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Distribution. — North India, south 

 and central China ; resident in the 

 hills bordering the Yangtse Valley. 



Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a strong, 

 compactly built moss cup, lined with 

 dead leaves, usually placed along the 

 mountain streams. There are four 

 white eggs in a clutch, lightly spotted 

 with light red and lilac. 



In habits this bird is very similar to 

 the Chinese Forktail, but is not nearly 

 so common. 



Family, Tlmellldae, The Babbling 

 Thrusbes. 



This is a composite group of mainly 

 Old World birds, about which there ia 

 much disagreement. The bill is de- 

 cidedly thrush-like ; the wings are 

 short, rounded, and concave, so as to 

 fit close to the sides of the body. 

 The whole plumage is lax and soft. 

 The outer of the ten primaries is com- 

 taratively large, and the plumage of 

 the nestling is like that of the adult, 

 phough paler, both being unspotted. 



This group contains over a hundred 

 species, twenty-seven of which are 

 met with in China, and six in the 

 Yangtse Valley. 



SPECTACLED LAUGHING 

 THRUSH. 



DRYONASTES PERSPICILLATUS, (gm). 

 Description. — Length thirteen and 

 one half inches. Bill, dark brown 

 above, lighter below. Tarsus, dark 

 yellowish brown. Iris, brown. Fore- 

 head, lores, auriculars, and a patch 

 around the eyes, black. This black 

 area around the eyes accounts for the 

 rather fanciful name, "The Spectacled 



