522 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRD«. 



Genus PTILOCICHLA Sharpe, 1877. 



Bill moderate in size; culmen from base contained one and one-half 

 times in tarsus; no bristles anywhere about the mouth; wings rounded 

 and short; tarsus and feet stout, the outstretched toes extending to, or 

 beyond, the end of tail; plumage lax and decomposed; feathers of the 

 back long and overhanging the rump. Chin and throat white; breast 

 and abdomen streaked with white. 



Impedes. 



aV Back blackish Ihdwti ; larger; wing, about SO mm.; tail, GO.... falcata (p. 522) 

 o^. Back reddish brown; smaller. 



6'. Shaft-lilies on upper parts less prominent; wing, about 75 mm.; tail, 50. 



c'. Above slightly darker and more reddish brown mindanensis (p. 523) 



cr. Above lighter and slightly olivaceous basilanica (p. 523) 



Ir. Shaft-lines <>n upjier parts more prominent; wing, about 70 mm.; tail, 42. 



minuta ( p. 524 ) 



49f). PTILOCICHLA FALCATA Sharpe. 



PALAWAN GROUND BABBLER. 



Ptilocichla falcata Sharpe, Trans. Linn. See. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 332, 

 pi. 60, fig. 3; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 586; Hand-List (1903), 

 4, 40; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (190G), 81. 



Balabac {Everett) ; Palawan (Steere, Whitehead, Platen, Hteere E.rp., lioums 

 rf Worcester). 



"Adult male. — Top of the head and nape rufous-brown; sides of the 

 forehead and a stripe behind the eye fawn-rufous; lores narrow and 

 white; spot before the eye and ear-coverts ))lack; cheeks and throat 

 white, with a narrow malar streak of blackish ; entire back blackish 

 brown, the feathers broadly centered with fulvous; the feathers of the 

 lower back long, but somewhat sickle-shaped and hanging over on each 

 side, brown or black in color, broadly streaked with white ; wings 

 rufous-brown, the quills internally blackish; tail entirely rufous-brown; 

 under surface of body blackish, the feathers broadly streaked with white 

 down the middle: thighs, under wing-coverts, and under tail-coverts 

 brown, streaked Avith fulvous. Bill yellowish horn-color, the mandible 

 more yellow; feet dark brown. Length. 173 ; eulmen, ?4 ; wing, 81 ; tail. 

 01 : tarsus, 33." (Sharpe.) 



"Not rare in Palawan, but difficult to see, as it is shy and protect- 

 ively colored. It seems to be a very pugnacious biid, and the males can 

 be readily called by imitating their note. They come apparently pre- 

 pared to do battle. \Yo found /'. faJraIn at a height of 760 meters on 

 Mount Pulgar. 



"A male measures: Length, 303; wing, 8G : tail. 70; culmen, 26; 

 tarsus, 33 : middle toe with claw, 39. Iris reddish brown ; legs and feet 

 dark gray; upper mandible l)lack. lower gray: breeding in January." 

 (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



