THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 397 



NAPOTHERA EPILEPIDOTA BAKERI (Harington) 



Shan Streaked-breasted Wren Babbler 



Turdinulus epilepidotus hakeri Harington, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 33, 1913, 

 pp. 44-45 (Na Noi ["near Loimaw," fide Ticehurst, Ibis, 1938, p. 207], South- 

 ern Shan States). 



Turdinulus epilepidotus oakeri, Williamson, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 1918, 

 p. 18 (Muang Wang). — Gyedenstolpe, Ibis, 1920, p. 485 (Muang Wang). — de 

 Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1929, p. 532 (Doi Suthep). 



Nupothera epilepidota oakeri, Deignan, Journ. Siam. Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 

 p. 137 (Doi Suthep) ; 1936, p. 106 (Doi Suthep).— de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. 

 Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 190 (Doi Suthep, Doi Chiang Dao).— Riley, 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 336 (Doi Langka). 



This wren babbler is a not uncommon resident of heavy evergreen 

 jungle (and immediately adjacent areas of open hill-forest) in the dis- 

 tricts west of (and including) the Khun Tan chain, at whatever eleva- 

 tions suitable conditions are found ; while, on such a hill as Doi Suthep, 

 it occurs only from 4,600 to 5,500 feet, at Ban Pang An and Huai Mae 

 Chan it has been taken in evergreen at the very foot of the mountains. 



I found it in pairs or family groups in rather less moist locations 

 than those preferred by Pnoepyga, but showing similarly wrenlike 

 habits — clambering about on fallen trees or turning over dead leaves 

 on the ground, with a constant chur-r-r, chur-r-r. Although difficult 

 to watch beneath the undergrowth and against the dark background 

 of the forest floor, it is, once discovered, quite tolerant of observation 

 and continues its explorations without the least evidence of shyness. 



De Schauensee collected a bird in postjuvenal molt on Doi Suthep, 

 July 16, while I took three examples in the same condition on Doi 

 Ang Ka, between September 2 and 7. A specimen from Doi Suthep, 

 October 26, is in postnuptial molt. 



An adult male had the irides hazel ; the maxilla with the apical half 

 plumbeous, the basal half slaty; the mandible plumbeous; the feet 

 and toes brownish horn ; the claws fleshy horn. 



The adult has the upperparts dark olivaceous-brown, changing to 

 dark rufous-brown on the rump and upper tail coverts, the feathers of 

 the crown and mantle with narrow, indistinct blackish margins, those 

 of the mantle also with distinct brownish-white shaft streaks, the 

 coverts and the secondaries with small, but distinct, white or brownish 

 tips; the lores and a long streak behind the eye blackish, bordered 

 above by a rufous-buff suffused white supercilium, which extends to 

 the side of the nape; the throat and sides of the head white, washed 

 (especially on the latter parts) with rufous-buff; the remaining 

 underparts white, the feathers of the breast and sides with broad, dark 

 olivaceous-brown margins (which, on the lower flanks, restrict the 

 white to a mere streak along the shaft), those of the belly narrowly 



