Mr. Blyth on the Ornithology of Ceylon. 301 



on the crown and bordering the primaries; flanks, abdomen, 

 and lower tail-coverts much the same, but the throat and 

 breast vinaceous-brown. Bill, orbital skin, and feet bright 

 orange-yellow. Irides white. Length about 10 inches; wing 

 4 inches; tail 5 in., its outermost feathers 1*75 in. less; bill to 

 gape 1 inch; tarsi 1*37 in. "Confined to the southern and 

 midland districts, in thick jungle only. In habits it resembles 

 the preceding species ^^ (Layard, torn. cit. p. 271). 



19. PoMATOKHiNUs MELANURus, Blyth, J.A.S.B. xvi. p. 451. 



Resembles P. horsfieldi of Southern India, but seems always 

 to have a shorter bill, and the colours are more brought out ; 

 the hue of the upper parts is more rufescent, the tail much 

 blacker; and the cap is suffused with blackish mingled with 

 rufescent, but contrasting with the rufescent hue of the rest of 

 the upper parts. The black of the tail affords the readiest 

 distinction. "A few miles from Colombo, on the road to 

 Kandy, in the low, scrubby and almost impenetrable brush- 

 wood, growing on the chenas which had fallen out of cultiva- 

 tion, 1 found these birds in abundance, in small parties of six 

 or eight, their singular churring cry resounding in all direc- 

 tions. I also found it in the Balcadua Pass, and Dr. Kelaart 

 at Nuwera Elia " (Layard, torn. cit. p. 271) . 



20. Pellorneum fuscocaptllum (Blyth), J. A. S. B. xviii. 

 p. 815. 



Upper parts uniform greyish olive-brown, the primaries with 

 paler margins, and the extreme tips of the tail-feathers rufescent ; 

 supercilia, lores, ear-coverts, sides of neck, throat, and entire 

 under parts pale ferruginous-brown, a little deeper on the 

 breast ; coronal feathers dark brown, margined with dusky- 

 black, and pale-shafted. Bill pale, the upper mandible dusky, 

 and feet paler. Length about 6*25 in., wing 2*8 in., tail 

 2'5 in., bill to gape '8 inch, and tarsi 1 inch. " But two speci- 

 mens fell under my notice. One I killed with a blowpipe, in 

 my garden in Colombo, the other I shot in the Central 

 road. The birds crept about bushes and shrubs like Dumetia 

 albogularis'' (Layard, torn. cit. p. 269). 



