characterized by a tail longer than the wing, but with the feathers considerably less graduated than in the following genera. The bill is proportionately much longer. 104 PARADOXORNITHIDA. (89) Conostoma zmodium. Tur Great Parnrot-Bi11. Conostuma emodius Hodgs., J.A.S8.B., x, p. 857 (1841) (Nepal). Conostoma emodium. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 61. Vernacular names. The Red-billed Jay-Thrush (Jerdon); The Red-billed Crow-Tit (Oates); Lho-rannio-pho (Lepcha). Description. Lores and fenthers in front of the eye dark brown; forehead greyish white; upper plumage olive-brown with a rufous tinge; outer edges of primaries ashy ; of the secondaries rufous, their tips and the whole of the innermost secondaries ashy; tail ashy grey, more or less washed with rufous along the middle of the feathers; chin, throat, and sides of the head brown, with a vinous tinge, becoming paler on the rest of the lower plumage. Fig. 21,—Head of C. emodium. Colours of soft parts. Bill horny or dull orange; legs pale to plumbeous or-slate-grey ; iris brown. Measurements. Length about 200 mm.; wing about 130 to 133 mm.; tail about 140 mm.; tarsus about 37 mm.; culmen about 20 nm. and from gape 25 mm. Distribution. From Nepal, through Sikkim and the higher ranges of hills of North Assam into Tibet: and W. China. Nidification. Breeds in Sikkim in May. Hume describes the nests as shallow, almost hemispheral cups very compactly made of grass and lined with the finest grass-stems. A nest sent to me was similar but deeper in shape, measuring about 130mm. in breadth and about 105mm. in external depth. All the nests were placed in clumps of ringal bamboo at elevations of over 10,000 feet, except one sent me which had been built in high reeds. The egg is a dull white sparsely spotted, speckled and smudged with yellowish brown-and inky purple. The only two eggs known both measure about 27-8 x 20-4 mm. Habits. The Great Parrot-Bill is a bird of very high elevations breeding between 10,000 and 12,000 and descending in winter PABADOXORNIS. 105 some 4,000 feet lower. It is found in small companies, scrambling and climbirig about bamboos, reeds and high grass, hunting for insects, on which it chiefly feeds, Its flight is weak and fluttering aud its call is a loud bleat. Genus PARADOXORNIS Gould, 1836. The genus Paradoxornts, as restricted by Oates, contains only three species, two of which are found in India and Burma and a third heudet in Eastern China. Paradoxornis differs from Conostoma in having the feathers of the tail more graduated and the bill shorter and much deeper. The cutting-edge of the upper mandible has a deep sigmoid curve with a corresponding sinuation in the lower. The plumage is very lax and full, the wing short and rounded, the 4th, 5th, and 6th quills being subequal. Key to Species, A. Throat barred black and white, bordered below with a black band .............. P. flavirostris, p. 105. B. Throat pale fulvous with black arrow-head markings and no band .............5. P. guttaticollis, p. 106. af Fig. 22.—Head of P. flavirostris, (90) Paradoxornis flavirostris. Gouxp’s Parror-Binn. Paradoxornis flavirostris Gould, P.Z.8., iv, p. 17 (1836) (Nepal) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 62. Vernacular names. Dao mougasha gadeba (Cachari); But-but Sorai (Plains Miri). , Description. Forehead, nape, sides of neck and hinder parts of ear-coverts dull chestnut; lores black; feathers round the eye and a patch under it white, the bases of the feathers more or less black ; anterior two-thirds of ear-coverts and the point of the chin black; cheeks and chin white barred with black; throat black; upper plumage fulvous-brown, rufous on the tail and visible por- tion of wings ; lower plumage fulvous. 106 PARADOXORNITHID A. Colours of soft parts. Iris deep red or red-brown; bill wax- yellow to bright yellow ; legs clear slate or plumbeous grey. Measurements. Length about 180mm.; wing about 85to 90mm. ; tail about 100 to 110 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; culmen about 12 mm. Distribution. From Nepal to the Chin Hills and the hills south of the Brahmaputra from the foothills up to 5,000 or even 7,000 feet. Nidification. This Parrot-Bill breeds in April and May and the early part of June, making a very compact, deep nest of soft grasses, a few shreds of bamboo-leaves and the bark of reeds, well coated over with cobwebs and lined with fine grass-stems. It is placed either in reeds, bamboo clumps or in bushes, low down and generally well concealed but sometimes quite exposed. The eggs are normally only two in number, sometimes three. They are pure white in ground-colour, very sparsely speckled and spotted with tiny pinky-brown marks. Occasionally eggs are found which are more like those of Psittiparus, but such are very rare. Thirty-five eggs average 21:9 x 16°2 mm. Habits. Gould’s Parrot-Bill is found from the level of the plains of North Assam up to 7,500 feet in the Naga Hills, at which eleva- tion Col. Tytler repeatedly took its nest. It is a shy, retiring bird, the flocks in the cold weather skulking about in grass and reeds, climbing with considerable agility but very loath to fly and then usually only fluttering away into thicker cover a few yards distant. When unaware that they are being watched they are in the habit of fluttering a few feet into the air above the reeds or bushes uttering a loud chirrup as they rise. They have the same bleating or mewing cry which seems to be common to the family. Although principally insect-feeders they also eat: seeds and berries. Stevens refers to the curious snapping sounds made by these birds with their bills when feeding. (91) Paradoxornis gutiaticollis. Austen’s Parrot-Biuu. Paradovornis guttaticallis David, Nouv. Arch. Mus,, vii, p. 14 (1871) (Szechuen, W. China); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 62. Vernacular names. Dao mougasha gadeba (Cachari). Description. Differs from flavirostris in having the cheeks, chin, throat and upper part of the breast pale fulvous white, with numerous delicate arrowhead-shaped marks of black, and the remainder of the lower plumage of the same colour but without the marks; the head and crest of a paler chestnut; the bill about half the size and the legs much feebler. SUTHORA. 107 Colours of soft parts. Iris brown to red-brown; bill wax- yellow; legs and feet slaty-grey or plumbeous tinted with blue or green ; ‘‘legs and claws green” (Cockburn). Measurements. Rather smaller than the last; tail about 100 mm. ; wing 80 to 85 mm.; culmen about 8 to 9 mm.; tarsus about 26 mm. Distribution. Hills south of Brahmaputra, N. Lakhimpur, hills of N. Burma, Shan States into western China. Nidification. Similar to that of the last bird but probably never breeds below 3,000 feet and seldom under 4,000 feet. The eggs also are indistinguishable and the average of 34 is 22-2 x 16-4 mm. Habits. The same as those of flavirostris, but whereas that bird is most common at low levels this is found at much higher levels and never, so far as has been recorded, in the plains or foot-hills. Genus SUTHORA Hodgson, 1838. The genus Suthora is one which has been much split up by some Ornithologists. Harington accepted Heteromorpha, Chleuasicus, Suthora and Neosuthora as good genera. Whilst, however, the last named is sharply divided from the others by its very short tail, I can find no generic differences between the three first and retain them all under Suthora. The characteristics of the genus are the short, thick bill, a trifle longer than deep, the culmen strongly curved but with the com- missure almost straight. The nostrils are very small, circular, and completely concealed by plumules. The sixth primary is a little longer than the fifth and seventh or subequal. The tail- feathers are long and narrow and greatly graduated, the outer being about half the length of the central. The plumage is soft and full and there is a short thick crest. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. A well-defined supercilium of black or brown. a.’ Whole upper plumage olive-brown. S, unicolor, p. 108. 6, Crown ashy-brown, remaining upper plumage orange-brown ........ S. nepalensis, p. 109, c. Crown and upper parts all orange- brown. a’, Ear-coverts slaty blue-grey. a’, Breast and abdomen pale grey , poliots poliotis, p. 109. 6". Breast and abdomen orange- LOIVOUS 4 cece cas omags Gores S. p. rippont, p. 111. 4’, Ear-coverts orange-chestnut .. 8. p. humdi, p. 110. 108 PARA DOXORNITHID SE. B. Supercilium obsolete or entirely ab- sent. d, Crown and upper plumage orange- brown, c'. Ear-coverts slaty grey, breast PULVO US): 5206508 sicinne's swan 04 HRS S. p. fee, p. 111. d'. Kar-coverts brown, breast orange- fulyous's .: a5 ese hearwasee S. gularis eraddockt, p. 111. e. Crown chestnut-brown, back olive- HYOWH. 6o9 cad scares S. webbiana brunnea, p. 112. J. Centre of crown fulvous, back olive- VOL OWE cserie Hib iacs warnaatea + as S. fulvifrons, p. 113. g. Crown bright chestnut, back rufous- brown. e’. No supercilium at all ........ S. ruficeps ruficeps, p. 114. f'. A short black supercilium directly over eye ............ S. r. atrisuperciliaris, p. 114. (92) Suthora unicolor. Tur Brown SurTHora. Heteromorpha unicolor Hodgs., Ind. Rev., ii, p. 82 (1838) (Nepal). Suthora unicolor. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 64. Vernacular names. Lho-ramnio-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead and crest brown tinged with rufous ; lores and supercilia reaching to the nape black; chin and sides of Fig. 23,—Head of S. unicolor. the head vinous brown; throat and sides of the neck greyish brown; upper plumage olive-brown, strongly tinged with rufous on the tail and visible portions of wings; breast and lowcr plumage dull fulvous. Colours of soft parts. Iris hoary grey to brown (? juv.); bill fleshy yellow to orange-yellow ; legs and feet pale slaty tinged with grey or green. Measurements. Total length about 200mm.; wing 80 to 85mm. ; tail about 102 to 107 mm.; culmen 10 mm.; tarsus about 30mm. SUTHORA. 109- Distribution. The higher regions of Nepal and Sikkim ; Jerdon obtained it at 10,000 feet near Darjeeling and Blanford in the Lachung Valley between 7,000 and 8,000 feet elevation. It extends to the mountains which lie between China and Tibet. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. (93) Suthora nepalensis, Tuer AsHY-EARED SurnHora. Suthora nepalensis Hodgs., Ind. Rev., ii, p. 32 (1838) (Nepal) ; Blanf.. & Oates, i, p. 65. Vernacular names. Suthora (Nepal). Description. Forehead, crown and nape smoky grey; a very broad black supercilium from forehead to nape; lores, round the eye, and a short broad eyebrow white; remainder of the side of the head slaty blue; upper plumage and wing-coverts orange-. brown; primary-coverts black ; primaries with hoary outer webs, tinged with.chestnut at base; the outer quills chiefly chestnut on the outer webs and tipped with white on both webs; tail chestnut broadly tipped with blackish ; point of the chin black; throat rusty, with black bars showing through ; lower plumage orange-fulvous. Colours of soft parts. Not recorded. Measurements. Total length about 110mm.; wing 47 to49 mm.,; tail about 55 to 58 mm.; tarsus about 16 to 16°5 mm.; culmen. about 5 mm. Distribution. Nepal only. Nidification and Habits. Nothing known. (94) Suthora poliotis poliotis. Biyta’s SurHora. Suthora poliotis Blyth, J. A.S.B., xx, p. 522 (1851) (Cherrapanji, Khasia Hills); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 65. Vernacular names. Dao mougasha kashiba (Cachari). Description. Upper plumage bright orange-brown; a broad black supercilium extending to the nape and a narrow white line below it; lores, cheeks and under the eye white ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck slaty-blue ; a streak of fulvous behind the eye and over the front part of the ear-coverts; chin and throat black; lower plumage bluish grey, becoming whitish on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; primary-coverts black ; primaries. with hoary outer webs, tinged with chestnut at the base; the outer quills chiefly chestnut on the outer webs and tipped with. white; tail chestnut broadly tipped with blackish. 110 PARADOXORNITHIDE. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; legs slate-grey or bluish slaty ; bill fleshy yellow. Measurements. Length about 100 mm.; wing 44 to 46 mm.; tail about 52 mm.; culmen about 5 mm. Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra from the Khasia Hills to the Eastern Naga Hills. Nidification. This little bird breeds in the Khasia and N. Cachar Hills in May and June, making a very neat little, cup-shaped nest of fine grasses and shreds of bamboo-leaves well fastened together with cobwebs and lined with the finest grass-stems. It is placed low down in thick bushes or tangles of creepers, both iu scrub jungle and evergreen forest. The eggs are generally three in number and are of a rather deep hedge- sparrow’s egg-blue, unspotted. In shape they are rather broad ovals with the smaller end broad and blunt. Twenty eggs average 15°7 x 11-9 mm. Habits. Blyth’s Suthora seems to be found at elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 feet, wandering about in small flocks in the denser undergrowth in evergreen forest or, less often, in scrub and secondary growth. They are great skulkers and very hard to get a shot at as they climb and scramble through the lower parts of the bushes, only showing themselves for a second or two as they feebly flit from one bush to another. Their call- note is a very plaintive little bleat, constantly uttered by each member of the flock, and they also have a variety of low cheeps and ‘“chirrs.” They feed both on insects and grass-seeds, etc. Helimayr (‘Genera Avium,’ p. 73) considers dajflaensis separable from true poliotis in that it has the feathers of the chin and throat with longer white fringes than has the latter bird. I cannot separate the two races with the material available. (95) Suthora poliotis humii. Tun BLacK-FRONTED SUTHORA. Suthora humii Sharpe, Cat. B. M., vii, p. 487 (1883) (Darjeeling); Llanf. & Oates, i, p. 64. i ai a 2 Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to S. p. poliotis, but has the ear-coverts orange-chestnut and the flanks and vent orange-fulvous. Colours of soft parts as in poliotis. Measurements. Wing from 46 to 48 mm. Distribution. Native Sikkim extending to the hills about Darjeeling. Nidification unknown. Habits similar to those of poliotis. SUTHORA, 111 (96) Suthora poliotis fez. Satvapori’s SuTHoRA. Suthora fee Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civic. Genova, vii, p. 364 (1889) (Karenni) ; Blanf, & Oates, i, p. 66 (footnote). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to S. p. poliotis, but with flanks and vent bright pale fulvous and no black supercilium. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in Blyth’s Suthora. Distribution. So far only obtained in Karenni and Fort Stedman. Nidification. A nest sent to me from near Fort Stedman, with both parents, was made entirely of shreds of fine grass, coated with cobwebs and lined with fine grass-stems. It was cup-shaped and had been placed low down in matted reeds and grass. ‘he two blue eggs measure 15°3 x 12°5 and 16:0 x 12°5 mm. Habits. Nothing recorded, and the only known specimens are Salvadori’s type and those sent me from Fort Stedman by Col. H. H. Harington. (97) Suthora poliotis ripponi. Ripron’s SurHora. Suthora rippont Sharpe, Bull. B.0.C., xv, p. 96 (1905) (Mt. Victoria, Chin Hitls). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to S. p. poliotis, but has the breast and abdomen orange-grey and the ear-coverts a distinctly paler grey. Colours of soft parts as in poliotis. Measurements. Total length about 110 mm.; wing about 48 mm.; tail about 56 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm. Distribution. Mt. Victoria, Chin Hills. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. (98) Suthora gularis craddocki. Bineuam’s Surmora. Suthora craddocki Bingham, Bull. B.0O.C., xiii, p. 54 (1903) (Loi- Pang-Nan, Shan States). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. ‘‘ Forehead, crown, nape, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts orange-brown, shaded on the back and nape with 112 PARADOXORNITHIDE. olive-brown; the primaries edged externally with white, the secondaries and tertiaries broadly edged with bright orange- brown ; the primary-coverts brown, forming a conspicuous patch on the upper portion of the wing; tail brown, the outer edges of the feathers bright rufous-brown for three-fourths of their length from the base; tores, cheeks and a long supercilium white; the white of the cheeks extending on to the sides of the neck; ear- coverts brown ; chin and throat black, shading into grey on the upper breast; abdomen and under tail-eoverts bright orange- brown. “Upper mandible horny, lower fleshy-yellaw ; legs and feet fleshy-brown, Length about 4’ (100 mm.), wing 1:8" (45 mm.), tail 1-9 (48 mm.), bill 0:3" (7 mm.), tarsus 0°9" (22:8 mm.).” (Bingham.) Bingham’s Suthora is only a race of gularis (verreauxi Sharpe, Cat. B.M.), differing from that bird in having the abdomen and under tail-coverts orange-brown instead of white. Distribution. Mekong water-shed, Kentung State, Shan Hills. Nidification unknown. Habits. This little Suthora is evidently a bird of very high elevations, only having been found by Bingham at 8,500 feet. (99) Suthora webbiana brunnea. ANDERSON’s SUTHORA. Suthora brunnea Anderson, P.Z.S., 1871, p. 211 (Yunnan); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 68, footnote. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. The whole head and neck all round with the breast chestnut-brown, suffused with vinaceous below: the upper plumage, wing-coverts, tail and exposed parts of closed wing olive-brown ; lower plumage yellowish brown. Colours of soft parts. Iris deep red; bill yellow horny, pale except on the culmen ; legs greenish plumbeous or slaty brown. Measurements. Total length about 125 to 130 mm.; wing 51 to 54 mm.; tail about 60 to 65 mm.; tarsus about 20mm.; culmen about 7 mm. Distribution. Yunnan and the Kachin Hills from Bhamo east- wards. Nidification. This bird has been found breeding commonly in Sinlum-Kaba. Bhaino District, at an elevation of some 6,000 feet. Harington describes the nest as “‘a rather deep cup-shaped structure composed of bamboo-leaves and coarse blades of grass, SUTHORA. 113 lined with finer grass and a few horse-hairs; measuring about 4" x 31" outside and 2x 2" inside.’ The nests were. all extremely well concealed and were only discovered by carefully watching the birds. They were placed in clumps of reeds or grass, or in thick bushes and tangles of creepers, in each case quite low down, less than three feet from the ground. The eggs number 2 to 4, the former number having been taken much incubated, but 3 is the usual full clutch. In colour they are a ratherdeep, unspotted hedge-sparrows’ egg-blue and in shape broad ovals, very little compressed at the smaller end. Twenty- four eggs average 16:3 x 12:8 mm. The breeding season is from the end of April to early June. Habits. Anderson’s Suthora keeps principally to reed and grass cover, where they creep about but seldom fly. As they hunt for insects they keep up a continuous twittering, and they are more often heard than seen. (100) Suthora fulvifrons fulvifrons. THE FuLyvoUS-FRONTED SUTHORA. Temnoris fulvifrons Hodgs., P.Z.S., xiii, p. 31 (1845) (Nepal). Suthora fulvifrons. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 66. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, middle portion of the crown,a very short supercilium, cheeks, chin, throat, breast, sides of the neck and the under tail-coverts bright fulvous; a broad band from the lores over the eye to the nape, the back, ramp and lesser wing-coverts -olive-yellow; upper tail-coverts fulvous; greater wing-coverts edged with chestnut ; quills with the outer webs chestnut, hoary on the basal halves of the primaries; tail blackish, the outer webs more or less bright chestnut except at the tips; abdomen deep grey. Colours of soft parts. Irides brown; bill pale fleshy yellow, horny above; legs fleshy brown. Measurements. Total length about 150 mm.; wing about 54 to56 mm.; tail about 66 mm.; culmen about 5mm.; tarsus about 20 to 22 mm. Distribution. Nepal and Sikkim. Nidification and Habits. Practically nothing known. Masson found it breeding on the Singlo Ridge about 8,500 feet, but failed to find the nest. This was in May. It probably keeps to high elevations and dense forest in which it is not easily observed. VOL. I. I 114 PARADOXORNITHIDE, (101) Suthora ruficeps ruficeps. Tun Rep-HEADED SurHoRa. Chleuasicus ruficeps Blyth, J. A.S.B., xiv, p. 678 (1845) (Sikkim). Suthora ruficeps. Blanf. & Oates, i; p. 67. Vernacular names. Chongto-phep-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead and crest to hind neck bright chestnut ; sides of the head and neck paler; lower plumage white, tinged with pink on the breast; upper plumage rufous-brown, deeper on the tail and exposed parts of the wings; shafts of chin-feathers distinctly black. Colours of soft parts. Bill creamy or fleshy white or pale horny ; legs greenish plumbeous ; iris bright red-brown. Measurements. Total length about 150 mm.; wing 75 to78 mm. ; tail about 80 mm.; tarsus about 23°5 mm.; culmen about 7-5 mm. Distribution. Sikkim only. Nidification unknown. Habits. A very rare bird found in Sikkim at 7,000 feet upwards. The habits are probably much the same as those of the next bird. (102) Suthora ruficeps atrosuperciliaris. Taz Buack-Browep SurHora. Chleuasicus ruficeps var. atrosuperciliaris Godw.-Aust., P.A.S, Beng., 1877, p..147 (Sadiya, Assam). Suthora atrisuperciliarts, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 67. Vernacular names. Dao-mougasha (Cachari). Description. Differs from the last bird in being darker and more richly coloured everywhere and in having a well-defined. black eyebrow. Colours of soft parts. Maxilla fleshy, the culmen and base a little darker and becoming bluish next the forehead, lower mandible pale fleshy, the gonys almost white; irides light bright brown; legs pale, clear bluish plumbeous, claws paler still. Measurements. Total length 145 to150mm.; wing 57to59mm.; tail about 99 mm.’; culmen about 10 mm. and from gape about 12 mm. Distribution. From Cachar to. Lakhimpur iy Assam, sonth of the Brahmaputra and east of the Dibong in the Abor and Miri Hills, north of. the same river and thence eastwards to Yunnan through the Shan States. Godwin-Austen’s birds trom Baladhan were undoubtedly of this and not the iast race. Nidification. The only nest I have seen of this bird was an exact ininiature of those of Paradowornis and Psittiparus. Out- wardly it measured 2°5” x 3” deep and inwardly 2"x 2". It was composed of fine shreds of grass and reed-bark with a lining of BIRDS. VOL.L. PLATE I. SUTHORA R. ATROSUPERCILIARIS. The Black—browed Suthora. % life size. NBEOSUTHORA. 115 the finest grasses but, under these, were a few scraps of bamboo leaves. It was bound together with cobwebs and placed in a bamboo clump growing on a grass-covered hillside. The single egg contained in the nest was a pale hedge-sparrow blue and measured 19°5 15-2 mm. A nest with three eggs taken by a Naga were similar but the latter measured only about 18:4 x 13°6 mm. Habits. An inveterate little skulker in long grass and scrub- jungle, never taking to flight unless actually forced, but creeping in and out low down and out of sight, though its constant twittering may be heard the whole time. They go about in large parties numbering a dozen or more and, when they think they are not being watched, every now and then one climbs to a tall grass, chirps loudly and immediately descends again. They con- sort frequently with both Psittiparus ruficeps and Paradowornis and it is very curious to watch these three Red-heads in company. The Black-browed Suthora is found in winter practically in the plains and in summer breeds between 2,000 and 4,500 feet. I found in the stomachs of those examined by me small grass- hoppers, Coleoptera, and a few hard seeds. Genus NEOSUTHORA Hellmayr, 1911. This genus differs from Suthora in having the tail less graduated and much shorter, not more than three-fourths the length of the wing ; the bill is larger and much deeper in proportion; the wing is still more rounded, the 4th to the 7th being subequal. It contains but one species, Neosuthora davidiana, of.which a subspecies, N. d. thompsoni, comes within our limits. (103) Neosuthora davidiana thompsoni. THompson’s SUTHORA. Suthora thompsoni Bingham, Bull. B. O. C., xiii, p. 63 (1903) (Kyat- pyin, Shan States). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Top and sides of the head bright cinnamon-rufous ; hind neck, back and rump pale slate-grey, more or less washed with olive ; wings and tail grey-brown, the quills edged with bright rufescent brown ; chin and throat black; breast grey tinged with buff, more especially on the centre; flanks, abdomen and lower tail-coverts clear brownish ochraceous, Colours of soft parts. Bill fleshy horny ; irides hazel ; legs plumbeous grey. Measurements. Total length about 95 to 100 mm.; wing 50 to 52 mum. ; tail 36 to 38 mm. Distribution. Southern Shan States. Nidification and Habits. Not recorded. 12 116 PARADOXORNITHIDA, Genus PSITTIPARUS Hellmayr, 1903. Blanford’s name of Sceorhynchus being preoccupied, Hellmayr’s name of Psittiparus must be used for this genus. It differs from Neosuthora in having the tail longer, about equal to the wing and still less graduated, the outermost feather being nearly or quite five-sixths the length of the central ones. ‘The bill is larger and longer in proportion. The lst primary is a little more than half the length of the 5th, 6th and 7th, which are longest and subequal. The legs are exceptionally strong. Key 'to Species and Subspecies. A. Crown of head rufous; chin white. a. Wing under 90 mm. ; bill from front to tip 14mm. .............0. eae os P. ruficeps ruficeps, p. 116. 6, Wing 90 mm. or over; bill from front wv to tip 16mm. .............-066% ,. P.r. bakeri, p.117. B. Crown of head grey ; chin black. ce. Wing over 90 mm.; under parts white. P. gularis gularis, p. 118. d. Wing under 90 mm. ; under parts suf- fused with fulvous ................ P. g. transfluvialis, p. 118. (104) Psittiparus ruficeps ruficeps. Tue Repv-HEADED Parror-BiItt. Paradoxornis ruficeps Blyth, J. A.8. B., (1) ii, p. 177 (1842) (Bootan). Sceorhynchus ruficeps. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 68. Vernacular names. Chongto-phep-pho (Lepcha). Description. Head, nape, upper back, lores, cheeks and ear- coverts chestuut ; upper plumage, tail and exposed parts of wings olive-brown, tinged with rufous; the whole lower plumage white, tinged with brown on the sides of the body, vent, thighs and under tail-coverts. Colours of soft parts. Iris deep red-brown; upper mandible horny brown, lower fleshy-brown ; eyelids and mouth slate-blue; legs dark plumbeous blue; claws horn-brown. Measurements. Total length about 180 mm.; wing 84 to 86 mm. ; tail about 85 mm.; bill “from forehead to tip in a straight line 14 mm.” (Hurtert); tarsus about 28 mm. Distribution. Hills north of the Brahmaputra east to Sadiya. Nepal and Sikkim. Nidification and Habits. Not distinguishable from those of the next subspecies. Seven eggs in my collection average 22-8 x 16-7 mm. PSITTIPARUS. 117 (105) Psittiparus ruficeps bakeri. Baxer’s Parrot-Bit. Sceorhynchus ruficeps bakeri Hartert, Nov. Zool., vii, p. 548 (1900) (Hungrum, N. Cachar). Vernacular names. Daomaogasha gajao (Cachari); Indo-rui Ingaoria (Naga); Vohtéra (Mikir). Description. Differs from the Red-headed Parrot-Bill in having the under parts tinged everywhere with buff and in being a little larger. Measurements. Wing 90 to 95 mm.; tail about 95 mm.; bill from forehead to tip in a straight line 16 mm., and about 14 mm. deep as against 12 mm. in ruficeps. Colours of soft parts as in ruficeps, but the bill is a darker horny-brown, more especially above, and the legs are generally quite a dark slate-blue. Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra, Chin Hills, Shan States through the hills of Central Burma to. Tenasserim. Nidification. This Parrot-Bill breeds principally in late May and early June, but eggs have been taken from the 15th April to the 24th July. The nest is composed of shreds of grass, shreds of bamboo leaves and the bark of reeds and bamboos, lined with finer grasses and strips of bark and bound together with cobwebs. In shape if is a deep, very well-built cup, externally about 3 to 4 inches broad and deep, whilst internally it is nearly an inch less each way. It may sometimes be placed in reeds and high grass, more often in bamboo clumps, but most nests will be taken from small saplings and high or low bushes. The height from the ground may be anything from 2 to 8 feet. The eggs, either two or three in number, rarely four, remind ore very much of those of the Garden-Warbler. The ground- colour is white tinged with green, grey or yellowish, sometimes reddish. The markings consist of spots, irregular blotches and cloudings of pale sienna-brown, reddish brown and neutral tint; these, never very numerous, are scattered indefinitely over most of the larger half of the egg; sometimes they are quite sparse and confined to the big end. Forty-five eggs average 21-4 x 16:7 mm. Habits. Baker’s Parrot-Bill is found at all heights between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, ascending some 1,000 feet higher than this in the summer and perhaps 1,000 feet lower in the winter. They wander about in parties of a dozen or so, seldom showing themselves except momentarily as they clamber through the grass or undergrowth. Occasionally they will visit the higher bushes and small trees in searching for insects but these they leave at once when disturbed. When feeding they utter a constant “‘chee-chirrup,” but when separated from one another their call is 118 PARADOXORNITHID#. the typical bleat of the family. So curiously like is it to the plaintive bleat of a small kid in distress that I have more than once been deceived by it. Whilst almostas active as the Titmouses in climbing about, they are much less so on the wing, for their flight is fluttering, ill- sustained and weak, nor do they ever take to wing unless com- elled. ; Their food is principally insectivorous, but they also eat a certain amount of seeds and even grain. (106) Psittiparus gularis gularis, Tur GREY-HEADED Parrot-BILL. Paradoxornis gularis Gray, Gen. Birds, ii, p. 389 (1845) (Sikkim). Sceorhynchus gularis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 69. Vernacular names. Chongto-phep-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead, nasal plumes, a supercilium from the forehead to the nape and the chin black ; loresand round the eye, cheeks and lower plumage white; flanks and sides of breast only slightly suffused with buff; ear-coverts pale grey ; crown and nape dark grey; upper plumage, tail and visible portions of closed wing rufous-brown. Colours of soft parts. Iris deep red-brown ; bill chrome-yellow to an almost orange horny yellow; legs and feet slaty-brown, occasionally with a bluish tinge. Measurements. Total length about 150 to 155 mm.; wing 90 to 95 mm. ;, tail about 80 mm.; tarsus about 27 mm.; culmen about 12 to 13 mm. long and about 10 to11 deep. Distribution. Sikkim and Bhutan and hills North of the Brahmaputra. Nidification. Similar to that of P. ruficeps bakeri. The eggs measure about 21:0 x 15°2 mm. Habits. Similar to the last. - (107) Psittipayus gularis transfluvialis. Harterr’s Parror-Bitu. Seeorhynchus gularis trangfluvialis Hartert, Nov. Zool., vii, p. 548 (1900) (Guilang, N. Cachar). Vernacular names. Daomougasha gophu (Cachari); Indoo-rwi gahabale (Kacha Naga). Description. Differs from the Grey-headed Parrot-Bill in having the whole of the under parts suffused with fulvous and in being rather smaller. PSITTIPARUS. 119 Measurements. Wing 86 to 89°5 mm.; tail about 78 mm.; cul- men 12 to 13 mm. long but only 9 to 9°5 mm. deep at the base ; farsus about 25 mm. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, Chin, Kachin Hills and hills of Central Burma. Nidification. Cannot be distinguished from that of the Red- headed Parrot-Bill in any way. 38 eggs average 20°7 x 16-2 mm. Habits. Similar to those of P. r. bakeri, but is perhaps not found at such low elevations. It occurred in the low hills round Margharita in Assam, but here the close proximity of the snow- line gives an avifauna and flora at 700 to 1,000 feet: which obtains elsewhere at more than twice this height. It is curious that though all the Red-headed forms of Parrot-Bill consort together when feeding, none of the red-headed birds are ever found mixing with those of the grey-headed races. 120 SITTIDZ. Family SITTID. The family of Sittide, or Nuthatches, is one which it is not easy to place in any system of arrangement of the Order Passeres. Oates placed them between the Bulbuls (Pycnonotide) and the Drongos (Dicruride), with neither of which can they have any possible connection. Hartert places them between the Certhiide and Paride, an excellent position, but making these three families form a group entirely by themselves having no close connexion with those which come before or after. In the present work the preceding family, the Paradowornithide, is an obvious link between the Paride and the Timaliide, and a position between these families seems, perhaps, the best for the Svétide. In many ways they are closely allied to the Tits, especially anatomically, and though they have not such close affinities with the Timaliide, they may well be an offshoot from the Paride, the other end of SITTA, 121 which has no visible link with any of the other families of Passeres in the area we cover, whilst the Z%¢maliid@ are another development in a different direction. In this family the edges of the upper mandible are smooth, or the upper one simply notched; the hinder aspect of the tarsus smooth, composed of two entire longitudinal lamine and other features as already given in the key to the Families.. The nostrils are overhung by some hairs and the rictal bristles are present; the feet are very strongly developed for the purpose of climbing, the hind toe and claw are very powerful and the inner toe and claw dwarfed ; the bill is about as long as the head, fairly stout and straight. The wing is long and pointed and the first primary is always less than half the second. The tail is short and square or very slightly rounded. The sexes are dissimilar. Only one genus of Nuthatch, Sitia, is found within our limits. The little Velvet-fronted Nuthatch is sometimes separated under the name Dendrophila but without any very apparent reason or necessity. follow Oates in uniting them all under one name. Genus SITTA Linn., 1766. The characters of the genus are those of the family. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Upper plumage uniform bluish grey. a. Middle pair of tail-feathers white at base. «', Sides of neck and lower plumage chest- TUG. cansievera Diaio inves eraieuonsya rere geen means Oo _ 8. himalayensis, p. 122, 6. Sides of neck white, marked with golden chestnut; chin, throat and upper breast white ................ S. victoria, p. 128. 4, Middle pair of tail-feathers uniform, with no white. c'. Lateral tail-feathers with white spots. a!', Under tail-coverts chestnut, centred ashy. a’, Lower plumage paler; wing over SOMM. assess ies Pw niee ss S. kashmiriensis, p. 128, b'", Lower plumage darker; wing under 80 mm. ...........00005 S. custaneiventris casta- 5", Under tail-coverts white, tipped neiventris, p. 123. chestnut. ce’, Lower plumage chestnut. a‘, Chestnut of lower plumage [p. 125. uniform from throat to vent.. S. ¢. cinnamoventris, 6'. Throat and breast paler than rest of lower plumage ...... S. c. neglecta, p. 126. a", Lower plumage grey ........... S, europea nagaensis, o". Under tail-coverts chestnut, tipped (p. 127. white ..... Bis BG. Bee saaie- Oia) ebavreteavars S. magna, p. 128. d', Lateral tail-feathers without white [p. 129. spots........ sie ees pearey ewes §. neumayer tephronota, 122 SITTIDZ. B. Upper plumage slaty-blue; crown black .. SS. leucopsis leucopsis, tpl ©. Upper eivniage black, streaked with bril- . 130. Nhant: DlUC sci. sate ci dew ts nee ceeee se . &S. formosa, p. 181. D. Upper plumage uniform purplish blue; forehead black ....... ae ae ee See eisai S. frontalis frontalis, [p. 132. (108) Sitta himalayensis. THe WHIrn-TaAILED NUTHATCH. Sitta himalayensis Jard. & Selby, Ill. Ind. Orn., iii, pl. 144 (1835) ; Blant. & Oates, i, p. 800. Vernacular names. Siddyi-phip (Lepcha). Description.— Adult male. The forehead, lores, a streak behind the: eye, produced down the side of the neck to the shoulders, black; an indistinct eyebrow fulvous white; upper plumage, wing-coverts and inher secondaries dark slaty-blue, somewhat paler on the ends; primaries and outer secondaries dark brown edged with slaty-blue ; middle pair of tail-feathers slaty-blue, the basal half of the inner web and a band next the shaft on the outer web white ; the next two pairs wholly black; the next pair black with an ashy tip ; the next black with an eblique white band and an ashy tip, the outermost the same but with more white; sides of the face and chin pale fulvous ; lower plumage chestnut, richer and deeper on the flanks and under tail-coverts; under wing- coverts black, a white patch on the base of the primaries showing from below only. Adult female. Resembles the male, but is rather duller and paler. : Colours of soft parts. Iris pale brown; bill black, the gape and base of lower mandible bluish white to pale slaty ; legs and feet yellowish or olive-brown. Measurements. Length about 120 mm.; wing 71 to 76 mm. ; tail about 37 to 41 mm. ; tarsus about 17 to 18 mm. ; culmen about 14.to 15 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Kangra to Assam North of the Brahmaputra River, but in over twenty years’ collecting we never found it South of the river, and there may be some mistake in Godwin-Austen’s record from Aimul in Manipur. Nidification. The White-tailed Nuthatch breeds in the Himalayas from 5,000 feet to at least 11,000, at which height Blanford procured it in Sikkim. It is a very early breeder, com- mencing to lay in the first few days of April or even in the end of March. ‘The eggs are laid: in some natural hollow in a tree or stump, the entrance being filled in neatly with mud so as to leave only a small, quite circular entrance, little over an inch in diameter. The nest is a pad of moss, or moss and moss-roots with a depression in the centre for the eggs. These number from four to six and are white with numerous specks and spots of reddish, sometimes more SITTA, 123 sparse and confined to the larger end. They measure about 18:3 x 14:0 mm. Both parents, according to Hodgson, assist in incubation and in looking after the young. Habits. The habits of most Nuthatches are very similar. In the non-breeding season they are to be found in family parties, sometimes in greater numbers, hunting all over the trunks and branches of trees for insects; scuttling about upwards and down- wards, now under, now over, peering into every cranny and every broken bit of bark as they restlessly work their way from the trunk of the tree to the highest branches, whence they take flight to the nearest tree likely to prove a profitable hunting-ground. They also feed on nuts, including the hardest, boring holes into them and extracting their contents, and they sometimes eat seeds and fruits. Their note when feeding is singularly like the cheep of a mouse and is frequently aiyeted: The flight is fairly strong and direct. (109) Sitta victoriz. Tar Carn Hints Nvurwmatca. Sitta victorie Rippon, Bull. B. O. C., xiv, p. 84 (1904) (Mt. Victoria). Vernacular names. Hnet-pya-chbuk (Burmese). Description. Similar to the last bird, but has the chin, throat, upper breast and centre of the abdomen white; the sides of the face and neck pure white, the latter marked with golden chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown ; bill slaty-grey, black at the tip; legs dull yellowish brown. Measurements. Wing 68 to 72 mun.; tail about 40 mm. ; culmen 14 mm. Female is apparently similar to the male. Distribution. Chin Hills. Mt. Victoria. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded, found at 9,000 feet. This bird should probably be placed as a subspecies of S. himalayensis, but until some connecting forms are discovered it must rank as a species. (110) Sitta castaneiventris castaneiventris. THE CHESTNUT-BELLIED NUTHATCH. Sitta castaneiventris Frank., P. Z. 8., 1831, p. 121 (Vindhyan Hills) Blanf. & Oates; i, p. 304. Vernacular names. Siri (Hind.); Chor-parki (Beng.). Description.— Adult male. A black .streak from the nostril 124 SITTIDE. through the eye to the shoulder; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts and chin white; the whole upper plumage and visible portions of closed wing slaty-blue ; middle tail-feathers ashy-blue; the next two black, edged and tipped with ashy-blue; the others with a subterminal white patch on the inner webs and generally with a white band on the outer web of the outermost feathers ; whole lower plumage uniform dark chestnut-bay; under tail-coverts chestnut, centred with ashy; under wing-coverts black ; a white patch on the base of the primaries visible from below. Female is a paler chestnut below and the white on the face is ill-defined. Colours of soft parts. [vis dark brown; bill greenish or bluish plumbeous, the terminal half black and lower mandible and base paler; legs and feet greenish plumbeous. In some specimens nearly the whole bill is black. Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 74 to 76 mm. ; tail about 37 mm.; tarsus about 17 to 18 mm.; culmen about 16 to 17 mm. Distribution. The whole of the northern plains of India as far south as the Wynaad, as far west as Umballa and Khandesh and as far east as Calcutta. I obtained it both in Nadia and the 24th Parganas, where however it is very rare. In Behar it is extremely common to the east. Nidification. This little Nuthatch breeds principally in February and March throughout its range, making its nest in small holes in, trees at any height from 10 to 30 feet from the ground, A very favourite nesting-site is in mango-trees in branches between 8 and 12 feet from the ground, and the natural hollow is always cemented round with clay to reduce the entrance to about 30 mm. This masonry work is also often continued well down inside the hollow and on the bark outside the tree as well and, even when the natural entrance to the hole is in no way too big, it is nearly always made neat and tidy with a clay finish. The nest is generally nothing but chips of dried bark and soft tinder-wood with a few leaves and rarely a little dried moss. The eggs number anything from two to six, most’ often five and are rather fragile, broad oval in shape and of the usual white ground with red specks. They average about 170x132 mm. Many birds must breed twice in the year, as nests may be taken in May and June and even as late as September. Habits. The Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch is entirely a plains’ bird and is very common in all well-wooded parts, though it is not a forest bird. Mango-topes both in the vicinity of, as well as away from, villages are very favourite resorts and two or more pairs may often be found in the same orchard. They have the usual restless habits of the genus and feed on the same kind of food. BIRDS. VOL.I. PLATE 31, Matis ( /- one Ed J tZ 4 SITTA CG. CINNAMOVENTRIS*. The Cinnamon-—bellied Nuthatch. 23 life size. . a SITTA. 125 (111) Sitta castaneiventris cinnamoventris. Tue CINNAMON-BELLIED NurHatcH. Sitta cinnamoventris Blyth, J. A. 8. B., xi, p. 439 (1842) (Darjeeling). Sitta cinnamomeoreniris. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 301. Vernacular names. Siri (Hind.); Sidhyi-phip (Lepcha); Dao- mojo-gajao (Cachari). Description.— Adult male. Like the last but the white parts of the face are delicately barred with brown; the upper plumage is more an ashy-blue, the under parts are a deep cinnamon-chestnut and the under tail-coverts are white with ashy bases and narrow chestnut tips. Female. Differs from the male in being a pale dull chestnut below. Fig. 25.—Head of S. c. cinnamoventris. Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown to lake; bjll slaty-blue, black at the tip and paler on base and lower mandible; legs and feet dull blue-grey or bluish plumbeous. Measurements. Total length about 150 mm.; wing 78 to 81 mm.; tail about 45 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Murree to Eastern Assam, both North and South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur, Lushai and Chittagong hill-tracts, but not further East. Oates’s specimens from Bhamo are much nearer neglecta and should be assigned to that bird. Nidification. Gammie obtained the nest in Sikkim at 2,000 feet in a decayed bamboo, and I found many nests in the Khasia Hills in April and May at elevations between 4,500 and 6,U00 feet. In these hills, although a nest might pow and then be found in some old stump, the great majority are built in the retaining walls of roads or in walls of fields and compounds. These walls are built of mud and stones and form favourite breeding places fur Tits, Nuthatches, Flycatchers and many other birds. The Nuthatches select some bollow, generally only a few inches from the ground, and then fiJl the whole entrance in with mud, leaving only a circular hole about 40 mm. across. The hollow inside, however big it may be, is filled to a depth of some inches with scraps of dead wood, bark and odds and ends of vegetable matter, over which is placed a bed of moss and then a fine thick layer of fur, or fur and wool. They are very persistent 126 SITTIDE, little birds, and will often repair and again lay in a nest which has been pillaged. In North Cachar I found them breeding in trees, and in these the nests were often very flimsy and scanty, consisting of leaves and rubbish and perhaps a little moss and a few feathers or scraps of fur. They lay in April and May, but an occasional nest may be seen as early as March or as late as June. The normal full complement of eggs is six, but sometimes only four or five are laid and sometimes as many as eight. They are of the usual white ground with red specks, but are more strongly and numerously marked than those of the last bird and in shape are much longer, narrower ovals. Sixty eggs average 19°8x141 mm. The maxima are 21:0 x 14-4and 20°6 x 15 mm., and the minima are 17:3 x 13°6 and 18°8 x 13:2 mm. Habits. This Nuthatch is most common between 4,000 and 7,060 feet and is not often found below 3,000 feet. It has much the same habits as the rest of the genus, but I have often noticed it on the ground feeding on ants and termites, and it seems very partial to hunting walls, cliffs and banks as the Rock-Nuthatches do. Its note is a continual cheep, very much like the squeak of a mouse. It is a very sociable bird, and I have seen flocks of this bird and Sitta frontalis hunting together in perfect amity. (112) Sitta castaneiventris neglecta. Toe Purmese Nornaton. Sitta neglecta Wald., A. M.N. EL, (4) v, p. 218 (1870) (Karen Hills) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 301. Vernacular-names. Pan-che-lip (Kachin). Description ° Differs from the preceding in being smaller and in having the throat and breast’much paler than the abdomen and flanks, whilst the white of the sides of the head blends with the rufous of the throat. The female differs in the same way from the female of the Cinnamon-bellied Nuthateb. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; upper mandible bluish, tipped black ; legs and feet dark plumbeous, claws horn-colour. Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 75 to 78 mm.; tail about 38 to 42 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about ‘17 mm. ° Distribution, From Muleyit Mountain in South Tenasserim, through the eastefn hill-ranges of Burma to the Bhamo Hills, N. and N.W. Siam. Nidification. Similar to that of S. c. castaneiventris, but this is a forest. bird and its nest is found in the natural hollows of trees on the outskirts of forest or in dead trees in deserted clearings. The eggs are of the usual short, blunt type and measure fram 16°2 x 13°4 to 18:3 x 14:2 mm. They are apparently early breeders ; Bingham found the young SITTA, 127 hatched in the end of March, and eggs sent me by Col. Harington, taken on the 22nd of that month, were on the point of hatching. Habits. Those of the genus, and there seems to be nothing calling for notice. They are found between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, never in the plains, and are forest birds, though like most Nuthatches they keep to the more open parts, the outskirts, or to partially cleared or deserted cultivation clearings in which the dead trees are still standing. (118) Sitta europea nagaensis, Avusten’s NurHatcu. Sitta nagaensis Godw.-Aust., P. Z.S., 1874, p. 44 (Sopremak, Naga Hills) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 302. Vernacular names. Daomojo-gophu (Cachari); Hnet-pya-chouk (Burmese). Description. Upper plumage, closed wings and central tail- feathers slaty-blue-grey ; a black line from the bill, through the eye to the nape; primaries and secondaries black on the inner webs; outer tail-feathers black, the three or four outer pairs with a white subterminal spot on the inner web and the outermost pair with an oblique white band on the outer edge; sides of the head and neck and lower plumage grey; sides of the body rich chestnut; lower tail-coverts white tipped and edged with chestnut ; the usual white patch on base of quills. The female only differs in being a trifle duller. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark brown, bill slaty-grey, the terminal halt blackish ; legs and feet greenish brown. Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 74 to 78 mm.; tail about 40 mm. ; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 15 mm. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, Chin Hills and Kachin Hills. Kinnear’s Sitta ¢. griseiventris (Bull. B. O. C. lx, p. 142, 1920) seems to be the same as this bird. It is possibly a purer grey, but as all the specimens of Austen’s Nuthatch in the British Museum are very poor specimens and some of the Chin Hills birds taken elsewhere are quite indistinguishable, I consider this name to be merely a synonym of nagaensis, Nidification. This Nuthatch breeds in the Kachin Hills in April and probably also March and May. Eggs taken by Col. Harington were placed in the usual kind of holes in trees aud were plastered up with clay masonry, reducing the entrance to a size just sufficient to allow ingress and egress to the parents. The nests were of moss with a lining of fur, and contained two to four eggs just like those of S.c. castaneiventris and measuring about 18-9 x 14:1 mm. Habits. This is a forest form found up to the highest hills, 9,000 or 10,000 feet and apparently down to about 5,000 feet, below which S. c. neglecta takes its place, 128 SITTIDZ. (114) Sitta kashmiriensis. Brooxs’s Nurwaron. Sitta kashmiriensis Brooks, P. A. S. B., 1871, p. 279 ( Kashmir) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 803. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Upper plumage and wings slaty-blue; the usual black band through the eye; chin and sides of the face dull white tinged with fulvous; throat more fulvous, the lower plumage gradually becoming deeper and turning to deep chestnut on the abdomen, flanks and under tail-coverts ; middle tail-feathers ashy- blue, the next two pairs black edged and tipped with ashy; the next two black with a subterminal white spot on the inner web; the outermost feather black, with a white patch on each web and a brown tip; under wing-coverts blackish with the usual white primary patch; under tail-coverts chestnut with traces of ashy centres. : Colours of soft parts. Iris red or red-brown; bill slaty-grey with black tip and paler base; legs greenish brown, yellowish brown or dull grey-brown. Measurements. Length about 130 mm.; wing 81 to 85 mm.; tail about 40 to 44 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 18 to 19 mm. Distribution. Himalayas; Afghanistan to Garhwal. Nidification. This bird breeds in some numbers throughout Kashmir and in the Murree Galis. It selects holes in forest-trees at all heights from the ground, plastering up the entrance with the usual hard clay masonry and laying its eggs in April und May. These number four to seven and are quite typical. Fifty eggs average about 19°7 x 16°4 mm. Habits. Those of the genus. This is a forest bird, haunting rather deep forest at heights between 6,000 and 9,000’ feet, straggling both lower in the cold and higher in the hot weather. Whitehead found it fairly common in the Safed Koh between 7,500 and 10,000 feet. (115) Sitta magna. Tur Giant NUTHATCH. Sitta magna Wardl.-Ramsay, P. Z.S., 1876, p. 677 (Karennee) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 303. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Upper plumage, wings and central pair of tail- feathers slaty-blue; two broad bands of black from the base of the bill through the eyes to the shoulders; two pairs of tail-feathers next the central pair black with a slaty-blue tip, the next two the same with a subterminal white pateh and the outermost the same but with a white bar on the outer web; lores, sides of the SITTA. 129 head, chin and throat greyish white changing to darker grey on breast and to dull chestnut on lower flanks, thighs, vent and under tail-coverts, the latter broadly tipped with white; under wing- coverts black and the under surface of the primaries with the typical white patch. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or hazel-brown; bill slaty- blue, darker on terminal half; legs and feet pale yellowish brown. Measurements. Length about 200 mm.; wing 114to 119 mm. ; tail about 68 to 70 mm.; tarsus about 23 mm.; culmen about 25 to 28 mm. The female is like the male but has a more degjded tinge of buff or chestnut-buff on the breast, the chestnut of the flanks, thighs, etc., may not be quite so deep and the head also is greyer in some individuals. Distribution. Hills of Central Burma, Shan States and Yunnan, apparently from about 3,000 feet upwards. Nidification and Habits. There is nothing on record about this fine Nuthatch, now represented by good series from Rippon, Thompson and Craddock in the British Museum. It has been found so far between 4,000 and 6,000 feet and seems to be a forest bird. (116) Sitta neumayer tephronota. Tus Turkestan Rockx-NorHatcu. Sitta tephronota Sharpe, A. M.N. H., (4) x, p. 450 (1872) (Ferghana, Turkestan); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 305. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Whole upper plumage, wing-coverts and second- aries ashy-blue; the usual black eye-band; primaries pale brown ; central tail-feathers pale ashy-blue, the others brown broadly edged with pale ashy on the outer webs, this colour gradually changing to pale fulvous, the outermost feather having the inner web brown with a fulvous tip and the outer web fulvous with a brown tip; sides of the head and lower plumage fulvous, darker and becoming strongly tinged with pink on the flanks, lower abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts, these last having ashy centres. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown; bill horny-brown or slaty- brown, darker at the tip ; legs clay-slate. Measurements. Length about 160 to 170 mm.; wing 75 to 90 mm.; tail about 50 to 60 mm.; tarsus 71 to 24 mm.; culmen 20 to 23 mm. Distribution. Baluchistan and Afghanistan to Ferghana in Turkestan and the Tianschan. Birds from the Tianschan seem to have more of a dull rufous tinge on the breast and lower throat as well as being rather bigger, and should possibly be kept separate; I cannot, however, distinguish 8. ». obscura from North and East Persia. VOL. I. K 130 SITTIDA. Nidification. This bird breeds both in Afghanistan and Baluchistan from early March to the end of April or early May. The nest-hole may be either in a tree or in a rock but in the very great majority of cases it will be in the latter. The hole is lined, sometimes partially, sometimes throughout, with a clay which becomes very hard when set, and this lining is continued until it projects in acone beyoud the entrance for from 6 to 9 or J0 inches. In addition to this, however, the bird decorates the face of the rock or the bark of the tree all round the entrance for some distance with feathers stuck in the crevices of the rock or bark. The lining to the nest is generally fur or hair, sometimes with a few feathers, but underneath this is often a bed of leaves, chips of bark, touch-wood or similar material. The eggs vary from four to six or rarely seven in number; the ground is a white of a purer, harder tint than that of most Nuthatches and the spots of brown are sparser and more definite. They are generally rather scanty in number but more numerous at the larger end than elsewhere. The normal shape is a broad, blunt oval, and twenty-four Indian eggs average about 21°2x16-°0 mm. These were all taken by General Betham at Quetta. Habits. This bird is common in Baluchistan, where Betham took many nests, and extends in some numbers along the frontier in suitable localities between 3,000 and 7,V0U feet, ascending yet higher than this in the northern portion of its range. In general habits, flight, voice and food it is a typical Nuthatch, but rocks form its principal hunting-ground rather than trees, though it does resort to these also on occasions. It is never, however, 0 forest bird and frequents bare hillsides with but little cover of any sort just as often as it does those a little less bare which have a few scattered trees and an odd ravine or so with bush or tree forest. It is said not to be a shy bird or to shun observation. (117) Sitta leucopsis leucopsis. THE WHITE-cHEEKED NouTHATCH. Sitta leucopsis Gould, P. Z. 8., 1840, p. 118 (Himalayas); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 306. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown, nape and a part of the sides of neck glossy black; upper plumage, closed wings and central tail- feathers slaty-blue ; other tail-feathers black, tipped with slaty- blue, the three outer pairs with a subterminal white patch on the inner web and the outermost pair with a white band also on the outer web; sides of the head and lower plumage white, more or less tinged with pale fulvous; flanks aud under tail-coverts rich chestnut. Sexes alike. Colours of soft parts. Iris hazel-brown to dark brown; bill black, the base of the lower mandible whitish-horny or pale grey- horny; legs yellowish- or greenish-brown. ‘SITTA, 131 Measurements. Total length about 140 mm.; wing 74to79 mm.; tail about 42 mm.; tarsus about 18 mm.; culmen about 15 mm. Distribution. The whole of the North-West Himalayas from the Baluchistan boundaries where well forested, Afghanistan, N. Kashmir to the hills next the plains as far us the pines continue and as far east as Garhwal. Nidification. This Nuthatch breeds freely throughout its range. Rattray took many nests in the Murree Hills in June, and says that a favourite site is high up in a tall fir-tree that has been struck by lightning and cracked down the centre, a convenient place in this crack being selected for the nest. They lay from four to eight egys, which are just like those of the various forms of Chestnut-bellied Nuthatches and measure on an average for 50 eggs about 18:2 x 13:7 mm. The nest is difficult to find, both from its position and the cautious habits of the birds. Habits. This is a bird of high elevations, being found princi- pally between 7,000 and 12,000 feet and, according tu Rattray and others, seldom below 8,000 feet. Its range, however, seems to be decided by the forest growth and it will not frequently be found outside the regions of firs, ‘pines and other coniferous trees. Stoliczka says that it feeds principally on the seeds of Pinus girardiana and that its voice 1s a loud, uniform, melan- choly call, uttered while it is busily engaged in securing a pine- seed in the bark of a large tree. Whitehead likens its call to the French word “ pain,” and he and Davidson both say that the monotonous, wailing cry is to be heard in the forests all day long. (118) Sitta formosa. Tan BeavtiruL NurwatcuH. Sitta formosa Blyth, J. A. S. B., xii, p. 938 (1843) (Dayjiling); Blanf, & Oates, i, p. 306. » xii, p. 988 (1843) (Darjiling) ; Vernacular names. Dao-majo-gadeba (Cachari); Tishe Kuyi gumbo (Lepcha). Description. Upper plumage black, streaked with pale blue on the upper back and the sides of the neck and with brilliant cobalt-blue elsewhere; sides of the head and chin fulvous white, the feathers round the eye and over the ear-coverts blackish at their buses; lesser wing-coverts, primary-coverts, primaries and secondaries bright blue ; edges of the median and greater coverts and of the inner secondaries white; remainder of wing blue; scapulars, lower back and rump verdigris-blue; central tail- feathers blue with black bases and black next the shafts; the next two pairs black edged with blue; the others black with pro- gressively larger white tips, blue-edged on the exterior margins; lower plumage dull chestnut. K2 132 SITTIDE, Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown or dark brown; bill black with base and gonys black; legs greenish horny (Jerdon) or yellowish brown. Measurements. Length about 185 mm.; wing 114to 118 mm.; tail about 58 to 60 mm.; tarsus about 21 mm.; culmen about 17 mm. Distribution. Himalayas from Sikkim to the Miri and Arbor Hills in Eastern Assam. Also hill-ranges in South Assam as far East as Lakhimpur. The Salween-Mekong watershed in the N.E. Shan States. Nidification. The few nests found by me in the K hasia and North Cachar Hills were all on the highest ranges from 5,000 feet upwards. They were placed in trees at considerable heights from the ground and contained from four to six eggs or young. The eggs only vary from those of S. c. cinnamoventris in being larger. and broader ovals. Sixteen eggs average 20°6 15:2 mm. and vary between 18-0 x 14:7 and 22°6 x 15:8 mm. Habits. The Beautiful Nuthatch, well named from its lovely colouring, seems to be arare bird everywhere. I never saw it. but in pairs or in family parties after the young had hatched, and it is the most shy and elusive of all the Nuthatches found in Assam. Its actions when on trees, rather slow and deliberate for this genus, reminded one of Woodpeckers and its note also differed from all other Nuthatches in its low, rather sweet. tone. On the wing it was exceptionally swift, and its beauty when the sun caught it in flight could only be likened to that of the Ruddy Kingfisher under similar circumstances. (119) Sitta frontalis frontalis. Tur VELVET-FRONTED NUTHATCH. Sitta frontalis Horsf., Trans, Linn. Soc., xiii, p. 162 (1821) (Java) ;. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 307. Vernacular names. Dao-mojo-buku-gajao (Cachari). Description. Forehead and supercilium black; whole upper plumage and exposed parts of wings and tail purplish blue; inner webs of all primaries, outer webs of the first two and concealed portions of rectrices blackish brown; ear-coverts lilac; chin and throat whitish; lower plumage greyish, more or less suffused with dull lilac. Colours of soft parts. Iris yellow, brown in the young and sometimes in the adult female; eyelids plumbeous; bill coral-red, black in the quite young with 2 pinkish gapo and base; legs fleshy-brown or reddish brown, never red. Measurements. Total length about 125 to 130 mm.; wing 70 to 75 mm.; tail about 40 mm.; tarsus 17 to 18 mm.; culmen, 12 to 18 mm. BIRDS. VOL.1. PLATE Ill. SITTA FF. FRONTALIS. The Velvet-fronted ®8lue Nuthatch. 2/3 life size. SITTA. 133 Female differs from the male in having no black supercilium and, like the rest of the genus, in being a trifle smaller. Distribution. Ceylon, the whole of India west of Bombay, Gwalior and Kumaon ; Assam, practically the whole of Burma in suitable localities, Siam, Malay Peninsula to Java. Nidification. This little Nuthatch breeds all over its habitat, chiefly between 1,000 and 4,000 feet elevation. In the southern portions of both Burma and India it lays in February and March, but in the northern districts it does not lay until April, continu- ing through May and even into June. It selects some natural hollow or one made and deserted by a Barbet or Woodpecker. Though it very seldom uses clay to reduce the size of the entrance, it does, on the other hand, often enlarge crevices suftici- ently to allow it to inake its nest in some enviable hollow. The nest itself is made of moss, generally green and fresh, worked into a solid pad, and above this may be fur, fur and feathers or, very rarely, feathers alone. This lining or superstructure is always soft and plentiful, almost hiding the eggs which number from three to six. These are typical Nuthatches’ eggs, but are rather more densely and uniformly covered with blotches than is usual and they are also longer ovals in shape than are those of most Nuthatches. Fifty eggs average 17-2 x 13-2 mm. and the extremes are: maxima 18:0 x 13:4 and 17-9 x 13:'8 mm., minima 16:0 x 12:3 mm. Habits. The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch is a bird of the plains and lower hills where there are forests and woods, but it is not found in quite open tracts and sparsely wooded areas. It frequents both the higher and smaller trees in flocks of half-a- dozen to a dozen or more, and is the quickest and most active of all the Nuthatches in its ways. Its note is a constant mouse- like cheep. 134 TIMALIIDA, Fig. 26.—Garrulaa 1, leucolophus, Family TIMALITID 2. The intrinsic muscles of the syrinx fixed to the ends of the bronchial semi-rings; the edges of both mandibles smooth or the upper one with a notch; hinder aspect of tarsus smooth, bilaminated; wing with ten primaries; tongue non-tubular : nostrils clear of the line of forehead, the lower edge of the nostril nearer to the commissure than the upper edge is to the culmen; plumage of the nestling like that of the adult female but paler; nostrils never entirely concealed from view although frequently covered by hairs or bristles; rictal bristles present; rectrices twelve ; inner and hind toes equal in length. The Family Timaliide contains a very large number of birds, nearly all tropical and subtropical, which Oates called Crateropo- dide and which Harington raised to the rank of a suborder which he called Timeliides. There are, of course, no grounds for this, as the Zimalvide are so close to other families that some ornithologists include with them such groups as the Thrushes and others. From these, however, they seem to me to be TIMALIIDE, 185 sufficiently differentiated by the plumage of the young. As regards the name for the family, we cannot use Crateropodide tor Crateropus, the name used by Oates tor a genus of Babblers, is preoccupied, and’ we must therefore discard this also for the family. Timaliide from the genus Timalia of Horsfield 1821 may therefore be taken as the family name. : Since the first volume of the ‘Avifauna of British India’ was published, our knowledge of the Jimaliine birds has advanced considerably, and many alterations and eliminations, with a few additions, are imperative. In the first place, the subfamily Brachypterygine must be removed to a place near the Thrushes, the spotted plumage in the young birds making it impossible to retain them in the present group. The genus Zosterops, again, appears to have no close connection with the Babblers and wust form a family of its own, more properly placed near the Dicwide. The Bulbuls differ from the true Babblers in their shorter tarsi and longer wings, and would seein also to form a fairly well-marked family already frequently differentiated as the Pycnonotide. Other genera and species which must be removed are Melanochlora to the Titmouses, Paride, Leptopacile and Cephalopyrus to the Iegulide and Psaraglossa to the Starlings. There are, however, other birds of which the position is still very doubtful. Thus the genera Zurdinulus and Rirmator are Wren-like in many respects though they possess very smal] rictal bristles. M£githina and Aethorhynchus have a summer and winter plumage, differing in this respect from all other Babblers ; Chloropsis is perhaps nearer the Pycnonotide than the Timalide, whilst Chalcoparia is undoubtedly a Sun-bird, though an aberrant one. So also the long-winged, thrush-like Zrena can have uo connection with this family and Oberholser seems right in placing it in a family by itself. When we come to dividing the Timaliide into subfamilies in order to facilitate students’ work, we are met with many difficulties. The differences relied on by Oates and Harington are often purely individual, varying greatly in degree in different genera. It cannot be either useful or scientific to depend on noisiness and similar characteristics as guides to classification and, though the coloration of birds’ eggs may help greatly in giving us hints as to their position in the Avifauna, we cannot rely on this exclusively as a sufficient ground for differentiation. The only three subfamilies I now retain may be diagnosed as foliows :— Key to Subfamilies. A. Sexes alike. a, Legs and feet nt? powerful; wings short i snd rounded; habits mainly terrestrial .. Timaliine, p.-186. b. Legs and feet less powerful; wings short and rounded; habits principally arboreal .... Stbiine, p. 294. B. Sexes dissimilar ...............0....0005 Lnotrichine, p. 326. 186 TIMALIIDE. Subfamily TIMALIINA. This subfamily; as now constituted, contains Oates’s Crateropo- ding and the Zimaliine, which I find quite impossible to differ- entiate by any satisfactory character one from the other. The great majority of the Vimaliine are very gregarious and go about in flocks of considerable size, a few consort in small flocks, whilst fewer still are only found singly or in pairs. They feed principally on the ground or in bushes and long grass close to it, but some of them also haunt trees in their quest for the insects which form their main diet. Some of the genera comprise birds as noisy as any known, whilst others are birds with sweet notes or are silent. The most prominent characteristics are the very powerful legs and the weak, rounded wings. The head is frequently fully crested, and is generally covered with somewhat erectile feathers even where there is no definite crest. The bill is of almost every conceivable shape. In habits they are non-migratory, though some of the hill forms move up and down the hills under climatic stress and, whilst some species are very bold and haunt freely the vicinity of villages, others are among the most shy. In the following key an attempt has been made to discriminate between the genera in a way which will be easy for the field naturalist to work out; size and plainly visible features in con- struction being made use of. Key to Genera. A. Tail more than 88 mm. long. a, Bill not so long as head. a'. Nostrils almost hidden by bristles .... Dryonastrs, p. 138. b'. Nostrils visible and only partly concealed DY. DPISHES 2 oe a-ed Gye daa ern edge ot4 Garruiax, p. 145. ce’. Nostrils not hidden by bristles but some- times with a few long hairs. a", Bill not toothed at the extremity. a’. Tail tipped with white or brown . IanrHocincra,p.155. 6’. Tail with no white or brown tip. a‘. Bill long and slender. a5, Wing longer than tail,....... Sracrocicuma, p.186. 6°, Wing shorter than tail. a°. Shafts of feathers of forehead short and not glistening .. TurporpgEs, p. 190. 68, Shafts of feathers of forehead long and glistening. a’. Upper parts uniform, not streaked. a’, Feathers of breast not spinous ............ Areya, p. 196. 6°, Feathers of breast spin- OUS ssdiee Gearon g perigens ACANTHOPTILA, p. 208. . &". Upper parts striated .... Babax, p. 187. 6‘, Bill short and thick ......... . GRAMMATOPTILA, Tp. 184. TIMALIINE. 137 b". Bill toothed at the extremity. ce", Bristles at gape stiff; under parts [p. 230. Whitish: s:isus's due Genie ewia's- vio GampsorHYNCHUS, a’. Bristles at gape hair-like; under {p. 161. parts parti-coloured .......... TROCHALOPTERUM, 6. Bill longer than head and much compressed. [p. 205. d@', Bill less than 50 mm. long .......... PoMATORHINUS, e’. Bill more than 50 mm. long .......... XIPHIRAMPHUS, B. Tail less than 88 mm. long, more than 45 mm. [p. 224. ec. Wings short and rounded and fitting in close to the body. J’. Shatts of feathers of forehead stiff. e"”", Tail longer than wing. e'’, Shafts of feathers of crown not glistening ..............004. Pycroruis, p. 233. J'". Shafts of feathers of crown glistening. ce’, Bill black and stout .......... Tima ia, p. 225. , Bill pale-coloured and more slender DumErria, p. 228. ad". Wing longer than tail. g'. Nostrils rounded and exposed. e*, Crown dark brown or blackish .. RopocicH a, p. 281. #*. Crown rufous or rufous-brown .. Mrxornis, p. 272. h'"”, Nostrils protected by overhanging membrane. Lp. 261. g*. Wing over 70 mm............. THRINGORHINA, A+. Wing under 65 mm. ce, Culmen curved throughout its length. c*, Space round the eye feathered STacuynis, p. 263. dé, Space round the eye naked.. CyANoDERMA, p. 271. ad’, Culmen straightand bill wedge- Shap ods. s saccesyasin gee geese s STACHYRIDOPSIS, g'. Shafts of feathers of forehead not stiff- [p. 267. shafted. e". Bill stout and straight, deeper at the centre than at the nostrils. 7", Rictal bristles well developed. 2, Nostrils long, protected by an over- hanging membrane .......... Cursonta, p. 248. j*, Nostrils oval and exposed ...... Ma.acocincia, J". Rictal bristles obsolete or only [p. 260. feebly developed .............. PELLORNEUM, p. 237. J". Bill stout, generally curved through- out and deeper at the nostrils than in the middle. kK", Quter edges of primaries uniform. k4, Nostrils long and overhung by a membrane. e?, Small bristles overhanging the nostrils ; outer tail-feathers less than 12 mm. shorter than middle pair .............. ALcIppE, p. 275, SJ’. No bristles over nostrils; outer tail-feathers more than 12 mm. shorter than middle pair.... Scuaniparus, p.283. 138 TIMALTIDA, U", Outer edges of primaries conspi- cuously parti-coloured. “, Nostrils overbung by hairs...... PsEUDOMINLA, p. 286. m4, Nostrils overhung by numerous small hairs; tail strongly graduated. y ot aa hind toe and claw ee ee ere _ Forverts, p. 289. than find HOE sos ie si ssstaniacs Siaseeead p. 293. d. Wings longer, not so rounded and not fitting close to the body. kh’, Wing more than three times Huge) of TATSUS: sons pon dad ata Raa epee we RAS Honizi.as, p. 257. On pte less than three times length of tarsus. . Tail more than three times length of [p. 258. tarsus <.i-sevnn-vem bis ww oaymeed ase ERYTHROCICHLA, h", Tail equal to twice length of tarsus... AlTHOSTOMA, p. 259. C. Tail under 45mm. e. Lill as long as the head; curved downwards. Rimaronr, p. 255. J. Bill half as long as the head; straight.... TurDinuLvus, p. 250. Genus DRYONASTES Sharpe, 1883. The genus Dryonastes, of which D. ruficollis is the type, contains those Laughing-T'hrushes which have the nostrils almost completely hidden by bristles, and in many respects show a similarity to the Corvide, from which, however, in others they are as widely divided as they are in their habits and nidification. They are all noisy, gregarious birds, feeding principally on the ground but also on bushes, and they eat both insects, seeds and fruit. Harington proposed to divide the birds of this genus into two genera on account of the varying degree of density in the plumes and bristles at. the base of the bill and by the differences in the shape of the bill itself. To be consistent, however, one would have to make yet further genera, for if ruficollis differs in degree from cerulatus, so also galbanus differs to an equal extent from ruficollis. Under the circumstances it would seem wiser to keep them together, and this I do. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Chin and throat black. a, Ear-coverts black ............ D. ruficollis, p. 139. b. Ear-coverts white. a’. Back chestnut....... eee neles D, nuchalis, p. 140. b'. Back olive-brown .......... D. chinensis, p. 141. B. Chin and throat white. ce. Tail with no pale tip .......... D. cerulatus cerulatus, p. 141. d, Tail with pale tip. ce’. Ear-coverts white .......... D. «. subc@rulatus, p. 142. d'. Ear-coverts brown .......... D. ¢. kaurensis, p. 148. C. Chin and throat chestnut-brown .. D. sannio, p. 144. D. Chin black, throat yellow ........ D. galbanus, p. 145. DRYONASTES. 139 (120) Dryonastes ruficollis. Tan Rurous-NEcCKED LavGHING-THRUSH. Tanthocincla ruficollis Jard. & Selby, Ill. Orn., 2nd series, pl. 23 (Himalayas). Dryonastes ruficollis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 73. Vernacular names. Pobduya, Hath Gurri-gurri(Beng.); Kapchen. pho (Lepcha); Doopooleeka (Assam); Dao-popalila (Cachari). Description. Crown and nape slaty-grey; remainder of head, throat and centre of upper breast black; sides of neck to ear- coverts bright chestnut; upper plumage and wings olive-brown , the outer webs of the primaries ashy ; tail black, the base suffused with olive-green; breast, upper abdomen, sides of the body and thighs olive-brown; centre of lower.abdomen and under tail-coverts bright chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Iris bright red ; legs, feet and bill black- Measurements. Total length about 250 mm.; wing 100 to 105 mm.; tail about 115 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. Eastern Nepal, through Assam, North and South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur, Lushai, Tippera and Chittagong Hill tracts, and Bhamo and the Upper Chindwin. Nidification. The Rufous-necked Laughing- Thrush breeds principally in April and May, but nests may be found containing eggs almost any time from March to August, and I have had them brought to me once in September. ‘The nests are deep, rather untidy structures of grass, leaves, roots and tendrils lined with roots, fern-rachides or coarse fibre. ‘They are cup-shaped and are generally placed in high bushes or small trees in scrub-jungle or the secondary growth in deserted cultivation. The eggs number three or four and are an intensely glossy pale skim-milk blue, pale blue or practically white, the latter being rare. 200 eggs average 25°7x 20:0 mm. They breed generally below 2,000 feet. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is a very gregarious, very noisy bird, haunting the outskirts of villages, scrub- and bamboo- jungle, reeds or long grass. It is very partial to the dense matted growth which at once springs up in deserted culti- vation but it is not a forest bird, and when seen in the forest it will be only on the fringe of it. The parties, which may nuinber anything from half-a-dozen to twenty or more, feed both on the ground and in amongst the lower cover, clambering freely about in @ yery energetic manner and keeping up a continual noisy chatter, which every now and then bursts into a perfect babel of shrieks, laughs and expostulations. They are not shy birds and do not resent observation, though from their habits they may some- times be difficult to see but in the vicinity of villages the flocks are 140 TIMALIID &. very tame and confiding. They keep generally below 2,000 feet and are most common in the low foot-hills and adjoining plains, but they are also found up to 4,000 feet. (121) Dryonastes nuchalis. Oe iy’s LAvGHING-THRUSH. Garrulax nuchalis Godw.-Aust., A. M. N. H., (4) xviii, p. 411 (1876) (Dibrugarh, Assam). Dryonastes nuchalis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 74. Vernacular names. Pak-chi-loka (Trans-Dikku Nagas). Description. Forebead, upper portion of cheeks and round the eye black; crown and nape slate-grey; a few pointed white feathers in front of the crown; hind neck and upper back chestnut ; remaining upper plumage olive-brown, the outer webs of the quills tinged with paler grey and tips of tail-feathers broadly black ; lower parts of cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of neck white ; chin and thréat black; breast light ashy; remainder of lower plumage olive-brown. Colours of soft parts. Iris blood-red to brick-red ; bill black ; legs and feet pale fleshy or fleshy-grey, toes the same or a shade darker. Measurements. Total length about 135 mm.; wing 106 to 112 mm.; tail about 110 mm.; culmen about 25 mm. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmapntra from Naogang to the extreme east of Lakhimpur from the foot-hills up to some 8,000 feet. This Laughing-Thrush probably does not occur in Manipur, certainly not in the Cachar Hills adjoining. Nidification. Ogle’s Laughing-Thrush has so far only been found breeding by Dr. Coltart and later by myself round about Margherita in the extreme east of the Assam Valley. It is a com- mon bird in the higher foot-hills from about 500 feet up to about 3,000 feet during the breeding season, which is froma April to June. The nest is like that of the Rufous-necked Laughing- Thrush but bigger and more massive. It is generally placed in scrub-jungle in ravines or broken country, The eggs number two or three and are a rather darker blue than the eggs of the last bird and not so glossy as a rule, though one set of pure white eggs taken by Dr. Coltart are very highly glossed. Jorty eggs average about 28°5 x 50-7 mm. Habits. At present there is nothing recorded about this bird, but from what we saw of it at: Margherita it differs little from the rest of the genus. Perhaps not quite so noisy as ruficollis, it indulges in much the same games of follow-my-leader through scrub- and bamboo-jungle, each bird every now and then clambering ap to the top of a bush and shouting loudly to the others, who in turn emulate both his climbing feats and his cackling laugh, DRYONASTES. 141 a chorus from the rest urging each to do his best. They are not very shy, but from their habit of feeding on the ground in thick scrub are more often heard than seen. ‘They appear never to be found in the plains and probably never over about 3,000 feet. (122) Dryonastes chinensis leucogenys. Tue Buack-tHRoateD Lavenive-Taruss. Crateropus leucogengs Blyth, J. A.5S.B., xi, p. 180 (1842) (Upper Bengal, x errore). Dryonastes chinensis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 74. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Crown and nape slaty-blue, the anterior portion of the crown streaked with white; cheeks and ear-coverts white ; remainder of head to upper breast black; upper plumage and exposed parts of the wings rich olive-brown, outer webs of first primaries silvery-grey; tail olive-brown, the terminal quarter black; breast, sides of neck and upper abdomen ashy-grey ; remainder of lower surface olive-brown. Colours of soft parts. Iris red; bill black; mouth and eyelids plumbeous ; legs fleshy-brown ; claws horn-colour. Measurements. Total length about 280 to 290 mm.; wing 110 to 115 mm.; tail about 115 to 120 mm.; culmen about 22 mm. Distribution. The Southern Shan States, Tounghoo to the southern half of Pegu, Yunnan, ? South-West China. Nidification unknown. MHarington’s eggs are very doubtful. Habits. Harington says that this is a very common bird at Tounghoo. It has a series of fine notes which can hardly be called a song as well as many of the harsher notes of the genus. In general its habits are much those of the rest of the family. It is a favourite cage-bird in China. The bird from S.W. China is probably Robinson and Kloss’s new subspecies germaini. I designate the type locality of leucogenys as Meetan, Pegu, (123) Dryonastes cerulatus cerulatus, THE GREY-stDED LauGHine-TuRUsH, Cinclosoma cerulatus Hodgs., As. Res., xix, p. 147 (1836) (Nepal). Dryonastes cerulatus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 75. Vernacular names. Tarma-pho (Lepcha); Piang-kam (Bhut.). Description. Forehead, the upper part of the cheeks and round the eye black; ear-coverts black above, whitish tipped with rufous below; upper plumage and sides of neck rufous-brown, brighter on the greater coverts, the outer webs of the quills and on the head, the feathers of which have narrow edges of black; rump 142 TIMALIIDZE, tinged with ashy; tail chestnut-brown; lower parts of cheeks rufous-brown ; extreme point of chin black; remainder of chin, throat, the middle of the breast and abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; sides of breast and abdomen ashy. Colours of soft parts. Iris red or red-brown; bill horny-black, paler and greyer at the base; legs pale fleshy. ‘ Orbital skin livid” (Jerdon). Measurements. Length about 280 mm.; wing 103 to 108 mm. ; tail about 120 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 20 nm. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim, hills North of the Brahmaputra and hill-ranges of North Manipur, Naga Hills to Dibrugarh. Fig. 27.—Head of D. c. cerulatus. Nidification. Breeds in Sikkim in May and June and occasion- ally as early as April at- between 6,000 and 8,000 feet, making a bulky, cup-shaped nest of twigs, bamboo leaves, grass, roots and stems of plants, lined with finer roots and fern-rachides and placed in small trees or high bushes at any height between 5 and I5 feet. The eggs, two or three in number, are pale blue-green, very like those of Garrulax moniliger, but the texture is smoother and closer though not nearly so hard or glossy as those of the rujficollis group. Fifteen eggs average 30°5 x 22-1 mm. Habits. Similar to those of the rest of the genus. This bird, however, is one of high altitudes, being found ‘principally between 3,000 and 5,000 feet, and ascending up to 6,000 feet in summer and descending to about 2,000 in winter. (124) Dryonastes cerulatus subcerulatus, Tue SHILLONG LauGHiInG-THRUsH. Garrulax subcerulatus Hume, §. F., vii, p. 140 (1878) (Shillong). Dryonastes subcerulatus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 76. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the last, but has the ear-coverts and cheeks above and below them white, just tipped here and there with black; the three outermost pairs of tail-feathers are broadly tipped with white and the upper parts are rather paler. DRYONASTES, 143 Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in D. c. cerulatus. Distribution. Khasia Hills only. Nidification. The Shillong Laughing-Thrush breeds in May and June in the pine-forests between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. The nest is like that of the last bird, but seldom has bamboo leaves in the materials of which it is composed and, on the other hand, often has pine needles. It is generally placed in a high, thin bush in one of the numerous bush- and fern-covered nullahs or ravines running through the pine-forests but it may also be found in tangles of raspberry or blackkerry vines within a couple of feet of the ground. The eggs number two or three, very rarely four, and are like those of cerulatus, perhaps a little more highly polished, yet never like the eggs of the Rufous-necked Laughing- Thrush. Forty eggs average 29°3 x 20°8 mm., but vary very greatly in size. Habits. This is not so noisy a bird as most others of the genus Dryonastes, but it has the same habit of wandering about in flocks of half-a-dozen to a dozen in undergrowth and scrub-jungle, all the while keeping up constant conversation which vow and then breaks out into violent abuse or argument. Many of its notes are very full, soft and pleasant, but others are equally harsh and discordant. It feeds much on the ground or in Jow bushes, but I have seen it working at some height on the rhododendron trees near the Shillong Peak. It never seems to descend below 3,000 feet and is found up to 6,200 feet on the highest peaks. (125) Dryonastes cerulatus kaurensis. Tue Kacuin Hiiis Lavcuine-Turvsi. Dryonastes kaurensis Rippon, Bull. B. O. C., xii, p. 18 (1901) (Bhamo). ; Vernacular names. Wo-krang-krang-frong (Kachin). Description. Differs from D, ¢. subecerulatus in b..ving rufescent- brown ear-coverts. _ Colours of soft parts. “ Orbital skin and naked patch round the ‘eye slaty-blue” (Harington). Measurements. Total length-about 287 mm.; culmen 26-6 mm.; wing 104°6 mm.; tail 115°3 mm.; tarsus 40°6 min. (Rippon). Distribution. North and Central Kachin Hills. Nidification. Harington and Grant found it breeding in the Bhamo district in April, May and June. The nest,ewhich is generally composed of bamboo leaves and lined with roots, was placed either in clumps of hill-bamboo or in high bushes. The eggs, two in number, are like those of cerulatus but perhaps rather darker. Ten eggs average 30°5 x 21°5 mm. 144 TIMALIIDA. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is found between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in the Bhamo Hills; it is said to have a “ very fine, almost human whistle which can easily be imitated and by which it can be called up. It generally keeps to very dense forest.” (126) Dryonastes sannio. Tur WHIrH-BROWED LavGHING-TnRUSH. Garrulax sannio Swinh., Ibis, 1867, p. 403 (China). Dryonastes sanniv. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 76. Vernacular names. Shong-shay, Wo-frow (Kachin). Description. Lores, cheeks, lower part of the ear-coverts and a supercilium to the nape yellowish white; remainder of head, neck, chin and throat chestnut-brown ; upper plumage and exposed parts of wings olive-brown; tail rufous-brown ; centre of breast and abdomen pale ochraceous; sides of sanfe rufous olive-brown ; under tail-coverts bright ochraceous. Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet pale brown with a faint purplish-fleshy tinge; claws darker; bill blackish; orbital skin pale fleshy-grey ; iris dull brownish maroon, liver-brown, or light brown (Hume). Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing 95 to 99 mm.; tail about 100 to 105 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 18 to 19 mm. Distribution. The extreme east of Cachar Hills, Manipur, Chin and Kachin Hills, Shan States into 8.W. China, Fohkien (La Touche). Nidification. The breeding season commences in February, but most eggs are laid in April and May and from then onwards to the middle of June. The nest is like that of rujficollis but with more grass in its construction, and is generally placed low down in brambles, bushes or thick grass, but in the Shan States it appears to select-small trees and saplings for nesting purposes. The eggs vary from two to four in number and in colour from pure white to pale blue. They have the extremely hard, glossy texture of the eggs of the Rufous-necked Laughing-Thrush, from which they cannot be distinguished. Highty eggs average 26-0 x 19°6 mm. Habits. A very rare bird in Cachar and Manipur, this Laughing- Thrush becomes extremely common in the Kachin and Chin Hills between 3,000 and 5,500 feet. In its habits it is the same noisy, gregarious bird as is rujicollis, and, though a skulker in low jungle, is not shy or intolerant of observation. According to Harineton they collect together in the evenings and are then often ver noisy, but their notes are more complaining and less hilarious than those of the White-crested Laughing-Thrushes. ; GARRULAX. 145 (127) Dryonastes galbanus. AvustEn’s LavGHING-THRUSH. Garrulax galbanus Godw.-Aust., P. Z. 8., 1874, p. 44 (Manipur). Dryonastes galbanus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 68. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A narrow ashy-white supercilium; crown and nape ashy-brown; rest of head and chin black; upper plumage, wing- coverts and outer webs of secondaries ochraceous brown; the outer webs of primaries ashy-olive; inner webs of all quills brown ; tail greenish-ashy, the four middle feathers broadly tipped with black and sub-tipped whitish, the others broadly tipped with white preceded by blackish; lower plumage yellow washed witk olive on the sides ; under tail-coverts white. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; legs ash-grey; iris red: brown (Godw.-Austen). Measurements. Length about 240 to 250 mm.; wing 92 to 96 mm.; tail about 105 to 110 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 20 to 22 mm. Distribution. Manipur and Chin Hills. Nidification. In all respects like that of the last bird. Thirty eggs average 24:3 x 18°5 mm. and cannot be‘distinguished from those of that Laughing-Thrush, except that they area trifle smaller and perhaps rather less glossy. Habits. Similar to those of rujicollis, but found principally between 2,500 and 5,000 feet. It is said also to be more of a forest bird in the Chin Hills and less restricted to scrub and bush-jungle, though Hume found it frequenting grass-lands in very large flocks, 50 to 80 in number, in Manipur. Genus GARRULAX Lesson, 1831. The genus Garrulax differs from Dryonastes in having fewer bristles and hairs covering the nostrils, which are clearly visible, The feathers of the head are in most species long and ample, and in some are developed into long crests. At first sight the White-headed Laughing-Thrushes appear to be divided trom the rest of the genus by their fine crests and by the fact that they lay eggs of a totally different character to those of the other genera. Now, however, that Mr. J. Stewart has taken many nests of G. delesserti in Travancore, it is found that this bird, though in other respects like the species which lay blue eggs, lays rouad white eggs, exact miniatures of those of G. leucolophus. All the species within Indian limits lay unspotted eggs, either blue or white. VOL. I. L 146 TIMALIID &. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Crown and crest white. a. Upper breast white, distinctly defined from rufous of lower breast and abdomen ......... ee esse cess teens G. 1. leucolophus, p. 146. 6. Breast white, merging into rufous of AbdOMEN! 4 jagoe ee cKas 35-9 yskk eRe .. GL, belangeri, p. 148. ce. Breast and entire abdomen white...... G. 1. diardi, p. 148. B. Crest not present, crown not white. d. A well-marked black pectoral band. a’. A black cheek-stripe. a'', Tips to tail white.............. G. p. pectoralis, p. 150. b”. Tips to tail buff ............:. Gp. semitorquata, p. 151, b'. No black cheek-stripe. ce’. Tips to tail white ...........46. G. m. moniliger, p. 151. d". Tips to tail buff ...........0.. G. m. fuscata, p. 152. e. No pectoral band. ce’, Chin and throat yellow .......... G. gularis, p. 152. d'. Chin and throat white. e". Tail entirely black ............ G. delesserti, p. 149. f'. Tail tipped with white. al". Darker ........0.065 rear G. a. albogularis, p. 153. Oe Palene is wa hate Stace sine el aba S G. a. whistleri, p. 154. e’. hin and throat chocolate-brown .. G. strepitans, p. 154. (128) Garrulax leucolophus leucolophus. Tue HimaLayaN WHITE-CRESTED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Corvus leucolophus Hardw., Trans. Linn. Soc., xi, p. 208 (1815) (Mt. above Hardwar). Garrulax leucoiophus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 77. Vernacular names. Rawil-Kahy (Hindi in N.W.P.); Karrio-pho (Lepcha); Karria-goka (Bhutan); Naga-dhaopooleka (Assam) ; Dan-flantu (Cachari). Description. Lores, ear-coverts and round the eye black; the rest of the head to nape and to lower breast pure white, the longest feathers of the crest dark ashy-grey; a ferruginous collar below upper breast merging into the olive-brown of the rest of upper and lower plumage; wings brown, the outer webs of the feathers like the back; tail brown washed with olive-brown; flanks, lower breast and abdomen like the back, but with a tinge of rufous throughout. Colours of soft parts. Iris red or red-brown; bill horny-black to black ; legs and feet slate to fleshy-grey, the soles paler and claws darker; orbital skin dull slate. Measurements. Length about 300 mm.; wing 132 to 137 mm.; tail about 130 to 135 mm.; tarsus about 45 mm.; culmen about 28 to 30 nm. Distribution. Himalayas from Simla to North Chin Hills Kachin Hills and North and Central Burma. 5 GARRULAX. 147 Nidification. As with so many of the common birds, the breeding season of this Laughing-Thrush is very extended, eggs ‘being laid from the end of March to the beginning of August, the latter being second broods. They breed from practically the level of the plains up to 5,000 feet, but between 1,000 and 2,500 feet is the favourite altitude. The nests are broad, but shallow, cups, rather loosely put together and are generally composed for the main part of grass and bamboo leaves, bound together with stems of plants, tendrils, roots and fern-rachides and mixed more or less with dead leaves, dried moss, etc. The lining is of coarse roots, fern-rachides and tendrils. They may be placed in almost any position from low down in scrub and brambles to 20 feet up in small saplings, but a common site is some thorny, and not too dense, bush in light undergrowth. Fig. 28.—Head of G. /, leucolophus. The eggs number from three to five, two or six only very rarely. They are a pure china-white in colour, hard and glossy with numerous pits, a feature shown in no other egg of this family. In shape they are very spherical, and but for their stoutness and the pits might easily be mistaken for Kingfishers’ eggs. 200 eggs average 28:1 x 22°8 mm., and the extremes in length and breadth are 30°0 x 23:4 mm., 28°7 x 24:1 mm. and 25:0 x 21:0 mm. Habits. The White-crested Laughing-Thrush is extremely abundant in the lower hills in the North and South of the Brahma- putra. It is one of the noisiest of birds, always calling to one another in notes of varying degrees of harshness, the big flocks in which it congregates every few minutes indulging in an outburst of cackling and laughing calls in which each member tries to out- shout the rest. These outbursts are often accompanied by dancing and flapping of wings as the birds clamber about the undergrowth or work along the ground underneath. They are not shy birds, and if one keeps quiet they show far more interest in each other and in their food than they do in the intruder. Moreover, they are most inquisitive birds and must investigate carefully everything they cannot understand. They may be found in flocks even in the breeding season, and a bird seated on her L2 148 TIMALIIDA, nest has been heard joining in the chorus of a number engaged in the cackling and clambering round about her. (129) Garrulax leucolophus belangeri. Tue Burmese Wuive-crestep Laveuina-THRvusi. Garrulaa: belangert Less., Treité d’Orn., p. 648 (1831); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 79. Vernacular names. Wa-youn-hnet, Way-oung-hnet-goung byw ( Burinese). Description. Differs from the preceding in having the white of the breast running into the abdomen instead of being sharply defined by the rufous colour. The colour of the upper parts is a light ferruginous- rather than an olive-brown. Colours of soft parts as in leuwcolophus. Measurements. A rather smaller bird than the last, with a wing of about 125 to 180 mm. Distribution. Yunnan, North and South Shan States, Annam, Lower Chin and Kachin Hills, Pegu and Tenasserim. Nidification. Similar to that of the last bird, twelve eggs averaging 28°3 x 22°7 mm. Habits differ in no way from those of the last or the next bird, (130) G@arrulax leucolophus diardi. Tau Sramese WuHitt-crestep LAvGHING-THRUSH. Turdus digrdi Less., Traité d’Orn., p. 408 (1831) (Siam). Garrulaz diardi. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 79. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the other two races by the grey of the crest merging into the rufous back instead of contrasting therewith. The whole of the abdomen is white. Colours of soft parts as in the other races. Measurements. The largest of the three races with a wing between 135 and 140 mm. Distribution. Extreme South Yunnan, Siam, Cambodia, Annan, Cochin China, rarely extending into South-East Tenasserim, and then in a somewhat intermediate form approaching belungeri. The specimens in the British Museum from the Shan States and Annam labelled “ diardi” should ail be referred to the last race, belanyeri. Nidification. Similar to that of the other races. Twelve eggs average 274 x 22-4 mm., but a larger series would probably average bigger. 7 Habits. Like those of the other races but this form appears to be found well into the plains. GARRULAX. 149 (131) Garrulax delesserti. , Tun Wynaap Lavenine-Turvusn. Crateropus delesserti Jerd., Madr. Jour. L. 8., x, p. 256 (1839) (Wynaad, 8. India). Garrulax delesserti, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 82. Vernacular names. Poong Karuvi (Tel.). Description. Lores, ear-coverts and round the eye black; fore- lead, crown, mantle and sides of neck deep slaty-grev, the forehead mottled with lighter grey; back, rump and visible portions of wing chestnut-brown, except the outer webs of the first few primaries which are duller; upper tail-coverts brighter chestnut ; tail black, tinged with rufous at the base’; extreme point of chin | black; remainder of chin, cheeks and throat white; breast and upper part of abdomen ashy-grey; lower part of abdomen, vent, thighs and under tail-coverts deep chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Iris crimson; upper mandible blackish brown, lower mandible pale fleshy ; legs, feet and claws fleshy- white. Measurements. Total length about 250 to 260 mm. ; wing 100 to 105 mm. ; tail 98 to 102 mm. ; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen about 24 mm. Distribution. The hills of S. India from the Wynaad to the south of Travancore. Nidification. Mr. J. Stewart describes the nest as varying greatly in character. In some it is a rather bulixy, deep cup, almost semi-domed, in others it is a cup hardly bigger than that of Molpastes. It is composed of grass, leaves, weed stems, etc. lined with roots and placed either in a bush or in a tangle of creepers and briars. The breeding season is March to May, but Mr. Stewart has taken eggs in February and again in August, the latter possibly a second laying. The eggs are generally two or three in number, very rarely four. They are inappearance a link between those of the G. leuco- dophus group and those of the other Laughing-Thrushes. Pure white and very round in shape like the eges of the former they are a little less hard-shelled und have no pits; on the other hand, they are harder shelled and different in texture to the eggs of the latter. 50 eggs average 27°5 x 20°5 mm. The birds appear to breed at all heights up to 4,000 feet, but principally between 1,500 and 2,500 feet. Habits. Apparently found from the level of the plains up to the highest hills, haunting thick underwood and having the same noisy and gregarious habits as others of the genus. 150 TIMALIID A. (132) Garrulax pectoralis pectoralis. THe Inpian Brack-corgEetep Lavguing-THRusH. Lanthocinela pectoralis Gould, P.Z.S., 1835, px 186 (Nepal). Garrulax pectoralis, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 80. Vernacular names. Ol-pho (Lepcha); Bura Penga (Bengali). Description. Forehead to tail and wing-coverts fulvous olive- brown; a broad collar on the hind neck brighter fulvous; tail like the back, the outer feathers broadly tipped with white and with subterminal bands of black; the middle tail-feathers uni-coloured and the next two pairs with black bands only; primary-coverts black edged with hoary ; exposed parts of quills olive-brown, the earlier primaries edged with hoary ; lores and a narrow supercilium white ; ear-coverts black and white or almost entirely white or entirely black ; a cheek-stripe from the gape, continued round the ear-coverts to the upper part of the eye, and a broad pectoral band, black ; chin and throat whitish ; the remainder of the under parts fulvous, albescent on the abdomen. Colours of soft parts. Upper mandible dark horn-colour; the lower bluish-horn at the base and tip, dark brown in the middle; mouth bluish; iris yellow, orange-yellow or orange- brown ; eyelids and orbital skin dusky blue, edges of the eyelids orange-yellow ; legs light to dark slaty-grey, claws pale horn. Measurements. Total length about 330 to 340 mm.; wing 142 to 150 mm.; tail about {30 mm.; tarsus about 49 mm.; culmen about 30 mm. Distribution. Nepal to E. Assam, North and South of the Brah- maputra, N. Burma and N. Shan States. Nidification. Breeds from the end of March to early June, many birds having second broods in July and August. The nests are large, loosely-built cups of leaves, bamboo leaves, grass, roots and stems of weeds, sometimes with moss added, and lined with finer roots, tendrils and fern stems. They may be placed in any thick bush, sapling or clump of bamboos, sometimes quite close to the ground, at other times 20 feet from it. The eggs are generally four in number, sometimes three and rarely five. In colour they are a rather deep blue-green, but quite pale ones are not un- common ; rather long in shape, the texture is smooth and there is very little gloss. 200 eggs average 31-4 x 22:7 mm. ‘The extremes of size are 33°8 x 22:7; 29-2241; 28°7x21°6 and 30°2 x 20:9 mm. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is a bird of low elevations; it 13 common in the plains near the hills and breeds principally below 2,500 though it may be found up to 4,500 feet. It is very gre- garious, and may often be seen associating with other Laughing- Thrushes, especially with the Necklaced Laughing-Thrush. They are not shy, but from their habit of keeping much to dense GARRULAX. 151 undergrowth they are less often seen than heard, for they are as noisy as the rest of their family. They indulge in the same dances during the early part of the season and not infrequently at other times also, hopping about the ground, flirting and spreading their wings, bowing and performing like circus contortionists, all the time loudly applauding their own performances. (133) Garrulax pectoralis semitorquata. Tur Burmesp Biack-corcerep LavucHine-THRUSH. Garrulax semitorquata Ogilvie-Grant, Bull, B. 0. C., x, p. 49 (1900) (Five-finger Mt., Hainan). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the last bird in having the tips fo the tail-feathers buff instead of white and the péctoral band fre- quently interrupted in the centre. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the last bird. Distribution. 8. Burma, 8S. Shan States, Yunnan, Siam and Hainan. Nidification and Habits as in pectoralis pectoralis. 50 eggs average 30°7 x 22:0 mm. (134) Garrulax moniliger moniliger. Ture InpIan NeEcKLACED LavGHine-THERUSH. Cinclosoma moniligera Hodgs., As. Res., xix, p. 147 (1836) (Nepal). Garrulaz moniliger. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 81. Vernacular names. Ol-pho(Lepcha); Piang-kam (Bhut.); Poreri or Purirhi (Daphla); Chota penga (Bengali). Description. Differs from pectoralis in wanting the black cheek- stripe and in having the primary-coverts the same as the others, not black. The ear-coverts are black and white, varying much individually, Colours of soft parts. Iris pale yellow to bright yellow ; eyelids dull purple; bill dark horn-colour, the tip and edges paler; legs light plumbeous, claws pale horn-colour. In young birds the eyes are greenish yellow or a pale washed-out blue. Measurements. Length about 300 to 310 mm.; wing 123 to 128mm.; tail about 120 to 125 mm. ; tarsus about 43 mm. ; culmen about 28 mm. Distribution. Practically the same as that of G. pectoralis pectoralis. Nidification. This Laughing-Thrush has breeding habits, season, elevation, etc., all identical with its larger cousin, pectoralis; the nests are indistinguishable, but the eggs can be told by their smaller size. 200 eggs average about 28-4 x 21:3 mm., but the largest of 152 TIMALIIDE. these exceed in size the smallest of those of the Black-gorgeted Laughing-Thrush. The extremes are maxima, 30:3 x 21:0 and 27-9 x 23°5 mm. ; minima 27:0 x 21°6 and 27:2 x 19°8 mm. Habits exactly the same as those of pectoralis, with which it frequently consorts. (135) Garrulax moniliger fuscata. Tun Burmesn Necciacen LAvGHING-THRUSH. Garrulax moniliger fuscata Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C., xxxvii, p. 64 (1918) (Tavoy). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from G. m. moniliger in having the tips to the tail-feathers buff instead of white and in, generally, having more white and less black on the ear-coverts. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the last, but South Burmese birds are rather smaller. Distribution. South Central Burma and Siam to the south of Tenasserim. Nidification and Habits differ in no way from those of the last bird. 60 eggs average 27°8 x 21°3 mm. (136) Garrulax gularis. McCiatiany’s LaucHine-THRUSH. Tanthocincla gularis McClell., P. Z.S., 1839, p. 150(Cachar). Garrular gularis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 81. Vernacular names. Dao-ria phang (Cachari). Description. Lores, ear-coverts and under the eyes black ; fore- head, crown, nape, mantle and sides of the neck slaty-grey ; back, rump and visible portions of the wing deep chestrut-brown, except the outer webs of the first primaries. which are duller ; upper tail- coverts deeper chestnut; the four central tail-feathers rufous- brown on the basal two-thirds of their length, then black; the others all pale chestnut, the fourth pair from the outside partially black on the inner web; extreme point of chin black; remainder of chin, clieeks, throat, fore neck, centre of breast and abdomen yellow ; sides of breast and upper abdomen dark ashy-grey ; lower part of flanks, thighs, vent and under tail-coverts deep chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; irides crimson or bright red. Measurements. Length about 250mm; wing about 95to 100 mm.; tail about the same; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen about 28 mm. Distribution. The hills South of the Brahmaputra, from Cachar to Lakhimpur and the Dafla Hills, Nidification. McClelland’s Laughing-Thrush is resident and breeds throughout its range, the great majority of eggs being laid GARBULAX. 153 in May but others also in late April and throughout June. The nest is a typical Laughing-Thrush’s nest, a large, shallow and rather untidy cup, but more tendrils are used in its construction than 1 have noticed in the nests of others of the genus. It is generally built in dense forest, and may be placed in bushes or in saplings between 3 and 20 feet from the ground. The eggs are two or three in number, rather long ovals, more smooth and glossy than the eggs of most of its genus, but less so than those of Dryonastes ruficollis etc. They vary in coloui from pure white to pale blue- green, and 100 eggs average 29°2x20°5 mm. The extremes in measurement are 31°019°8; 29°0x217; 25°5x19°6 and 27°8 19:2 mm. Habits. This is a Laughing-Thrush of rather high elevations, seldom under 3,500 and hardly ever below 2,000 feet, even in winter, though a straggler was obtained at Lakhimpur in Cachar, practically in the plains. It is a less noisy, less gregarious bird than many of its nearest relations and keeps much to dense forest rather than to scrub. It has a loud, rather sweet whistle in addition to the usual cackling notes of its kind. (137) Garrulax albogularis albogularis. THE WHITE-rHROATED LavGHING-THRUSH. Lanthocincla albogularis Gould, P. Z.8., 1835, p. 187 (Nepal). Garrulax albigularis. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 82. Vernacular names. Karriam-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead fulvous; lores and feathers above and below eye black; cheeks, chin and throat white; upper plumage rich olive-brown, tinged with fulvous on the crown and ear-coverts and rusty on the upper tail-coverts ; wings brown, edged with the colour of the back; tail olive-brown, the four outer pairs of feathers very broadly tipped with white; sides of neck and a broad pectoral band olive-brown; remainder of lower plumage bright ferruginous. Colours of soft parts. Bill black or dull black, inside of mouth yellow ; legs, feet and claws pale fleshy piumbeous to darker livid plumbeous ; iris greyish blue. Measurements. Length about 300 to 310 mm.; wing 123 to 133 mm., average 128 mm.; tail 140 to 145 mm.; tarsus about 43 mm.; culmen about 25 mm. Distribution. Nepal and Sikkim, but not in Bhutan or Assam, except twice in the Barail Range in N. Cachar. Nidification. The only nest recorded is one taken by myself in N. Cachar. Neither nest nor eggs differ in any way from those of the next and better known form. Habits. Similar to those of the next bird. 154 TIMALIID&, (138) Garrulax albogularis whistleri. THE WESTHRN WHITE-THROATED Lauguinc-THRUSH. Garrulax albogularis whistleri Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C., xlii, p. 29 (1921) (Simla). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from true albogularis in having the upper parts paler, more grey and less red, in having the red of the under parts paler and duller, and in being distinctly bigger. Colours of soft parts as in the last bird. Measurements. Wing 132 (very abraded) to 144, average 139 mm.; other measurements in proportion. Distribution. Himalayas from the Hazara country to Garhwal. Nidification. Breeds at all ranges between 4,000 and 9,000 feet in May and June, making a cup-shaped nest of grass, leaves, roots, tendrils, etc., rather loosely put together and generally bound with reed stems. Sometimes there is no lining, at other times it is well lined with moss and fern roots. They are usually built in small, fairly thick bushes in dense forest, less often in small trees and rarely in scrub or secondary growth. The eggs number three, seldom two and even more seldom four, and are of a beautiful glossy dark blue, darker than that of any other egg except Hodgsonius phenicuroides. In shape they are fairly long ovals, and the average of 50 eggs is 29:0 x 21°1 mm. Habits. These birds are as gregarious and almost as noisy as the White-crested Laughing-Thrushes, remaining in flocks even during the breeding season. They are birds of high elevations and do not seem to wander down much below 3,000 feet, though they may be found a little lower in winter. They keep much to forest, feeding on the ground and on low undergrowth. Though from their habits difficult to watch, they are not shy birds. (139) Garrulax strepitans, TIcKELL’s LaveHina-THRvusu. Garrulax strepitans Blyth, J. A. S. B., xxiv, p. 268 (1858) (Mt. Muleyit, Tenasserim) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 83. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and nape reddish brown; face black ; hinder portion of ear-coverts ferruginous ; a spot on either side of the neck white; hind neck, sides of neck and upper back ashy, paler and whiter in front, darker behind, and blending with the olive-brown of the upper plumage and wings; tail blackish, marked with olive-brown on the outer webs; throat and breast chocolate-brown, the latter bordered by ashy blending with the olive-brown of the remainder of the plumage. IANTHOCINCLA, 155 Colours of soft parts. Iris red, lake-red or crimson; legs and feet very dark brown to almost black, claws horny-brown ; bill black. Measurements. Length about 300 to 310 mm.; wing 132 to 135 mm. ; tail about 135 min. ; tarsus about 45 to 47 mm. ; culmen about 27 mm. Distribution. Tenasserim and North and South-West Siam, where specimens have been obtained at Koon Tan and Si-sa-wad. Nidification unknown. Habits. Davison says that it is a noisy but shy bird, oe observation. ‘“ Not by any means uncommon, occurring in smal flocks of twenty or more, and keeping entirely, so far as I have observed, to the forest, especially to the ravines where this is densest.” Genus IANTHOCINCLA Gould, 1835. Oates applied the generic term Janthocincla to those Laughing- Thrushes which have no bristles at the base of the forebead, but in which the nostrils are overhung by a few long hairs. The genus differs in no other respect from Garrulax, and the division is perhaps hardly necessary, but it is convenient for students and may therefore be retained. All the species are remarkable for having the secondaries tipped with white and the bill is rather narrow. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Crown and nape black. a. Upper plumage spotted with white.... J. ocellata ocellata, p. 155. 6. Upper plumage barred with black. [p. 158. a’, Kar-coverts black ..... .........- L.rufogularis rufogularis, b', Far-coverts rusty-orange .......... I. r. occidentalis, p. 159. ce’. Ear-coverts brown............0005 I, v, assamensis, p. 159. c. Upper plumage neither barred nor {p. 156. spotted, . sce. Sea eee sees asta ase I. cineracea cineracea, B. Crown and nape ashy ..............-. I. c. styani, p. 157, C. Crown and nape reddish brown with pale shafts. d. Lower plumagerufous-brown with white DAYS) Boop Serie susetinne dude Saayane alas I. austeni austeni, p. 160. e. Lower plumage much paler, each feather with broad white edges ............ I. a. victoria, p. 161. (140) Ianthocincla ocellata ocellata. THE WuITE-spoTrrp LAUGHING-TILRUSH, Cinclosoma ocellatum Vigors, P.Z. S., 1831, p. 15 (Himalayas). Lanthocinelu ocellata. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 84. Vernacular names. Lho-karreum-pho (Lepcha). Description. Forehead, crown and nape brownish black ; face 156 TIMALIIDA. and supercilia bright fulvous; ear-coverts chestnut; upper back and sides of neck fulvous, the feathers with broad black sub- terminal marks and fulvous tips; scapulars and wing-coverts to tail reddish brown with white spots preceded by black marks ; quills tipped white, the earlier primaries black on the outer webs, becoming progressively ashy and then chestnut; middle tail- feathers chestnut, tipped with white; the others rufous at base, then ashy and finally black with white tips , centre of throat black, the feathers with narrow rufous edges; sides of throat rufous barred with black ; below fulvous buff, the breast barred with black and the flanks more olivaceous with a few paler fulvous bars. Colours of soft parts. Bill yellowish, dusky above and on tip; legs dull yellow ; iris yellow-brown. Measurements. Length about 310 to 320 mm.; wing 130 to 135 mm.; tail about 180 mm.; tarsus about 48 mm.; culmen about 30 to 32 mm. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, from which latter place I have received typical specimens. The type-locality may be restricted to Darjeeling. Nidification. Hume received a nest from Sikkim with one of the parent birds. ‘The nest is principally composed of these” (fern and grass) “intermingled with moss and roots and is a large, loose structure some 7 inches in diameter.” It was placed close to the ground in a thick clump of fern and grass, and contained two eggs which are not described. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is a bird of high elevations. It occurs about Darjeeling from some 6,000 or 7,000 feet up to at least 10,000 feet. It keeps much to heavy forest, and appears to be less gregarious and not so noisy as the species of the two preceding genera. (141) Ianthocincla cineracea, cineracea. Tan AsHY LavGHING-THRUSH. aeeceaen cineraceum Godw.-Aust., P.Z.S8., 1874, p. 15 (Naga ills). Lanthocinela cineracea. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 85. Vernacular names, Lehu (Angami Naga). Description. Forehead, crown and nape black; lores, a broad supercilium, ear-coverts and under the eye dull white, a narrow line over the ear-coverts an1 a broad moustachial streak black, the latter ending in streaks on the sides of the upper neck; upper plumage and wing-coverts olivaceous-ashy, tinged with rufous on the upper tail-coverts ; secondaries and the tail like the back, each feather with a subterminal black band and a white tip; primaries ashy on the outer web; primary-coverts black; winglet ashy on the outer webs, dusky on the inner; chin and throat pale fulvous, with the shafts black ; whole remaining lower plumage fulvous, tinged with olive on the flanks and albescent on the abdomen. IANTHOCINCLA. 157 Colours of soft parts. Iris pale buffish yellow to orange-yellow ; lids pale lavender, edged dusky; bill horny-brown, tipped paler and with whole lower mandible pale horny-yellow; legs and feet pale dull fleshy. : Measurements. Total length 225 to 235 mm.; wing 86 to 89 mm. ; tail about 100 mm. ; tarsus about 32 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. Naga Hills, Khasia and N. Cachar Hills, Manipur, Lushai and Chin Hills. Does not apparently extend eastwards to Lakhimpur. Nidification. Numerous nests were taken by Col. Tytler in the Naga Hills in May and June and by Messrs. Mackenzie, Hopwood and others in the Chin Hills in March and April. They are com- posed of ferns, leaves, roots and grass, lined with finer roots and often bound round with tendrils and stems of plants; they are rather more compact than most nests of this group and are placed in bushes or small saplings in forest. The eggs are generally two only in number, sometimes three; the texture is very fine and close and the surface smooth and silky to the touch, not bard and glossy as in D. ruficollis. in colour they are pure unspotted blue-green. 150 eggs average 25°3 x 18°6 mm. Habits. This is not a very gregarious bird, and though it may sometimes be found in small family parties, it more often wanders about in pairs, scratching on the ground amongst the fallen rubbish for insects or clambering through the undergrowth and bracken. It constantly utters conversational notes, some sweet and some harsh, but never breaks out into a paroxysm of sound like some of the other Laughing-Thrushes do. It haunts elevations of 6,000 feet upwards and is rare below 5,000 feet. (142) Ianthocincla cineracea styani. Srran’s LavcHine-THRUSH. Trochalopterum styani Oustalet, Bull. Mus. Par., 6, p. 226 (1898) (‘Ta-tsien-lu), Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. This race differs from the preceding in having the head dark ashy instead of black and the ear-coverts rufous instead of black and white. The upper plumage is browner and the breast is tinged with vinous. Colours of soft parts as in J. c. cineracea. Measurements. Wing 94 to 98 mm.; tail 106 to 118 mm.; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen 22 to 25 mm. Distribution. Yunnan and the E. Shan States. Nidification. A single egg from the Styan collection measures 28'1 x 19°8 mm. Habits. Not recorded. 158 TIMALIIDZ. (143) Ianthocincla rufogularis rufogularis. Tur RvUFOUS-OHINNED LauGHING-THRUSH. Lanthocincla rufogularis Gould, P.Z.S8., 1835, p. 48 (Himalayas, Sikkim); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 86. Vernacular names. Nurbigivan-pho (Lepcha). Description. Lores pure white; a large ring of grey round the eye; ear-coverts wholly black or tinged with rufous posteriorly ; forehead and crown black; cheeks and a large patch under the eye and ear-coverts mingled black and white ; a broad supercilium reaching to the nape, the sides of the neck and the whole upper plumage olive-green, tinged with fulvous and each feather of the hind neck, back and upper rump tipped with a lunate black bar; wing-coverts olive-brown, the larger series broadly tipped with black ; primary-coverts dark brown margined with black; winglet ashy, tipped black ; earlier primaries hoary on the outer webs, the others with a black patch, increasing in extent whilst the basal portions change to olivaceous; outer secondaries with the outer webs olive-brown, broadly tipped with black and with a sub-tip white line ; inner secondaries olive-brown on both webs and tipped with black and white; tail rufescent, with deep rufous tips and black subterminal bands; point of chin rufous, throat white; under tail-coverts deep chestnut; remaining lower plumage ashy- brown, albescent on the abdomen and each feather, except on the last, spotted with black. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or red-brown ; bill pale yellow- horny, darker at tip; legs dull fleshy-brown ; eyelids and orbital skin bluish. Measurements. Length about 225 to 235 mm.; wing about 94 to 97 mm.; tail about 120 mm.; tarsus about 34 1mm.; culmen about 24mm. The young have the crown olive-brown, tipped with black; the whole chin white, and the black bars and spots above and below smaller. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and the hills North of the Brahiaputra at least as far East as the Miri Hills North of Lakhimpur. Nidification. This bird breeds very commonly in Sikkim and round «bout Darjeeling in May, Juue and July, making a nest of small twigs, many tendrils, a few roots and sometimes a leaf or two, lined with fine roots. In some cases nothing but tendrils are used for the outer part of the nest. It is placed as a rule in a high bush or small tree, less often in a low bush. The eggs number two to four, generally three, and are pure white, not highly glossed, though very smooth and very fragile for their size. In shape they are long ovals and fifteen eggs average 26:2 x 19-4 mm. A second brood is sometimes brought up as late as September. a IANTHOCINCLA. 159 Habits. The Rufous-chinned Laughing-Thrush is found in pairs or in small parties of four and five and, like the rest of its relatives, haunts undergrowth, scrub and secondary growth, but always in forest or in its immediate vicinity. It is not a noisy bird, but has a large variety of notes, some of which are harsh and loud and some are soft and mellow; its flight, when it can be forced to take to wing, is feeble and ill-sustained, but in clambering about bushes and reeds it is very active and equally so on the ground, where it seeks much of its food, both insect and seed. It is found as low as 2,500 feet, but is most common between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, ascending as high as 8,000 feet. (144) Ianthocincla rufogularis assamensis. Harrert’s LaucHine-THrvusH, lanthocencla rufogularis assamensis Hartert, Vig. Pal., i, p. 6385 (i910) (Margherita, Assam). Vernacular names. Mi-pa-pita (Trans-Diku Nagas). Description. Differs from typical rufogularis in having the whole chin and throat rufous and the ear-coverts almost all, or nearly all, rufous. Colours of soft parts as in rufogularis. Measurements. A rather smaller bird than rufogularis with wing about 91 to 94mm. Distribution. The whole of Assam south of the Brahmaputra as far South as the Lushai and Chittagong Hills and as tar East as Lakhimpur and thence into the Chin Hills. Nidification. Breeds from 3,500 feet upwards throughout its habitat in May and June, with an occasional second laying in August and September. The site selected is almost invariably a bush in heavy forest, though the -part selected is always near an opening of some kind, river, road or a natural open glade. Nest and eggs like those of the preceding birds. +40 eggs average 26°5 x 18-9 mm. Habits. Similar to those of rufogularis. (145) Ianthocincla rufogularis occidentalis. Tae Kasumirn Lavcuine-Turvsn. Lanthocinela rufogularis occidentalis Hartert, Vig. Pal. i, p. 635 (1910) (Dehra Doon). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to the Rufous-chinned Laughing-Thrush, but has the ear-coverts rusty-orange and the upper parts pale, more olive and less rufous. Colours of soft parts and Measurements the same as in the last. 160 TIMALIIDA. Distribution. From Kumaon westwards through Kashmir and the N.W. Himalayas. Nidification. Breeds in Garhwal and the Simla Hills in May and June between 6,000 and 8,000 feet elevation. Nest and eggs are like those of the Sikkim bird, but the former are made more of twigs, and tendrils are not so invariably or plentifully used. Six eggs average 26°3 x 18°7 mm. Habits. Like those of the other subspecies. Hutton found in the stomach of a bird he examined “ sand, seeds and the remains of wasps.” (146) Ianthocincla austeni austeni. Tur Caconar LaveHine-THRtsa. Trochalopteron austent Godw.-Aust., J. A.8.B., xxxix, ii, p. 105 (1870) (Hengdang Peak, N. Cachar Hills). Tanthocincla austent. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 87. Vernacular names. Dao-gajao-i-ba (Cachari). Description. Forehead, crown, nape, hind neck and sides, and the whole neck reddish brown with pale streaks; rump paler, without pale shafts; upper tail-coverts and middle pair of tail- feathers rufous ; other feathers black with white tips and with the bases suffused with rufous on the outer webs; wing-coverts and inner secondaries reddish brown, the latter and the longer coverts tipped with white and with subterminal dusky marks; outer webs of the earlier primaries grey, those of the other quills reddish brown; lores dusky; ear-coverts dark rufous-brown with pale shafts ; chin, throat and breast rufous-brown, indistinctly barred with dusky and whitish; remainder of lower plumage rufous- brown, with broad and distinct white bars preceded by a dusky line; under tail-coverts narrowly tipped with white. Colours of soft parts. Iris brown or lake-brown; bill dark horny, blackish at the tip, paler on lower mandible; legs dull fleshy- or livid-brown. Measurements. Total length about 250 mm.; wing 100 to 105 mm.; tail about 120 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen 20 mm. Distribution. Khasia, Cachar and Naga Hills. Hengdang Peak is on the watershed between the Cachar Hills and Manipur, and doubtless it will be found also in the higher hills of the latter state. Nidification. This rare Laughing-Thrush breeds throughout its range between 4,000 and 8,000 feet, principally about 6,000 feet, but it is not very uncommon on the higher hills about Cherrapunji in the breeding season at little over 4,000 feet. It breeds in the end of April and May, and possibly sometimes has a second laying as I have a nest taken in August with fresh eggs. The nest is TROCHALOPTERUM. 161 like that of J. rufogularis, but seems to be generally placed in a low bush, or a tangle of canes or raspberry bushes quite close to the ground. The eggs, two or three in number, are pure white, fragile, with a very slight gloss, and 48 average about. 26°3 x 19°0 mm. Habits. I found the bird in the Khasia and Cachar Hills in rhododendron and stunted oak forest, going about in pairs or small family parties in the dense undergrowth. They were just as Iqath to take to wing as other members of this subfamily, and when forced to do so fluttered and sailed alternately to the next bit of cover, into which they tumbled headlong rather than settled. They kept upacontinuous chatter, but were not particu- larly noisy. Those examined by me had eaten both insects and seeds, several containing masses of a small red ant, a most vicious biter. (147) Ianthocincla austeni victoria. T ne Cain Hitits Lavenine-TarusH. Lanthocincla victorie Rippon, Bull. B.O.C., xvi, p. 47 (1906) (Mt. Victoria). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the Cachar bird in being more olive and less red above and in having the lower parts much paler and whiter, each feather being edged with white. Colours of soft parts as in the last. Measurements. Total length 244 mm.; wing 94mm. (2ppon). Distribution. South Chin Hills. Nidification unknown. Habits. A bird of high elevations, only found between 7,000 and 10,000 feet. Genus TROCHALOPTERUM Hodgson, 1843. The genus Trochalopterum differs from the preceding genera in having the base of the bill quite devoid of all bristles and hairs, the nostrils and their membranes being free and exposed. In other respects it is quite typical of the subfamily. The bill varies a good deal in length and stoutness, and the nostrils in some are oval and exposed, whilst in others they are long and narrow and partly covered by a membrane. Oates and Harington point out that those birds with short, stout bills lay unspotted eggs, whilst those with slender bills and long linear nostrils lay spotted eggs. This is true, but, on the other hand, birds of the group of Laughing-Thrushes with the curious wing- speculum, probably an older feature than bill and nostril, all lay VOL, I. M 162 TIMALIIDA, spotted eggs with the one exception of 7’. squamatum, which lays them plain blue. Even the shape of the bills and uostrils, however, varies only in degree, more or less intergrading with one another. If Harington and Oates, and before them Gray, thought it desirable to split up the genus, we have Hartert on the contrary lumping under the one name (Zanthocincla), Oates’s genera Jantho- cinela, Babax and Trochalopterum. It must be remembered, how- ever, that in the Palearctic region Hartert bas to deal with only 29 species and subspecies, whereas in the Oriental region the number is much greater, no less than 40 species and subspecies being found in India in this genus alone. Oates’s genera, as given in the first edition of the ‘ Avifauna,’ seem reasonable and are easy for the student to understand, and I retain them in the present edition. In the first edition, however, many geographical races were quite wrongly given the status of full species, and these are now relegated to their proper position. A few new species and sub- species have been added to our list, and we have recognized in this genus 12 species and 17-subspecies. Key to Species. A. Chestnut on crown or nape, or both ...... T. erythrocephalum, B. No chestnut on crown or nape. [p. 162. a, Wings brightly coloured. a', Wings chiefly crimgon. Gi Tail Dale essa aes atite tne aies T. phoeniceum, p. 168. 6". Vail evimson ... 6.0.0.0... eee eee T. milnei, p. 170. b'. Wings chiefly bright yellow. . c'. Primary-coverts brown .......... T. subunicolor, p. 171. ad", Primary-coverts black. a’. Tail without white tips ........ T. affine, p. 172. {gatum, p. 173, 5", Tail with white tips .......... T. variegatum varie- ; [p. 174. o'. Wings chiefly slaty-blue ....... «ese. TT. variegatum simile, @', Wings with patch of bright blue .... T. squamatum, p. 174. 6. Wings dull coloured with no bright patch. e'. Upper plumage not striped. e", Breast rufous........-.......00., T. cachinnans, p. 176. J’. Breast whitish, streaked ashy...... T. jerdoni, p. 177. g'. Breast olive grey-brown .......... T. henrici, p. 183. F'4 Upper plumage striped. A", With a white supercilium ........ T. virgatum, p. 179. é", With no white supercilium ...... T. lineatum, p. 180. Trochalopterum erythrocephalum. This species is a very widely extended one, ranging from th Western Himalayas to the south of Tenasserim. "La wight ie expecied, its geographical variations are great, and it is therefore divided into 8 subspecies, TROCHALOPTERUM. 163 Key to Subspecies. A. Back and breast with large black round spots. a, No conspicuous grey supercilium. a’, Ear-coverts chestnut, tipped black [p. 163. and WHITG. 5 50s cieames oeae Baie oo T. e. erythrocephalum, b'. Ear-coverts black, edged pinkish WO ceca tchiciane ta hero tnapsi ese ela T. e. nigrimentum, p. 164. c'. Ear-coverts chestnut like the crown. T. &. erythrolema, p. 164, b. A conspicuons grey supercilium. d'. Tear-coverts chestnut ...........- T. e. godwini, p. 165. e’. Ear-coverts grey with black shaft- SITIPeS Lis sivaaciesaawaecatiae en T. e. woodi, p. 166, B. Back and breast with brown oval spots.. T. e. chryscpterum, p. 166. C. No spots on back or breast. ce. Chin and throat only rufous.......... T. e. melanostigma, p. 167. d, Chin, throat and breast rufous ...... T. e. ramsayt, p. 168. (148) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum erythrocephalum, Tus Rep-HraveD Laveine-Turvusit. Cinelosoma erythrocephalum Vigors, P.Z.8., 1831, p. 171 (Hima- layas, Chamba). Trochalopterum erythrocephalum. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 89. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and nape chestnut ; ear-coverts chestnut, each feather blackish near the tip and edged with white ; lores, chin and upper throat: black, with a chocolate tinge; cheeks mingled chestnut and black ; mantle and sides of neck olive-brown, each feather with a semicircular black mark near the end, lower back plain olive-brown; rump and upper tail-coverts slaty-grey ; tail ashy, suffused with golden yellow on the outer webs; wing- coverts olive-brown, the greater broadly tipped with deep ferru- ginous; primary-coverts and winglet yellow on the outer webs, ashy on the inuer; outer webs of primaries and outer secondaries bright golden yellow; inner secondaries and tips of outer ashy- blue; the base of the outer webs of the outer secondaries golden red; lower plumage pale fulvous, washed with olivaceous on the sides of the body and under tail-coverts, each feather of the throat and breast with a narrow crescentic black bar near the end and tipped with fulvous white. Colours of soft parts. Iris grey-brown or yellow-brown; bill black ; legs and feet pale yellowish- or fleshy-brown or light brown. Measurements. Length about 280 mm. ; wing 102 to 105 mm.; tail about 120 to 125 mm. ; tarsus 37 to 38 mm. ; culmen about 20 to 22 min. Distribution. The Himalayas from Chamba to Nepal. Nidification. This Laughing-Thrush breeds in May and June at heights from 4,000 to 7,000 feet or more, making the usual cup- M2 164 TIMALIIDE. shaped nests of leaves, bracken, ferns and grass with a thin lining of roots and fine grass. Outwardly the nests measure about 6 inches in diameter by 3 inches in depth, and are placed low down in thick bushes or tangled undergrowth in forests. The eggs, two or three in number, are pale bright Thrush-egg blue-green in colour, dotted and blotched sparsely at the larger end with dark brownish red. In shape they are rather long ovals. and in texture smooth and fine with but little gloss. Fourteen eggs average 29°2 x 21:3 mm. Habits. This bird, and indeed most of this genus, is much less. noisy than those of the genus Garrulaz, and though sometimes found in small flocks, is not so invariably gregarious, often wander- ing sbout in pairs. They keep up a continuous conversational chatter, interrupted with louder calls, some of which are quite mellow and sweet. They feed almost entirely on the ground itself or in the lower undergrowth in forests, and take to wing only when forced to do go. They are both insectivorous and eat smal} seeds. (149) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum erythrolema. Hume's Rep-nnapep LaucHine-THRusu. Trochalopterum erythrolema Hume, S. F., x, p.153 (1881) (Matchi, 8. Manipur) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 90. Trochalopterum holerythrops Rippon, Bull. B.O.C., xiv,p. 88 (1904) (Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the last in having the lores and point of chin dusky brown; the chin and throat chestnut like the crown ; the breast chestnut and the centre of the abdomen ferru-. ginous. The forehead is tinged with grey. Colours of soft parts as in the last bird. Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm. ; wing about 91 to 95 mm.; tail about 110 to115mm.; culmen 19 to 21 mm.; tarsus 27 mm. Distribution. East Manipur and Chin Hills. Nidification, The nest and eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the last bird. Twenty-two eggs average 29-9 x 20°5 mm. (150) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum nigrimentum. Tue Sikkim ReD-HEaDED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Trochalopterum nigrimentum Oates, Blanf. & Oates, Avif i, p. 91 (1889) (Nepal) (ex Hodgson MS). ee Vernacular names. Tarphom-pho (Lepcha); Paniong (Bhutea). Description. Similar to 7. erythrocephalum, but the forehead is rufous with black shafts and the anterior portion of the crown deep grey, each feather black in the centre; the ear-coverts are TROCHALOPTERUM. 164 black with pinkish-white edges and the lores, cheeks, chin and upper throat are black. The upper tail-coverts are olive-green. Colours of soft parts. Bill dark horny-brown or blackish brown; legs dark fleshy or yellowish brown; iris grey-brown; “red” (Jerdon). Measurements. Total length about 260 to 270 mm.; wing 100 to 105 mm.; tail 112 to 115 mm.; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen about 21 to 22 mm. Distribution. Eastern Nepal to the Daphla and Mikir Hills in Assam. Nidification. Breeds throughout its range in the months of April, May and early June at elevations of 5,500 feet upwards. The nest is a massive deep cup made of leaves, grass and a large proportion of moss, bound together with tendrils and roots. The lining generally consists of fine roots with an inner lining of Fig. 29.—Head of T. e. nigrimentum. matted dead leaves, but this latter is not always present. Most. nests are placed in thick bushes, but others may be found on small saplings, and the site selected is either the fringe of forest and heavy jungle or scrub-jungle and secondary growth. The eggs number two or three and are like those of the rest of the genus, but are generally very sparsely marked. Seventeen eggs average about 28°7 x 21:1 mm. Habits. This is a bird of high elevations from 5,000 up to 9,000 feet or more. It has the usual habits of the genus and is quite common in the woods round about Darjeeling, where in the early morning and evening it may often be surprised on the roads and jungle paths, hunting in small parties for insects in the cattle droppings, but scuttling off promptly into cover when disturbed. (151) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum godwini. Gopwin-Avustaen’s RED-HEADED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Trochalopterum erythrocephalum godwinit Harington, Bull. B.O. C., xxxiii, p. 92 (1914) (Hengdan, N. Cachar Hills). Vernacular names. Dao-qua-lok (Cachari). 166 TIMALIIDE. Description. Similar to 7’. e. erythrolema, but has a conspicuous grey supercilium and the forehead also much greyer. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in erythrolema. Distribution. The high ranges between Cachar, the Naga Hills and N.W. Manipur. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. (152) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum woodi. Wooo’s Rup-nnapep Laucuine-THRvsn. Trochulopterum erythrocephalum woodi Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C., xxxv, p. 17 (1914) (Loi-Sing, N. Shan States). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from 7. e. godwini in having the upper back unmarked with black as in melanostigma. The chin and throat are blackish instead of rufous and the ear-coverts are grey. From erythrolema it differs in having grey ear-coverts and a broad grey supercilium. From chrysopterum it differs in having black not rufous-brown edges to the breast-feathers, and the upper parts are rufous-brown rather than olive-green. Colours of soft parts. Bill dark horny-brown; legs apparently dark fleshy-brown. Measurements. “Wing 107 mm.; tail 122 mm.; culmen 20 mm. ; tarsus 37 mm.” (Harington). Distribution. Shan States. Nidification and Habits not recorded. (153) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum chrysopterum. Tur Suittonc YELLOW-wINGED LauGHING-THRUSH. Ianthocinela chrysoptera Gould, P. Z.S8., 1835, p. 48 (Khasia Hills). Trochalopterum chrysopterum. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 90. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from all the other races in having brown oval spots instead of black round spots on back and breast. It has a broad grey supercilium and the ear-coverts are rufous more or less tinged with grey. The chin and throat are dark chestnut. Colours of soft parts. Iris yellowish or greyish brown, some- times quite grey; legs fleshy or yellowish brown; bill dark horny- brown. Measurements. Total length about 260 to 270 mm.; wing 101 to 106 mm.; tail about 110 to 115 mm. ; culmen about 20 to 21 mm. ; tarsus about 38 mm. TROCHALOPTERUM. . 167 Distribution. Khasia Hills ouly. ; Nidification. The breeding season of this subspecies commences in the end of April and ceases in the first week in June, though an odd nest or so, perhaps a second brood, may be found as late as August. The nest is a wide, shallow cup of moss, roots, grasses and dead leaves, bound together with roots, tendrils and stems of reeds and is lined with roots, fern-rachides or, rarely, fine grass. It is a fairly well-built nest, and often looks much like that of some of the true Thrushes. No attempt seems to be made at concealment, and it is usually placed in some tall, thinly foliaged bush, about 6 feet from the ground, in pine- or evergreen-forest. The eggs are generally two only in number, sometimes three and very rarely four. In type of coloration they are like those of erythrocephalum, but are more boldly marked with a few black or deep purply-red blotches, spots or lines. In a few eggs these markings are very scanty, but in some are more numerous than in the eggs of other races of this Laughing-Thrush. The average of 50 eggs is 30°6 x 21:6 mm. Habits. Those of the genus. A bird of the pine-forests from 4,000 feet upwards. (154) Trochalopterum erythrocephalum melanostigma. Buyru’s Rep-Heapep Laveuine-Tunusu. Garrulax melanostigma Blyth, J. A. S. B., xxiv, p. 268 (1855) (Mt. Muleyit). Trochalopterum melanostigma. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 92. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, lores and cheeks black, the black of the lores extending to over the eye and merging in a short grey supercilium ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck silvery-grey streaked with black; throat and upper breast ferruginous, paling on Jower breast and abdomen and becoming olive-grey on flanks and under tail-coverts. No spots on either back or breast. Colours of soft parts. Legs, feet and claws very pale brown to reddish ; bill black ; iris brown or hazel-brown (Hume & Davis.). Distribution. Muleyit Mount, Tenasserim, and thence north- wards into the Shan States. Nidification. Nests and eggs taken by Mr. C. Hopwood resemble those of 17. ¢. chrysopterum, his eggs measure 30°5 x 20°4 mm. Habits. According to Davison these birds keep in parties of six or eight, feeding chiefly on the ground and keeping much in the brush-wood. They are neither very noisy nor very silent, uttering from time to time a fine whistling call in addition to other numerous conversational notes. They appear to feed exclusively on insects. 168 PIMALIIDE. (155) Trochalopterum erythrocephalam ramsayi. Tan Karennt Rep-aeapED LaveHInc-THRUSH. Trochalopterum ramsayi Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B. O. C., xiv, p. 19 (1904) (Karennee). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the last bird in having the chestnut of the chin and throat continued over the entire breast and belly. - Colours of soft parts. “Iris deep chocolate; bill black; legs pinkish brown.” Measurements. Total length about 254 mm.; wing 101 to 104 mm.; tail about 114 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. Karenni, extending to the pine-forests in the Salween District. Nidification and Habits. Nothing recorded. Trochalopterum pheniceum Key to Subspecies. A. Tail broadly tipped with orange. a. General plumage darker .............. T. p. pheeniceum, p. 168. b. General plumage paler................ T. p. bakeri, p. 169. B. Tail narrowly edged with ochraceous .... TJ. p. ripponi, p. 170. (156) Frochalopterum pheniceum pheniceum. Tun Assam CRIMSON-WINGED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Lanthocinela phenicea Gould, Icon. Av., pl. 3 (1837) (Nepal). Trochalopterum pheeni Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 93. Vernacular names. Tilji-pho (Lepcha); Repcha (Bhut.). Description. Lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, round the eye and a patch on the side of the neck crimson; a short supercilium black ; upper plumage olive-brown, the feathers of the crown with partially concealed black margins; tail black, broadly tipped with orange and outermost feathers washed with orange throughout; wing-coverts olive-brown; primary-coverts dusky edged with olive-brown ; winglet suffused with crimson on the outer webs and outermost coverts edged with the same; outer webs of primaries edged with crimson and yellow, the former increasing and latter decreasing in extent inwards; secondaries with centre of outer webs edged blue, the terminal portions suffused with crimson, the bases with olive-green; the whole lower plumage fulvous olive-brown, tinged with ashy on the abdomen; under tail-coverts black, broadly tipped with crimson, TROCHALOPTERUM. 169 Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet brown with a purplish tinge; bill horny dark brown to practically black; iris brown (juv.) to deep crimson or lac-red; orbital skin dull leaden-dusky. Measurements. Total length about 230 mm.; wing 81 to 93mm. ; tail about 100 mm. ; tarsus about 32 mm.; culmen about 18 mm. Distribution. Nepal to the extreme east of Assam, North of the Brahmaputra. Nidification. Breeds between 3,000 and 5,000 feet and some- times rather higher in the months of April to June, making a compact, deep cup of grass, leaves, roots and moss, lined with the latter and measuring about 43 inches to 54 inches in dia- meter by nearly as much in depth. It is generally placed in bushes in rather dense and moist forest, sometimes fairly high up but more often at 3 or 4 feet from the ground. The eggs number 2 or 3, very rarely 4, and are very beautiful, the ground- colour being a deep Thrush-egg blue with dark maroon and red- black lines, blotches and dots, the first beiug most numerous. Fifty eggs average 25°9 x 18°5 min. Habits. This species haunts forests and secondary growth rather than scrub-jungle, at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet, wandering as low down as 2,000 feet in winter. They are some- times found singly or in pairs, but more often in small parties of four or five, keeping much to the undergrowth and lower trees and also hopping about and feeding on the ground, eating insects of all kinds and also certain seeds. Their flight is teeble and their notes consist of a great variety of conversational calls both harsh and sweet, with an occasional louder call when the birds get separated. (157) Trochalopterum pheniceum bakeri. Toe AssAM CRIMSON-WINGED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Trochalopteron pheniceum bakeri Hartert, Bull. B. O. C., xxxiii, p. 10 (1909) (Laisung, N. Cachar). Vernacular names. Dao-yao-gajao (Cachari). Description. Differs from the preceding bird in being paler both above and below and in having the ashy-grey wash on the abdomen much more pronounced. Colours of soft parts as in the last bird. Measurements slightly smaller than the last, the wing averag- ing about 85 mm. as against 90 mm. in that bird. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur and Lushai Hills. Nidification. Breeds in May and June between 3,500 and 5,000 feet. The nest is a well-made cup, similar to that of the last bird but more often placed quite close to the ground, Eggs 170 TIMALIIDA, indistinguishable from those of the last; 100 measure on an average 26°1 x 18°5 mm. Habits. A comparatively common bird between 3,000 and 6,000 feet, nearly always found in cool, moist tree-forest in which there is a fair amount of undergrowth. Voice, food, flight, etc. as 7’. p. pheeniceum. (158) Trochalopterum pheniceum ripponi. Tur Burmese CRIMSON-WincED LauGcHING-THrusg. Trochalopterum ripponit Oates, Bull. B.O. C., xi, p. 10 (1900) (Kengtung State). Vernacular names. Krang-shong-maling (Kachin). Description. Similar to the preceding, but has the crimson of the head extending on to the sides of the neck, throat and super- cilium. The lower plumage is greyish yellow instead of fulvous or olive-brown and the tail is narrowly tipped with ochre instead of broadly with orange. if Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in 7. p. pheniceum. Distribution. Kachin Hills, N. Shan States. Nidification. The few eggs I have seen of this race seem to be rather darker than those of the other races. Twenty-one average about 25°8 x 18-6 mm. Habits as in the other races, but according to Harington they frequent bamboo-jungle as well as forest, placing their nest sometimes in clumps of bamboo. They keep generally above 5,000 feet and are found at least up to 7,000 feet. (159) Trochalopterum milnei sharpei. Tur Burmese Rep-Taitep LauaHine-THRUSH. Trochalopterum sharpet Rippon, Bull. B. 0. C., xii, p. 13 (1901) (Kengtung State). Vernacular names. Krang-sheng-kabr (Kachin). Description. Crown and upper parts of head and neck buffy- rufous; ear-coverts pale grey ; throat and lores black ; back and wing-coverts olive, each feather of the back with dark edge; rump and upper tail-coverts golden olive; below ashy-olive, more green towards the neck; tail above bright red, below blackish ; wing-quills above brilliant and glossy red, the inner webs of the innermost secondaries pure white. Colours of soft parts. ‘Bill and feet black; iris brown” (David & Oust.). Measurements. Length about 280 mm.; wing about 106 mm. ; tail about 120 mm. ; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen about 30 mm. Distribution. Kachin Hills and N. Shan States. TROCHALOPTERUM. 171 Nidification. Breeds in the Kachin Hills in Aprii and May, making a typical Laughing-Thrush’s nest of bamboo leaves and grass, mixed with a few roots and other leaves and lined with the former. They are, as usual, cup-shaped, and are placed either in bushes or low down against trees in the dense undergrowth of ravines in forest growing in valleys over 6,000 feet elevation. The eggs are unlike any others of this family and have a pure white ground sparingly spotted and blotched with reddish-brown ornearly black spots; they are in fact exactly like Golden Orioles’ eggs. Fifteen eggs average 28°7 x 20°7 mm. Habits. This very handsome Yrochalopterum is only found at heights from 5,000 to 8,000 feet, frequenting the most dense of undergrowth, in which it skulks about in small parties or pairs, being heard much more often than seen; at the same time, according to Harington, they are as inquisitive as noisy, and if one remains hidden, the birds soon show themselves in the attempt to make out the intruder. (160) Trocbalopterum subunicolor subunicolor. THE Piain-cotovreD.Lavcuine-Turusu. Trochalopterum subunicolor (Hodgs.), Blyth, J. A. 8. B., xii, p. 952 (1843) (Nepal) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 94. Vernacular names. Zarmal-pho (Lepcha) ; Nabom (Bhut.). Description. Forehead, crown and nape dark ashy-brown, the forehead tinged with fulvous; sides of neck and whole upper plumage olive-brown, each feather margined with brown; middle tail-feathers olive-brown, the others black suffused with olive- yellow on the outer webs and tipped with white; wing-coverts olive-brown ; primary-coverts dark brown ; visible winglet ashy- yellow; primaries brown with the outer webs grey; outer secondaries with an increasing amount of yellow ; inner secondaries olive-brown tinged with yellow and tipped with white; cheeks, chin and throat like the back, but darker and with a few white tips to the feathers of the face; under plumage olive-brown, tinged with fulvous on the abdomen and all the feathers margined with black, except on under tail-coverts and thighs. Colours of soft parts. Bill dusky; legs reddish brown; iris red-brown (Jerdon) ; iris yellowish grey (Blanf.). Measurements. Length about 230 mm.; wing 90 to 95 mm. ; tail about 100 to 105 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 18 mm. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and hills North of the Brahmaputra as far as the Dibang. Nidification. According to Hodgson this Laughing-Thrush breeds in Nepal in the months of April, May and June, making a cup-shaped nest of grass and moss lined with bamboo leaves, which it builds in bushes and trees, close to the ground, in open 172 TIMALIIDE. forests and groves. It lays three or four spotless blue eggs which measure about 26°1 x 17-7 mm. Habits. This is a bird of very high elevations, being found as high as 11,000 and not below 6,000 feet. (161) Trochalopterum affine affine. Tue Buack-raceD Laucuine-THRUSH. Garrulax affinis (Hodgs.), Blyth, J. A.S.B., xii, p. 950 (1843) (Nepal). Trochalopterum affine. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 94. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and nape dark brown tinged with rufous, paler on the forehead; lores and sides of head black; cheeks and a large patch behind the ear-coverts white, extending to, and becoming pale rufous on, the sides of the neck; hind neck rufous-brown blending with the darker brown of the head; back and scapulars rufous-brown, each rather broadly terminated with pale grey ; rump olive-brown ; upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail slaty-blue, three-quarters of the central feathers and the outer webs of the others overlaid with bright golden®yellow; wing-coverts rufous; primary-coverts black; winglet and inner secondaries slaty-blue ; outer webs of outer secondaries and primaries bright golden yellow, slaty-blue at tips and bases; chin black, throat rufous-brown ; breast paler and each feather edged with grey ; remainder of lower plumage rufous-brown. Colours of soft parts. Bill black; feet reddish brown; iris from olive-grey (Blanf.) to brown (Jerdon). Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing 102 to 115 mm.; tail about 125 mm.; culmen about 21 to 22 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm. Distribution. Eastern Nepal to Bhutan. Nidification. Osmaston took nests in May and June in Sikkim at altitudes between 9,000 and 10,000 feet. ‘The nests were rather massive but neat cups, about 8 inches in external diameter and were composed of moss, thin twigs and dried grass stems, lined copiously with black rhizomorph of a fungus mixed with some birch-bark “paper’.” The nests were placed in rhodo- dendron and viburnum bushes, 5 to 8 feet from the ground. The eggs generally number two only, but three were in one nest taken by Mr. W. P. Masson. In ground-colour they are Thrush- egg blue with a few spots and blotches of purplish black at the larger end. Twelve eggs average 28°5 x 21:2 mm. Habits. This isa common bird in Sikkim between 8,000 and 13,000 feet, haunting both rhododendron, fir and mixed forest right up to the snow-line. It is apparently generally found in pairs and not in flocks, but otherwise its habits resemble those of the genus. TROCHALOPTERUM. 173 Trochalopterum variegatum. Key to Subspecies. A. Outer webs of primaries and part of tail VONOW sce cress rescence g ous teas ee T.v. variegatum, p. 178.. B. Outer webs of primaries and part of tail slaty-blue oe cece eee eee ees T. v. simile, p. 174. (162) Trochalopterum variegatum variegatum. Tne Eastern VaRIEGATED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Cinclusoma variegatum Vigors, P. Z. 8., 1831, p. 56 (Himalayas, ‘ KE. Nepal). Trochalopterum. variegatum. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 95. Vernacular names. Ganza (Nepalese). Description. Forehead fulvous; crown and nape ashy-brown ; feathers of eyelid and a spot behind the eye white; lores aud a line over and below the eye to the ear-coverts black ; ear-coverts white with a black patch; chin and upper throat black; cheeks fulvous, meeting round the black throat; sides of neck and whole upper plumage olive-brown ; wing-coverts the same, the greater broadly edged with rufous; winglet and primary-coverts black ; the inner webs of the inner secondaries black, the outer grey tipped with white; outer webs of other quills bright golden- yellow tinged with rufous and tipped with white; a large. black patch on the outer secondaries ; the middle four pairs of tail- feathers black on three parts of their length, then ashy-yellow and tipped with white, the other feathers ashy-yellow on the inner webs, olive-yellow on the outer and tipped white; breast and sides of the body fulvescent ashy-brown; remainder of lower plumage bright tawny-buff. Colours of soft parts. Bill black ; legs and feet pale reddish orange-brown; iris pale yellow-green, brown, raw sienna-brown, pale yellowish brown (Hume). Measurements. Length about 280 to 290 mm.; wing 102 to 112 mm.; tail about 130 mm.: tarsus about 88mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. Himalayas from Chamba to Nepal. Nidification. This Laughing-Thrush breeds trom Simla to Nepal in April, May and June at elevations between 4,000 and 8,000 feet. The nest is a bulky cup made principally of grass with a few roots, dead leaves, etc., mingled with it. Sometimes there is no lining, but at other times there are a few roots and grass stems. It is placed in low bushes and small trees at any height above the ground from a few inches to'10 feet. The eggs generally number three, sometimes four and very rarely five. They are a pale, rather dull blue in colour, freckled and spotted with different shades of reddish brown, and are not nearly such, 174 TIMALIID A. handsome eggs as those of the erythrocephalum group. Eight eggs average 28°5 x 20°5 nm. Habits. Similar to those of other Laughing-Thrushes, but perhaps they are rather more often seen frequenting low trees as well as undergrowth. It is found between 4,000 and 8,000 feet. (163) Trochalopterum variegatum simile. Tut Western Vanizcatrep Lauvewine-THRUSH. Trochalopteron simile Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 408 (Far N.W. Gilgit) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 96. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the Eastern form in having the outer webs of the wing-feathers slaty blue and in having the yellow on the tail replaced with the same slaty-blue. Colours of soft parts, Legs and feet flesh-colour ; bill black ; iris brown (Dr. G@. Henderson). : Measurements as in the last bird. Distribution. The Western portion of Kashmir and the Hazara country. Very common in the galis round about Murree and Naini-Tal, extends up the Gilgit Valley above Gilgit and up to the frontier of Afghanistan. Nidification. Breeds very commonly from Murree south-west- wards, being found up to some 10,000 feet and down to 5,000 feet. ‘The nest is a big cup with very thick walls composed of grass, leaves, fine twigs and roots, lined with the latter, and measuring anything from 5 to 9 inches in diameter by 5 or 6 deep. The internal cup is about 4 by 23 inches deep. It is usually placed well up in a fir, deodar or other tree, sometimes as high as 25 feet and seldom low dewn in bushes. ‘The eggs number three or four, rarely five, and are like those of the last bird, but generally more blotched or spotted and less freckled. Fifty eggs average 27:8 x 21-0 mm. The breeding season is from the beginning of May to the end of June. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush, like the last, is much more of a tree bird than most others of the genus, and will be found quite as often hunting for insects well up in the trees as low down in the undergrowth and bushes. It is found up to at least 10,000 feet, and possibly higher, and in winter descends to about 4,000 feet. (164) Trochalopterum squamatum. Tne Bius-winerp LavcHine-Turusu. Ianthocincla squamata Gould, P. Z.S., 1835, p. 48 (Himalayas _ Sikkim). : Trochalopterum squamatum. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 96. Vernacular names. J'armal-pho (Lepcha); Nabom (Bhut.); Wo-krang-krvang-mut (Kachin). TROCHALOPTBRUM. 175 Description. A black streak over the eye from lores to nape; Jores grey or fulvous-brown ; sides of head olivaceous or rufvus ; upper tail-coverts chestnut, remaining upper plumage rufescent olive-brown, each feather with a terminal lunate black tip; in birds which have the lores and sides of the head olivaceous the crown is ashy ; wing-coverts chestnut, dusky internally ; primary- coverts dusky edged with black; outer web of outer primaries pale blue, inner primaries black; secondaries chestnut at the base; remainder of wing black, the later quills minutely tipped white ; lower plumage fulvous, each feather with a terminal black bar; under tail-coverts and thighs castaneous. Birds with grey crowns have the tail deep black, the others have it bronze-colour with a chestnut tip. The variations in colour seem due to neither sex nor age. I have found all in both sexes and in pairs breeding together, and they appear to torm one of those curious dimorphic colorations, the necessity for the evolution of which naturalists have not yet been able to detect. Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet pale flesh to fleshy-brown ; bill horny black, paler and greyer at tip and on base of lower mandible; iris pale greenish or bluisk white; glaucous-brown or dull brown, these latter probably only in young. Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing 93 to 99 mm.; tail about 100 mm.; tarsus about 37 mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. The Himalayas from Nepal to the Kachin Hills ; hill-ranges North of the Brahmaputra te N. Arrakan, and Chin Hills and Shan States. Nidification. The biyd breeds at all heights between 3,000 and 6,000 feet and in Nepal (vide Hodgson)as léw as 2,000. ‘The nest is the usual bulky eup in shape, fairly compact, and made principally of dead leaves intermixed with roots, tendrils and grass, and lined with roots. It is always placed low down in some thick bush or tangle of creepers, often within a foot or two of the ground. ‘The eggs, two or three in number, are s otless blue-green, the texture very smooth and fine but soft and Palmost glossless. Fifty eggs average 29-4 x 20°7 mm. Habits. The Blue-winged Laughing-Thrush is a bird of humid forests at a comparatively low level. In the hills South of the Brahmaputra it is most common between 3,000 and 5,000 feet, and seems to haunt the banks of streams and rivers far more than the other species of this genus do. It goes about both in pairs and in small family parties, and is conversational rather than noisy, many of its notes being very rich and full. Its flight is very weak and ill-sustained, but it is as strong and clever on its feet as the rest of the family. 176 TIMALIIDA. Trocbalopterum cachinnans. Key to Subspecies. A. Lores, chin and a line through the eye DRI is aia con wetinet haps droreersuea caers T. c. cachinnans, p. 176. B. Lores rusty brown; chin dark brown; no line through eye ...........-+.- T. ec. cinnamomeum, p. 177. (165) Trochalopterum cachinnans cachinnans. Tus Niztetrr1 Lavenine-Tarvsa. Crateropus cachinnans Jerd., Madr. Jour. x, p. 255, pl. 7 (1839) (Nilgiris). Trochalopterum cachinnans. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 97. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Point of forehead black; sides of the forehead and broad supercilium white; crown and nape slaty-brown, the feathers very narrowly margined with black; the lateral feathers of the forehead and crown black on their inner, white on the outer, webs, forming a black line above the supercilium ; lores, chin and a streak behind the eye black; feathers of the eyelid white; ear-coverts pale rufous ; sides of the nape ashy at the end of the supercilia, this colour suffusing the whole of the nape; upper plumage, sides of neck, wings and tail olive-brown; throat and breust bright rufous; abdomen a duller rufous; thighs, vent, under tail-coverts and sides of the body rufescent olive-brown ; under wing-coverts rufous. Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown to crimson ;, legs, feet and bill black. Measurements. Length about 225 to 235mm.: wing 92 to 96 mm.; tail about 100 mm.; tarsus 30 to 32mm.; culmen about 16 to 18 mm. Distribution. Nilgiris, from 4,500 feet upwards. Nidification. Breeds from February to the end of June throughout its range. The nest is made of grass, leaves, moss, small twigs and other miscellaneous bits, and is lined with roots and fibre and frequently with fur, cotton-wool or feathers. In shape it is a very deep cup, rather bulky but compact, and it is placed in an upright fork of some bush or small tree in forest. The eggs are nearly always two in number, sometimes three but never more. In ground-colour they are a pale, rather washed- out blue and are speckled and blotched with reddish or pinkish brown, a few eggs having also one or two darker spots or hair- lines. They average about 25:0 x18°8 mm. Habits. This Laughing-Thrush is extremely common all over the Nilgiris above 4,000 feet wherever there is sufficient cover. It is always found in parties, sometimes consisting of a dozen or more birds, and is one of the noisiest of the family, though its TROCHALOPTERUM. 177 notes are not so discordant as those of Garrulax leucolophus, ete. It keeps much to the ground and to dense undergrowth, and though its diet is partly insectivorous, Jerdon remarks that it feeds principally on the imported Peruvian cherry (Physalis peruviana). It is said to be a shy bird except in the breeding season, when it sits very close and becomes much bolder. (166) Trochalopterum cachinnans cinnamomeum. Davison’s LavaHine-THRUSH. Trochalopterum cinnamomeum Davison, Ibis, 1886, p. 204; Blanf, & Oates, i, p. 98. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the Nilgiri Laughing-Thrush in entirely wanting the black markings of the head and face; the lower parts are deep cinnamon-brown rather than rufous and the crown is hair-brown instead of slaty-brown. Colours of soft parts not recorded. Measurements. * Length 203 mm. ; wing 89 mm. ; tail 94 mm. tarsus 74 mm.; bill from gape 22:8 mm.” (Davison). ‘ Distribution Unknown ; probably Palghat Hills in Southern ndia. Nidification and Habits unknown. Trochalopterum jerdoni. Key to Subspecies. A. Chin black.......... bagel er Mae a NE T. j. jerdont, p. 177. B, Chin grey. a. Conspicuous white supercilium extending TO NSPE sense crosaadoccroapsa tained T. 7. fatrbanki, p. 178. 6. Short supercilium not passing behind eye., 7. 7. meridionale, p. 178. (167) Trochalopterum jerdoni jerdoni. Tun Banasorte Laucuine-THRusi. Garrulax jerdoni Blyth, J. A.S. B., xx, p. 522 (1851) (Banasore Peak). Trochalopterum jerdoni. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 99. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Point of forehead black; crown and nape slaty- brown, the feathers edged darker; a broad white supercilium, with « narrow black line above; lores and a line through the eye black ; ear-coverts greyish white; sides of the neck ashy-brown, continued back and meeting round the neck; upper plumage, wings and tail olive-brown, tinged with rufous on the tail; chin and cheeks black; throat and breast streaked ashy and white; VOL. I. N 178 TIMALIID 2. abdomen rufous; sides, thighs and under tail-coverts olivaceous brown, under wing-coverts rafous. Colours of soft parts. Bill horny black ; legs, feet and claws light brown or slaty-brown ; iris crimson. Measurements. Length about 215 to 230mm.; wing 80 to 83mm.; tail about 90 mm.; tarsus about 32 mm. ; eculmen about 18mm. Distribution. The Coorg and Wynaad Hills above 4,000 feet. Mr. Morgan gives the Palghdt Hills and the Chinna Coonoor Ghat as a part of its range, but these have not been confirmed. Nidification. Not recorded. Habits. Similar to those of 7. ¢. cachinnans. (168) Trochalopterum jerdoni fairbanki. Tun Travancors Lavcuine-THRUSH. Trochalopterum fairbanki Blanf. J. A.S.B., xxvii, 2, p. 175 (1868) (Palni Hills); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 99. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the Banasore Laughing-Thrush in having the forehead, crown and nape black or nearly so; the chin and cheeks ashy-grey instead of black and the lower parts a much brighter rufous. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark red or red-brown (Fairbank). Measurements, Length about 225 to 230 mm. ; wing about 87 to 90 mm.; tail about 92 to 95 mm.; tarsus about 32mm.; culmen about 20 mm. Distribution. The Palni and Annamulli Hills in 8. Travancore. Nidification. Fairbank took the nest of this bird at Kodai- kanal in the Palni Hills in May, and I have received three clutches from the collection of the late Rev. Howard Campbell as cachinnans, taken at the same place’and evidently those of fairbanki. They were taken in February, April and May, and are indistinguishable from those of the former Laughing-Thrush. They measure about 25°8 x 19°3 mm. ‘ Habits. Similar.to those of cachinnans. This Laughing-Thrush is found from 3,000 up to 7,000 feet or rather higher. (169) Trochalopterum jerdoni meridionale. Buanrorp’s LavcHine-THRvusu. Trochalpteron meridionale Blanf., Hume, S. F., vii, p.°36 (Travancore) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 100.” » Vil, p (1878) Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the Banasore Laughing-Thrush in having a much shorter white supercilium with no black lines TROCHALOPTERUM. 179 above it. The lores and whole crown to nape are dusky brown ; the chin is nearly white and the centre of the abdomen also is white. Colours of soft parts. Iris dark red; bill black; legs dusky (Bourdillon). Measurements about the same as fuirbanki. Distribution. North Travancore; there are specimens in the British Museum trom Chinnipanni, the Patnas, Mynall and the Tinnevally boundary, and Mr. J. Stewart obtained it at the Autchincoil Gap on the Ghats. Nidification. Mr. J. Stewart appears to be the only collector who has seen the nest of this bird. He describes it as just like most nests of cachinnans; it was taken at about 3,000 feet. The eggs are more Thrush-like than are those of any other of the South {ndian Laughing-Thrushes, and might be matched in colour by many eggs of Merula simillima. The ground-colour is a very pale blue-green, and the markings consist of rather numerous blotches, smears and spots of reddish brown, mostly on the larger end, where in one egg they form a dense ring. The three eggs average about 25°5 x 19°1 mm. Texpect these eggs are somewhat abnormal in coloration. Habits. Those of the preceding bird. (170) Trochalopterum virgatum. Tus Manipur Srreaxrp Lavenine-THRUSH. Trochalopteron virgatum Godw.-Aust., P. Z.S., 1874, p. 46 (Razami, Naga Hills); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 100. Vernacular names. Dao-phéré (Cachari), Description. Point of the forehead and a long supercilium extending to the nape white; lores ferruginous; cheeks, lower part of ear-coverts and under the eye fulvous-white; upper part of ear-coverts ferruginous, with pale shaft-streaks; crown, nape, mantle, lesser wing-coverts and sides of the neck reddish brown, with very white shafts; lower back, scapulars, rump and upper tail-coverts ashy-brown, with white shafts; tail olive-brown, dis- tinctly cross-rayed ; the outer feathers tipped with white; greater wing-coverts chestnut, with white shafts and tips ; primary-coverts pale rufous, with white shafts and brown tips; winglet deep ashy, with the outer webs white along the shafts; wings ashy; the middle feathers washed with chestnut and the inner secondaries edged with paler ashy; chin and throat deep chestnut, shading off into yellowish-buff on the remainder of the lower plumage, all the feathers with white shafts. Colours of soft parts. Legs and feet pale horny or fleshy, the soles paler and more yellow ; bill dark brown, paler at the gape; iris hazel-brown ; orbital skin dusky plumbeous. Measurements. Length about 250 mm.; wing 85 to 89 mm.; n2 180 TIMALIIDA, tail about 110 to 115mm.; tarsus about 31 mm,; culmen about 17mm. Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra, Manipur, Lushai and Chin Hills, Nidification. This Laughing-Thrush breeds throughout its range between 3,000 and 8,000 feet, making a deep, compact, cup-shaped nest of leaves, roots, bamboo leaves and grass, and always with more or fewer tendrils and a little moss. The lining is of roots and moss roots or fern-rachides, and the inner cup usually measures about 4 in. x 2°75 in. or less and the outer about 6in.x5in. Most nests are placed close to the ground in dense tangles of creepers and vines or tlick bushes, but they sometimes select higher bushes or small saplings for nesting purposes. Eges may be found from May to July. These are either two or three in number and are a pale unspotted blue with a soft satiny texture, almost glossless though intensely smooth. 100 eggs average 26°0 x 19-2 mm. Habits. his is not a gregarious bird and I have generally seen it in pairs only, nor is it as noisy as most of its relations though it has some quite sweet conversational and cuall-notes. It keeps almost entirely to thick undergrowth of forests or to the ground itself in bracken and brambles. Those I examined had fed on insects only, chiefly a small grasshopper and a very odoriferous little bug, but doubtless they also eat seeds. They are found up to 8,000 feet or over and never descend below some 3,000 feet. Trochalopterum lineatum. Key to Subspecies. A. Head and mantle ashy with dusky streaks. a, Lower plumage rufescent. a'. Grey margins to feathers narrow .. T. /. lineatum, p. 180. 6’. Grey margins to feathers broad .... 1. 1. griseicentior, p. 181. 6. Lower plumage paler and more grey. ce', Ear-coverts chestnut.............. T. 1, gilgit, p. 182. d', Ear-coverts pale rusty ............ T. l. ziaratensis, p. 182. B. Head and mantle reddish brown with glistening black shaft-stripes ........ f. 1. imbricatum, p. 183, (171) Trochalopterum lineatum lineatum, Tun Nepavess StREAKED LaucHING-THRUSH, Cinclosoma lineatum Vigors, P. Z. 8., 1881, p. 56 (Nepal). Trochalopterum lineatum. Blanf. & Oates, 1, p. 101. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown, nape and mantle dark ashy streaked with dusky, the shafts black; lower back and wing- coverts reddish brown, the shafts white ; rump and upper tail- TROCHALOPTERUM. 181 coverts plain ashy; tail marked with rafous, cross-rayed, with a subterminal black band and grey tips: wings chiefly rufous on the outer webs, the inner secondaries edged with grey; lores and a ring round the eye mingled white and grey ; cheeks, ear-coverts and an indistinct supercilium castaneous; chin, throat, breast and upper abdomen chestnut, all the feathers with ashy margins and those of the breast with glistening white shafts ; lower abdomen, Hanks and under tail-coverts ashy-brown. Colours of soft parts. Bill dusky, the base of the lower mandible greyish or brownish-horny ; iris brown or reddish brown ; feet fleshy-brown, claws livid horny. Measurements. Length about 200 to 210 inm.; wing 74 to 77 mm.; tail about 90 mm.; tarsus about 27 mm.; culmen 18'5 to 20°38 mm. Distribution. Nepal, Sikkim. Nidification and Habits similar to those of the better known form, next described. Leggs taken in Native Sikkim aud Darjeeling average about 26-0 x 18°8 nm. (172) Trochalopterum lineatum griseicentior. Tus Stmua Srreakep Lauvcuine-Turvusu. Tanthocincla lineatum griseicentior Iartert, Vig. Pal., i, p. 636 (1910) (Simla). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. A paler bird than the preceding, both above and below, with much broader grey edges to the feathers of the under- parts. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in 7’. J. /ineutun:. Distribution. Garhwal, Kumaon, Simla and 8. Kashmir. Nidification, The Simla Streaked Laughing-Thrush breeds in great numbers throughout its range between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. The breeding seasou is very extended and eggs have been taken in every month from March to September, though probably those Jaid in July to September are second broods. The nests are made of dry grass, leaves, smal] pliant twigs and stems of plants, scraps of bracken and roots and they are lined with either roots or grass stems, generally the latter. They are bulky nests measuring roughly anything from 6" to 10” in outward diameter by some 3” to 5" in depth, the egg-cavity being about 3x 23" or rather more. It is placed either in some thick bush in undergrowth or ona branch low down in a big tree, the Deodar being a special favourite aud, though so big a nest, is always well concealed. The normal full clutch of eggs is three, rarely four and not seldom two only. They are unspotted blue-green in colour and have a smooth satiny surface with but little gloss. 100 eggs average 25°56 x 18-4 mm. 182 TIMALIIDA, Habits, This Langhing-Thrush is one of the most common birds about nearly all our North-West hill-stations in every kind of forest and jungle where there is sufficient undergrowth. It wanders about in pairs or small parties of four or five, constantly chattering and calling but, though not shy or wild, keeping much out of view in the thick undergrowth, where it hunts for seeds and insects. It is loth to take to flight but when forced to do so, the flock takes wing one by one, fluttering feebly to the next piece of cover much in the same way as do the birds of the genera Argya and Turdoides, ; (178) Trochalopterum lineatum gilgit. Tur Ginger Srreaxkep Lavauine-Turvusit. Tanthocincla lineatum gilgit Harteit, Vig. Pal., i, p. 636 (1910) (Gilgit). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. This race is still paler than the last and more grey, less rufous, in tint both on the upper and lower plumage. Distribution. Gilgit, Chitral and N. Kashmir. Nidification and Habits similar to those of the last bird. Two clutches of eggs average 24:9 x 18-5 mm. (174) Trochalopterum lineatum ziaratensis. THe BaLvuonistan STREAKED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Lanthocincla lineatum xziaratensis Ticehurst, Bull. B. O. C., xli, p. 55 (1920) (Ziarat). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from “J. 0. gilgit in having much paler rusty, not chestnut, ear-coverts; grey, not olive-brown, rump and tail- coverts, and grey, not grey-brown, belly; the markings on the breast paler and yellower, not red-brown; the golden-brown edges to the wings and tail are also somewhat paler. It lacks the white-ticked throat which J. 1. gilgit has.” Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in ZY. J. lineatum. Nidification. Two eggs from Quetta measure 26-1 x 18-7 mm. The nest was said to have been placed in scrub growing in a ravine on an otherwise bare and stony hill. Habits. Apparently is often found in the low scrub-jungle which grows here and there in the ravines in the hills, as well as in the better wooded parts. TROCHALOPTERUM. 183 (175) Trochalopterum lineatum imbricatum. Tau Buuran Streakep LaveHine-THRUSH. Garrulax imbricatus Blyth, J. A.8. B., xii, p. 951 (1848) (Bhutan). Trochalopterum imbricatum. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 102. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from the other three races in having the head, neck and mantle concolorous with the rest of the body, the shafts black and glistening ; the lores, supercilium and sides of the head greyish-browu with white shafts. Colours of soft parts not recorded. Measurements as in 7’. 1. lineatum. Distribution. Bhutan only. Nidification and Habits unknown. (176) Trochalopterum henrici. Prince Henry’s LaucHine-THRUSH. Trochalopterum henrici Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat., (7) xii, p. 274 (1891) (Tibet). Vernacular names. Jorno = the lady (Tibet). Description. Upper parts and wing-coverts dark olive-brown, the crown slightly darker; lores and a line through the eye and ear-coverts dark chocolate; quills blackish edged with lavender- grey; tail blackish brown, broadly tipped with white; a broad white stripe through the cheeks; a small white supercilium ; below the same colour as above, but paler and the flanks and under tail- coverts chestnut-red. Colours of soft parts. Bill and legs dark plumbeous; iris crimson. Measurements. Total length about 270 to 280 mm.; wing 110 to 115 mm. ; tail about 150 mm. ; culmen about 22 mm.; tarsus about 37 mm. Distribution. Tibet, and it has been obtained by Col. ¥. M. Bailey at Shoaka, 9,000 feet, in the Mishmi Hills. Nidification unknown. Habits. “It is found in the same poplar and alder bushes as the Babax, but also comes up quite close to the villages. It has the characteristic habits of a Babbler to a marked degree, roves about in parties of eight or more individuals, chatters most noisily, uttering its fluty call of ‘ Whoh-hee Whoh-hee,’ is always on the move, scampering along the branches, seldom showing itself, and flying very low across a clearance to the next cover.” (Waddell), 184 TIMALIID E. Genus GRAMMATOPTILA Reichnb., 1850. The genus Grammatoptila contains but one species, which may be recognized by its stout, deep and short bill, striated plumage and by the long frontal hairs which reach over the nostrils. It is in habits and nidification near Trochalopterum, and seems to form a link between the true Laughing-Thrushes and the birds of the genera Turdoides and Argya. There are two geographical races. Grammatoptila striata. Key to Subspecies. A. Feathers of crest not streaked with white ; no brown bands on sides of crown .... GQ. striata striata, p. 184, B. Feathers of crest streaked with white; a brown band on either side of crown.... G. s. austent, p. 185. (177) Grammatoptila striata striata. Tua SrriateD Lavcuine-Turvusn. Garrulus striatus Vigors, P.Z.S., 1830, p. 7 (Himalayas, Naini-Tal), Grammatoptila striata. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 108. Vernacular names. Nampiok-pho (Lepcha) ; Kopiam (Bhut.). Description. Whole upper plumage, sides of head and neck, chin and throat umber-brown, darkest on the crown, shading off Fig. 30.—Head of G. ». striata. into pale brown on the lower plumage; every feather of the whole plumage including inner secondaries but not other quills, with a long median white streak, the streaks larger but less defined on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; quills dark brown, the outer webs of the first few primaries hoary, of the others pale chestnut ; tail chestnut, the outer feathers with a minute white tip, Colours of soft parts. Iris lake or reddish brown; bill black ; legs dull slate or slaty-brown. = Measurements. Length about 300 to 310 mm.; wing about: 140 to 150 mm.; tail about 132 to 1386 mm.; tarsus about 42 mm. ; culmen about 25 mm, Distribution. Himalayas from the Sutlej Valley to Bhutan. GRAMMATOPTILA. 185 Nidification. The Striated Laughing-Thrush breeds throughout its range at heights varying between 3,500 and 7,000 feet, but is not often found nesting below 4,500 feet. The nest is a large, rather deep cup, about 9 to 10 inches in diameter by some 4 to 5 deep and is composed largely of moss with grass, leaves, roots and tendrils mixed and a compact lining of roots. It is generally placed some 6 to 12 feet up in small saplings and other trees. The eggs are almost invariably two in number and are long ovals of pale blue, in nearly every case spotless, but rarely with a few tiny specks of blackish or reddish. They average about 33°8 x 23°2 mm. This is a very favourite fosterer for the Red-winged Cuckoo (C. coromandus). The breeding season lasts from April to July. Habits. This bird is a true Laughing-Thrush in its habits but is more arboreal than most, frequenting both bush and the lower trees alike. It is found in pairs and small parties and is very loquacious, some of its notes being likened by Jerdon to those of a hen which has laid an egg. It feeds on insects and fruit and seeds, the latter to a greater extent than most of the family. (178) Grammatoptila striata austeni. Avusten’s Striatep LAvGHiING-THRusH. Grammatoptila austeni Oates, Avifauna B. L, i, p. 104 (1889) (Dafla Hills). Vernacular names. Daopa (Cachari). Description. Differs from the preceding bird in having two broad dark coronal bands meeting on the nape; no shaft-stripes on the crown, and those elsewhere narrower but better defined. Colours of soft parts. Iris red-brown to dark red; legs and feet pale slaty-grey, soles yellowish; bill dark slaty-brown or “ bluish-horny ” (Stevens). Measurements as in G. striata striata. Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra as far east as Margherita. Stevens procured this form on the eastern water- shed of the Sabansiri River, and Falkiner and Kemp both procured it on the Mishmi Expedition, so that it appears to work round the head-waters of the Brahmaputra, Dibong and Dihong as far west as this river. Nidification. I found this bird breeding freely above 4,500 feet in the Khasia Hills and more rarely so in the N.Cachar Hills. Nest and eggs like those of the last bird, but I have never seen any egg marked at all. Twenty eggs average about 31:5 x 23°5 mm. Habits. Frequents pine-woods as well as other forest, providéd there is any undergrowth ; otherwise its habits are like those of G. s. striata. 186 TIMALIIDA, Genus STACTOCICHLA Sharpe, 1883. This genus contains a single species, a brown bird with a spotted breast extremely Thrush-like in appearance. The bill is long and slender, the tail and wing about equal iu length, the latter short and rounded as usual. A new form of this species has recently been described from Aunam *. (179) Stactocichla merulina merulina. Tur SPOTTED-BREASTED LAUGHING-THRUSH. Garrufax merulinus Blyth, J. A. S.B., xx, p. 521 (1651) (Manipur). Stactocichla merulina, Blanford & Oates, i, p. 104. Vernacular names. Moh mepeh (Angami Naga). Description. A narrow white streak above the ear-coverts ; forehead mottled with grey; remainder of upper plumage, exposed parts of wings and tail rufescent olive-brown ; chin, throat and breast yellowish buff, broadly streaked with oval black stripes ; centre of abdomen the same colour unstriped; flanks rufescent olive-brown ; under tail-coverts bright ochraceous. Colours of soft parts. Iris pale yellowish or pinkish, brown in young birds ; legs and feet pale to dark brown, the soles paler and claws darker; bill dark hornysbrown, black at tip and on culmen, greyish on lower mandible. Measurements. Length about 260 to 270 mm.; wing 93 to 99 mm.; tail about 96 mm.; tarsus about 40 mm.; culmen about 24 mm. Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra South to Manipur and Lushat, East ‘to Lakhimpur. Nidification. Breeds above 3,500 feet from April to July, but principally in the end of June, both in bamboo-jungle and in forest. In the former the nest is made almost entirely of bamboo leaves, mixed with grass, moss, roots, etc., and lined with roots; when placed in forest the major part of the materials is moss mixed with dead leaves, roots, tendrils, etc., and lined with moss and fern roots. In shape a hemispherical cup, it is generally placed close to the ground either in a bamboo clump or a dense bush, more seldom in a high bush or small sapling. The eggs, two or three in number, are large replicas of those of Trochalopterum virgatum, a shade darker, perhaps, but of the same shape and texture. 50 eggs average 28°7 x 21:7 mn. Habits. Although so aberrant in appearance, this is a true Laughing-Thrush in its habits; very gregarious, it is found in flocks of ten to twenty individuals; very noisy, it possesses a wide range of very beautiful notes as well as many others less pleasing ; a terrible skulker, it is one of the hardest birds to watch or procure. * Robinson & Kloss, Ibis, 1919, p. 577 (S. Annam), BABAX, 187 In Manipur Hume found them frequenting secondary growth in deserted clearings, but in N.Cachar they preferred deep, wet torest with an undergrowth of bracken, caladiums, jasmine and rasp- berries, which grew in dense matted profusion everywhere. In bamboo-jungle they were easier to watch, and 1 often saw them hopping about feeding among the fallen leaves, but any movement drove them off at once and they took to wing and flew better than most of their nearest relations. Genus BABAX David, 1876. The Babblers of this genus form a connecting-link between Trochalopterum and the genera already dealt with and Argy« and Turdoides, being on the whole nearer the latter than the former group. ‘lhe wing is short and rounded, the tail long and much graduated. The bill is rather slender, slightly curved, and in length about equal to, or longer than, hind toe and claw to- gether. The rictal bristles are strong and of considerable length, and the oval, exposed nostrils are overhung by numerous hairs. There are several species of this genus found on the borders of the Indian Empire, of which three enter our limits, whilst others may possibly be found to do so in extreme Northern Burma when the ornithology of that country is better known. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Plumage boldly striped above and below. a, Wing under 110 mm. ; plumage rufescent. f- 187. a’. Throat immaculate buffy white ...... B. 1. lanceolatus, b’. Throat white with black shafts to the fOBtHOTG 3.5. <2-e-csaidiesacachat maw ave aeons B. 1. victoria, p. 188. 6. Wing over 110 mm.; plumage grey...... B. waddelli, p. 189. B. Plumage rufous above and below, stripes absent or obsolete ....... i doafide Banca. aeons B. koslowi, p. 189. (180) Babax lanceolatus lanceolatus. Tus CHINESE BaBax. Pterorhinus lanceolatus Verr.. Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris, vi, p. 36 (1871) (Chinese Tibet). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Crown bright rufous-brown with dark centres to the feathers; remainder of upper plumage and_ wing-coverts darker rufescent brown, each feather broadly edged with pale fulvous grey, white on sides of neck, almost so on nape and darkest on rump; upper tail-coverts grey with obsolete concealed dark centres; tail rufous-brown, duller than crown; lores and forehead fulvous, the latter merging into the crown; ear-coverts striped white and brown; a broad moustachial streak varying from chestnut to almost black; chin, throat and upper breast 188 TIMALIID A. fulvous white, 2 few indistinct dark stria on the latter; sides of breast and flanks pale fulvous with broad brown and chestnut streaks, disappearing on the abdomen and centre of breast ; under tail-coverts and thighs earthy-brown. Colours of soft parts. Iris white to bright orange; bill horn- coloured; legs paler horny-brown. Measurements. Wing 93 to115 mm.; tail 125 to 140 mm.; tarsus about 38 mm.; culmen 27 to 28mm. The largest and smallest birds come from the same place. Hartert gives the wing up to 110 mm. Distribution. I cannot distinguish between Janceolatus, yun- nanensis and bonvaloti; the range therefore of this Babax is E. Tibet, W. China, Yunnan, Kachin Hills and N. Shan States. Nidification. This bird was found breeding by Harington, Pershouse and others in the Bhamo Hills between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, making a cup-shaped nest of dead leaves, grass, bits of bracken, etc., lined with roots and placed in low bushes in thin scrub-jungle or mixed bracken and bush. The breeding season appears to be April to June. The eggs number from two to four, generally three, and are rather long, pointed ovals in shape, rather dark spotless blue in colour, and with a fine, close texture and surface but no gloss. 15 eggs average about 27:3 x 20°3 mm. Habits. This Babax is said to haunt thin scattered forest or “the more open hillsides, which are covered with bracken and bramble bushes, and never enters the dense secondary growth which springs up after cultivation” (Harington). They go about either in pairs or small parties and keep up a continuous flow of soft and musical notes, varied occasionally by a harsher outburst. They are no better fliers than the rest of the family, and are equally strong aud active on their legs. (181) Babax lanceolatus victorie. Tas Mount Victoria BaBax. Babaz victoria Rippon, Bull. B. O. C., xv, p. 97 (1905) (Mt. Victoria, Chin Hills). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Differs from lanceolatus in having the throat and upper breast a purer wifite and the black shaft-stripes extending right up to the chin, whereas in typical lanceolatus there are no stripes on chin or throat and often not on the upper breast. In this bird also the moustachial stripe is very black and broad. Colours of soft parts. “‘Irides yellow; bill dark horny; legs and feet lighter” (Rippon). Measurements. Wing 100 mm.; tail 140 mm.; tarsus 35 mm. ; culmen 25 mm. BABAX. 189 Distribution. Chin Hills. Nidification. Nests taken by Venning and Grant in the Chin Hills are described as open cups made of dead leaves and coarse grass stems lined with roots and placed in low thorny bushes on open hillsides or near swamps. They were found in April and May, and contained from two to three eggs similar to those of the preceding subspecies and measuring about 27-5 x 20-4 mm. Habits. This Babax is found from 5,000 to at least 9,000 feet, haunting the same kind of country as the last bird, which it closely resembles in all its habits. (182) Babax waddelli. Tung Giant Triper BaBax. Babax waddelli Dresser, P. Z. S., 1905, i, p. 54 (Tsang po, Tibet). Vernacular names. Sorio, T'eh-teh (Tibet); Ayw-mo (Gyantse, Tibet). Description. Whole plumage ashy-grey; above with broad streaks of blackish brown edged with dull chestnut ; below with narrower streaks but with the chestnut brighter ; centre of belly, vent, under tail-coverts and thighs cinereous ashy without stripes; on the ear-coverts the central marks are obsolete, but on the cheeks form a broad, black moustachial stripe. Colours of soft parts. Iris yellow; bill black; legs dark brown. Measurements. Wing 132 to 140 mm.; tail 148 to 160 mm. ; tarsus 40 to 43 mm.; culmen 33 to 37 mm. Distribution. South Tibet and the extreme north-east of Sikkim *, Nidification. The Giant Babax breeds freely in South Tibet from 11,000 to 14,000 feet, or higher, during May, June and July, a few odd birds breeding both earlier and later. The nest is a large, rather rough cup of grass, dead leaves, fern fronds, roots, wool, etc., lined with finer roots and fern stems or fine grass. It measures externally some 7 inches in diameter by 3 to 4 deep, and has an internal cup of about 4” by 2” or rather less. It is placed low down in the small thorny bushes which cover parts of the Tibetan plateaus or in willow-trees and small saplings. The eggs are two or three in number and similar to those of the last but averaging about 33-1 x 21-6 mm. Habits. This is a very common Babax over the greater portion of South Tibet, going about in small parties of five or six birds and having all the habits of the true Laughing-Thrushes. They are great skulkers, keeping much to the ground or to the lower bushes and scrub, and though they come close to dwelling-houses, * Babax koslowi, an all rufous bird with obsolete streaks only, is found on the Mekong watershed and is sure to enter parts of N. Burma, & 190 TIMALIUDA, they seldom show themselves. Their food is chiefly, perhaps wholly, insectivorous, and their call is said to consist of two harsh notes, rapidly repeated. Genus TURDOIDES Cretzschmar, 1826. This genus contains the well-known Babblers called ‘ The Seven Sisters” over so great a part of India. Unfortunately we cannot employ either Crateropus or Malacocercus as a name for the genus, and it must now be known as Turdoides, It differs from the True Laughing-Thrushes of the preceding genera in having the covering membrane of the nostrils more or Jess covered by plumes, though they have no overhanging hairs. The rictal bristles are short and stout and the feathers of the forehead short, firm and close. The tail is about the same in length as the wing and well graduated, the outermost pair being about two-thirds the length of the central feathers. The wing is short and rounded, the third or fourth primary being the longest. There are two species which call for remark in this genus, Turdoides rufescens and Turdoides cinereifrons, The former, the Ceylon Babbler, is supposed to differ in having the feathers of the forehead bare at the tips and spinous ; it has accordingly been generically separated with Argya subrufa as Layardia. The differ- ence seems to me very minute, sometimes hardly visible, and does not constitute sufficient cause for removal to another genus. The other characteristic, referred to by Harington, is the more slender, wholly black bill, but the difference between this and the shorter yellow bill of others is bridged over by the intermediate yellow and black bill of Argya subrufa. The second bird, the Ashy-headed Babbler, differs only from typical Zurdoides in having a longer bill, culoured black instead of pale yellow or white as in the other species. There does not appear to be any other difference, and though when first seen the bird appears to be nearer Garrulaw or Dryonastes than T'urdoides, T can see no suftficient reason for instituting a new genus for it. Its habits and nidification may assist when these are known. Key to Species and Subspecies. A. Throat ashy, mottled with pale brown ; breast ashy-fulvous. a. Upper plumage paler with very in- distinct shaft-streaks .......... T. terrioolor terricolor, p.191. 6. Upper plumage darker and browner _ with distinct shaft-streake ...... T. t. malabaricus, p. 192. c. Paler and more grey everywhere, with shaft-streaks cbsolete ...... T. t. sindianus, p. 198. B. Throat and breast dark brown or black with ashy margins. d. Tail ashy and brown; primaries edged paler. TURDOIDES. 191 a’, Far-coverts blackish and darker than the rest of the head...... T. griseus griseus, p. 193, b'. Kar-coverts same as the rest of the head........... ceca eee T. g. striatus, p. 194. e. Tail rufous; primaries without pale edges. c', Throat and breast mottled with brown..... mesg apes eased essai T. somervillei, p. 194. ©. Throat and breast uniformly rufous.. 7. rufescens, p. 195. D. Throat pale rufous, breast dark rufous. 7. cinereifrons, p. 196. (183) Turdoides terricolor terricolor. Tus Bengal JUNGLE-BABBLER. Pastor terricolor Hodgs., J. A. S. B., v, p. 771 (1836) (Nepal). Crateropus cunorus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 110. Vernacular names, Chatarhia (Beng.); Pengya-maina (Hind. in the U.P.) ; Sat Bhai, Jangli-khyr, Ghonghai (Hind.); Pedda-Sida (Tel.) ; Kutch-batchia (Behar). Description. Upper plumage, coverts and inner secondaries pale brown, cinereous on the head and rump, slightly fulvous on Fig, 31.—Head of T. ¢, terricolor. the upper tail-coverts, the back with dark brown streaks and whitish shaft-stripes; tail brown, paler towards the base and darker towards the end, which is tipped with white and cross-rayed ; wings dark brown, edged with ashy on the outer webs; lores whitish with a narrow black line above them; sides of the head like the crown; chin and throat cinereous, faintly cross-barred darker; breast fulvous ashy with whitish shafts; abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts fulvous; the sides tinged with brown and with faint white shafts. Colours of soft parts. [ris white, yellowish white or creamy white; orbital skin pale yellow ; legs and claws yellow, chrome- yellow, fleshy-yellow or yellowish white; bill chrome-yellow, yellowish white, dirty whitish or, rarely, pale horny-yellow. Measurements. Length 250 to 260 mm.; wing 103 to 110 mm. ; tail 108 to 115 mm.; tarsus about 32 to 34 mm.; culmen about 25 to 26 mm. Distribution. Northern India from the U.P., Eastern Rajpn- 192 TIMALIIDZ. tana te Bengal, south to Orissa, across to about the latitude of Bombay. Nidification. The Jungle-Babbler breeds principally in June and July after the break of the monsoon, but odd nests with eggs may be found any time from March to September. They are built of grass, leaves, roots, etc., carelessly bound together with weeds, twigs and tendrils, and lined with grass or roots, and they may be placed in any kind of bush or tree at heights of a few inches only to 30 feet from the ground. The usual number of eggs is four, but Inglis has taken seven from the same nest, all apparently Turdoides eggs, and not those of the Common Hawk- Cuckoo or Pied Cuckoo, both of which victimize this Babbler very freely. It is sometimes difficult to tell the Cuckoos’ eggs from those of their fosterers, but as a rule they are much less glossy, a softer, more satiny texture and more elliptical in shape. ‘The Babblers’ eggs are typically a deep Hedge-sparrow blue, intensely glossy, and 100 eggs average about 25°2 x 19°6 mm. Habits. The ‘ Seven Sisters” have obtained this name from the fact that they go about in flocks of six to a dozen, but very frequently numbering exactly seven, and their sisterhood or brotherhood they show by the manner in which each individual resents any interference from outside to any of the party yet retains full liberty to argue, disagree and fight with any one or all of the other six. They are noisy, hysterical and active birds so Jong as they are not forced to fly, and anything out of the common at once attracts their attention and calls forth a babel of comment and assertion which rises crescendo until something else diverts them. Their excitement seems to be equally intense and vuluble whether caused by some mere insect or by the murder of one of their party by a Hawk. They may be scattered at the moment, but within a second or two all have taken a few pro- digious hops and have collected together either to discuss the object of interest or to defend the member in danger. They are very brave birds, and when attacked throw themselves on their back and fight with bill and claws, whilst their comrades throw themselves with fury on the assailant, whether cat, hawk or some smaller vermin. They seem to prefer the vicinity of humanity to the wilds, but are found over their whole range where the country is sufficiently, yet not too, densely wooded. (184) Turdoides terricolor malabaricus. Tur SouTHERN JUNGLE-BABBLER. Malacocercus malabaricus Jerd., B. of I.,ii, p. 62 (1877) (Malabar). Vernacular names. Pedda sida (Tel.). Description. Differs from the northern bird in being very much darker both above and below, most noticeably so on the TURDOIDES, 193 chin, throat, breast and flanks. The darker edging to the feathers also show up the ceutral pale streaks more vividly. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the last. Distribution. India South of the habitat of 7’. t. terricolor. Nidification and Habits similar to those of. the Northern Babbler. Twenty eggs average about 23-8 x 18°6 mm. (185) Turdoides terricolor sindianus. Tue Sinp JUNGLE-BABBLER. Turdoides terricolor sindianus Ticehurst, Bull. B. O. C., xl, p. 156 (1920) (Karachi, Sind). Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Similar to terricolor but paler, upper parts greyer and with the dark streaks ill-defined or obsolete; throat paler dusky grey; belly paler cream-colour. Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the other two races. Distribution. Sind, Western Rajputana (Mt. Aboo) and Punjab. Nidification. Breeds in Sind in July and in the Punjab in- April, May and June and apparently again in September. Twenty-one eges average 24:1 x 17:9 mm. Habits. Those of the species. (186) Turdoides griseus griseus. THe WHITE-HEADED BaBBLer. Turdus griseus Gmel., Syst. Nat., i, p. 824 (1788) (Carnatic). Crateropus griseus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 112. Vernacular names. Khyr (Hindi) ; Chinda or Sida and Kalli- Karavi (Tel.). Description. Whole upper part of head dingy greyish white ; cheeks and ear-coverts brown; upper plumage ashy-brown, the feathers of the back with white shaft-stripes and a black streak on either web; quills black, narrowly edged on the outer webs with ashy; tail ashy-brown on the basal and dark brown on the terminal half, which is tipped with whitish; tail and inner secondaries cross-rayed with blackish; chin, throgt and breast dull blackish, the feathers edged ashy; middle of abdomen fulvous; remainder of lower plumage brown. The colour of the head varies greatly ; in some specimens, obviously young, the head hardly differs from the back, and it varies from this colour to a dirty or creamy white. Here and there very pale individuals are met with which have a strong erythristic tendency both above and below, two such from ‘Travancore having bright rust-red patches on the back and breast ; VOL. I. ce) 194 TIMALIIDE. a third from Mysore and yet another from the Wynaad show similar but less red markings. Colours of soft parts. Iris creamy or yellowish white; orbital skin, bill, legs and feet yellowish white to almost chrome-yellow. Measurements. Length about 230 to 235 mm.; wing about 98 to 104 mm.; tail about 100 mm. ; tarsus about 32 mm. ; culmen about 17 mm. Distribution. Southern India up to a line from Ellore, Secun- derabad and Belgaum. Nidification. Breeds all over South India in the plains and lower hills up to some 2,000 feet, having two broods, the first in April to June and the second in September to November, odd birds laying at other times throughout the year. Nest and eggs are typical of the genus, the latter numbering three or four, whilst sixty eggs average 24:0 x 18°83 mm. Habits. Those of the genus. (187) Turdoides griseus striatus. Tur Cryton BaBBLER. Malacocercus striatus Swains., Zool. Ill., p. 127 (1831) (Ceylon). Crateropus griseus. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 112. Vernacular names. Demelitcha (Ceylon); Punil (Tam.). Description. The Ceylon Babbler differs from 7. g. griseus in having the head concolorous with the back; the dark and light streaks to the back are less well-defined. Colours of soft parts as in the White-headed Babbler. Measurements. Wing about 110 mm. Distribution. Ceylon only. Individuals are obtained in South India which approach this race in colour, but they are all, possibly, young birds and should be referred to the former rather than to the present race. Nidification. This Babbler breeds in great: numbers in parts of Ceylon, laying normally three eggs, often only two and very rarely four. Neither nest nor eggs can be distinguished from those ot 1. g. griseus, and a fine series of fifty eggs collected for me by Messrs. W. E. Wait and W. W. A. Phillips average 23°8x 18:4 mm. Habits. Those of the genus. (188) Turdoides somervillei. Ture Bombay BaBsrrr. Timalia somerville: Sykes, P. Z.S., 1832, p. 88 (Bombay). Crateropus somervillit, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 113, Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and nape dark brown, the feathers TURDOIDES. 195 with narrow pale edges; lores white; sides of the head and neck, back, wing-coverts and inner secondaries paler brown tinged with rufous, the feathers of the back with white shafts; rump and upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail reddish brown, both tail and inuer secondaries cross-rayed with blackish ; primaries and outer secondaries black; chin and throat dark brown, each feather with a broad ashy margin; breast brown with broad white shaft- streaks ; abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts deep ferruginous ; tail tipped paler below. Colours of soft parts. Iris creamy or yellowish white; orbital skin pale yellow ; bill, legs and feet pale yellow or fleshy-yellow. Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing 97 to 105 mm.; tail about 100 mm.; tarsus about 32 mm.; culmen about 20 to 21 mm. This species is easily distinguished from all others by its rufous rump and tail and deep ferruginous lower parts. Distribution. Travancore to Bombay along the West Coast. Nidification. This Babbler breeds throughout its range in practically every month of the year. The nest is made of grass, occasionally mixed with grass-roots, fine twigs, etc., and lined with fine roots or grass-stems. It is placed in a bush or small tree, very often in date-palms. The eggs which number two or three, very rarely four, are of the usual glossy deep blue and thirty-six average about 24:2 x 19-5 mm. Habits. Those of the genus. (189) Turdoides rufescens. Tur CEYLONESE BABBLER. Malacocercus rufescens Blyth, J. A. 8. B., xvi, p. 453 (1847) (Ceylon). Crateropus rufescens. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 114, Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Whole upper plumage and exposed parts of wings rufous-brown; lower plumage ferruginous, browner on fianks, vent and under tail-coverts ; tail faintly cross-rayed. Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing about 96 to 104 mm.; tailabout 115 to 120 mm.; tarsus about 32 mm. ; culmen about 19 to 20 mm. Colours of soft parts. Iris white, yellowish white or greenish white ; bill orange-yellow, deepest on the basal half; legs and feet dull chrome-yellow, claws yellowish-horn; orbital skin and eyelid pale greenish yellow (Legge). Distribution. Ceylon, throughout the damper portions. Nidification.’ According to Legge this Babbler breeds in March, April and May, making a nest similar to that of striatus but very carefully concealed. Two eggs taken by Mr. MacVicar at 02" 196 TIMALIID A. Bolgodole measure 24:1x18-0 mm. and 23:°3x17-9 mm. Two taken for me by Mr. W. A. T. Kellow measure 24-2 x 18:1 mm. and 240x178 mm. They cannot be distinguished from those © of striatus. Habits. The Ceylonese Babbler seems to be a bird of the forest and jungle rather than a frequenter of village scrub and open country. Mr. W. Phillips informs me that it is not uncommon in the Matagama district but that it keeps much to forest. (190) Purdoides cinereifrons. Tun ASHY-HEADED BABBLER. Garrulax cinereifrons Blyth, J. A. S. B., xx, p. 176 (1851) (Ceylon). Crateropus cinereifrons. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 114. Vernacular names. None recorded. Description. Forehead, crown and sides of the head cinereous, shading off on the nape into the bright reddish brown which is the colour of the whole upper plumage, tail and visible portions of the wings, except the outer webs of the first few primaries which are paler ; chin whitish ; remainder of lower plumage rufous-brown, darker on the flanks and under tail-coverts. Colours of soft parts. Iris white; eyelid plumbeous; bill black ; inside of mouth greenish yellow ; legs and feet plumbeous brown ; claws dusky-horny (Legge). Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; wing 121 to 128 mm.; tail about 105 to 110 mm.; tarsus 38 mm.; culmen about 20 to 22 mm. Distribution. Ceylon only, up to about 2,500 feet. Nidification. Unknown. Habits. This bird is a typical Babbler in its noisy, gregarious habits, but it is contined to dense forests where it is always damp. and gloomy. Genus ARGYA Lesson, 1831. This genus differs from Turdoides in its longer tail and in its longer, more slender bill. The wing also is not so rounded, the third quill being longest or subequal with the fourth. The tail is longer and more graduated, the outermost feathers being about half the length of the central ones.