132 Zoological Society : — 



Orthotomus Bennettii et O. lingoo, Sykes, P. Z. S. (1832) p. ^0, 

 Lafres. Mag. de Zool. (1836) t. 52, 53. Jerdon, Madr. Journ. xi. p. I . 

 Hodgs. Cat. B. Nep. p. 63. 



OrthotomuB rujicapillay Hutton, J. A. S. Beng. ii. p. 504 (1833). 



Orthotomus sphenurusy Swains. 2\ Cent. p. 343 (1838). 



Orthotomus sutorius, v. ruficapilluSy v. sphenuruSy Hodgs. Gray's 

 Zool. Misc. (1844) p. 82. 



Orthotomus sutoria et O. patia, Hodgs. P. Z. S. (1845) p. 29. 



Sutoria agilisy Nicholson, P. Z. S. (1851) p. 194. 



The Indian Tailor Bird. 



Phutkiy of the Hindoos, Jerdon. 



Tuntuni, of the Bengalese, Hamilton, Blyth. 



Patitty or ^^ Leaf Birdy' Nepal, Hodgson. 



Hab. India generally ; Ceylon ; Burmese countries ; Malayan 

 peninsula ? 



This species is too well known to require further description. 



"I%e Tailor Bird is tolerably common in most wooded districts, and 

 universally spread, frequenting cultivated ground, especially gardens, 

 groves of trees, and is also found in high jungle, in the more open 

 spaces. It lives in pairs or in small flocks, incessantly hopping about 

 the branches of trees and shrubs, peas and other vegetables, with a 

 loud reiterated note, and picking various insects (chiefly ants and 

 small larvse) off the bark and leaves, and not unfrequently seeking 

 them on the ground. It has the habit of frequently jerking up its 

 tail while feeding or hopping about, and at times (especially when 

 calling) it has the power of raising the feathers on the lower part of 

 the throat, and displaying on either side a small black stripe. This 

 has been noted by no one except Lieut. Hutton, who states, * it is 

 only seen when the bird is in motion, and wholly disappears when in 

 a state of rest.* It has various notes, one of which sounds like tmee, 

 tweey tweey as mentioned by Col. Sykes, and another which is gene- 

 rally used when alarmed or angry, and sounds like chick, chick, chick, 

 chicky, chick. It is a familiar bird, and ventures close to houses, 

 but when observed becomes wary." — Jerdon. 



Dr. Nicholson says, ** It has a loud, short, and not unmelodious 

 song ; its general cry being * loheet, wheat, wheel y often repeated ; 

 but its alarm cry is like * cheertah, cheertahy cheertah.'' " 



The following are a few observations on the structure of two speci- 

 mens of the nest of the Tailor Bird, found in the garden belonging 

 to Capt. Hearsey, by Lieut. Hutton : "The first was neatly formed 

 of raw cotton and bits of cotton threads, woven strongly together, 

 thickly lined with horse-hair, and supported between two leaves on a 

 twig of the Amaltas tree {Cassia fistula). These two leaves were 

 first placed longitudinally upon each other, and stitched in that posi- 

 tion from the points to rather more than halfway up the sides with 

 a strong thread spun from the raw cotton by the bird, leaving the 

 entrance to the nest at the point where they join the branch of the 

 tree. Both of these leaves were of course green and living. Subse- 

 quently, however, they were blown down by a high wind, and being 

 now withered, the nest appears enclosed between two dead leaves. 



