Birds in Southern Ccylofi. 19 



sive bamboo or other dead-leaf nests which it constructs in 

 such numbers are, I believe, made as roosting-places, as I 

 have found hundreds and never yet saw one with eggs or 

 young. They arc placed in a bramble about three feet from 

 the ground ; and I have watched the birds, from a hiding-place, 

 picking up the leaves from the ground just underneath and 

 sticking them into the structure at the rate of two or tlu'ce in 

 a minute. I received a clutch of eggs from one of the head 

 men of the Galle district, which he said belonged to this bird 

 (well known to the natives by the name of " Batitchia ") ; and 

 he described the nest as made of grass and not leaves. The 

 eggs W'Cre of a dull white ground-colour, blotched and dap- 

 pled round the obtuse end with greyish red, and measured 

 8^ lines by 6j lines. 



Dryniocataphus fuscicapillus is one of the commonest and 

 most widely distributed birds in the southern province ; it ap- 

 pears to have escaped much observation hitherto in Ceylon, and 

 is an instance of how easily a bird of retiring and shy habits 

 may be overlooked in any district if its note is not known. 

 Up to the time of my arrival in the southern province, having 

 only collected in the western and coffee-districts, I was under 

 the impression that this Babbler was one of the rarest birds 

 in the island. I had not been long at Galle before my atten- 

 tion was drawn, while out shooting in the early mornings, or 

 on rainy days, to a remarkable three-note whistle like the 

 words " to meet yoii, " proceeding from thickets, bamboo scrub, 

 or any spot where there was much undergrowth. After many 

 attempts, owing to the shyness of the bird, I procured it, and 

 was veiy pleased to see what my prize consisted of. The note 

 is very remarkable, continued generally for fully ten minutes 

 at a time, the bird being some times seated on a twig or bam- 

 boo, with its neck stretched out, intent on making itself heard, 

 or hopping quickly about backwards and forwards in the jun- 

 gle ; at this time it is very hard to detect, as its voice seems 

 to be coming from different diretions — near the ground or 

 from the tops of the trees. It is particularly noisy in rainy 

 weather, and has, besides its curious " to meet you " whistle^ 

 a pretty warble not easy to syllabize. I procured it near the 



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