130 Lieut. Wai'dlaw Ramsay^s Synopsis 



should more correctly be placed in the genus Pomatostomus 

 (Cabanis^ Mus. Hein. i. p. 83), viz. P. isidori, Less. Voy. 

 Coq. Zool. p. 680, pi. 29. 



The members of this genus are mostly birds which fre- 

 quent mountainous countries at moderate elevations. Their 

 food seems to consist entirely of insects, and is usually col- 

 lected by turning over dead leaves on the ground. They are 

 gregarious in their habits, generally being found in small par- 

 ties, or in pairs, making their way through thick bush-jungle, 

 or hopping about on the ground below. Sometimes a con- 

 siderable number are found creeping about in the same bush, 

 and all chattering loudly. Mr. R. Swinhoe says, in writing 

 of P. musicus (Ibis, 1863, p. 284), "There is not much music 

 in its ordinary call-note ; but when two or three are met 

 together, and vie with one another in their strains, the effect 

 is pleasing, though not to be compared to that of the Hwa-mei 

 {Garrulax taivanus) . When at rest in the middle of the day, 

 hidden in some sombre hill-side wood, they keep on uttering 

 at intervals a series of very liquid notes in regular cadence. 

 These have an indescribably hollow and unnatural sound, and 

 at first puzzle the listener to know whether they are produced 

 by beast, bird, or insect.^^ MM. David and Oustalet say, ' Ois. 

 de la Chine,^ p. 184, " C^est uu oiseau (P. gravivox) tres-ruse 

 et tres-difficile a decouvrir. II prend toujours a la meme 

 heure son bain quotidien et fait entendre, k la tombee de la 

 nuit, son chant sonore et peu varie, mais remarquable par 

 son etrangete," and, on the authority of the Chinese, " dans 

 certains districts on garde cet oiseau dans les maisons, oii il 

 detruit les insectes parasites, et particulierement les punaises ;" 

 this statement, however, has not been confirmed by Pere 

 David's observation. 



All the members of this genus are subject to considerable 

 variations, both in dimensions and in plumage ; but there is 

 no tangible difference in plumage between the sexes. 



For notes on the nidification of some species of Pomuto- 

 rhinus, I refer the reader to Jerdon, 'B. of India,' p. 32, 

 Swinhoe, ' Ibis,' 1863, p. 284, and Hume, ' Nests and Eggs of 

 Indian Birds,' pp. 250 and 251. 



