202 TIMALIID.T. 



the quills, the tail and upper tail-coverts; lores brown; cheeks^ 

 sides of head and neclc olive-brown tinged with rufous ; lower 

 plumage bright rufous, paler on the abdomen and suffused with 

 brown on the thighs and under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts 

 and edge of wing rufous ; tail slightly cross-riij'ed. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris creamy-white to bright yellow ; bill 

 yellow or pale yellowish-horny, the culmen and tip dark brown; 

 legs and feet dark fleshy-yellow, yellowish biown, reddish brown 

 and yelhn\ish grey. 



Measurements. Length 250 to 260 mm. ; \a ing 87 to 90 mm. ;. 

 tail about 110 to 115 mm.; tarsus about 83 mm.; culmen about 

 18 to 19 mm. 



Distribution. The Western Ghats from Coonoor and Kotagiri 

 on the jS'ilgiris to Khandala near Bombay. 



Nidification. The Rufous Babbler makes a nest of leaves, grass 

 and creeper stems lined with tine grass stems, which it places in a 

 bush or tree standing in forest. The eggs seem to be usually 

 three in number, sometimes only two, sometimes four. Tliey are 

 of the typical glossy, rather dark blue and measure about 2-l:-2 x 

 18'5 mm. The breeding season is February and March. 



Habits. Except that it keeps much to jungle and bamboo cover 

 away from the haunts of men, the habits of this bird are quite 

 typical of the genus. Its voice is said to be softer and more 

 musical than that of the common forms, but it is almost equally 

 noisy and active. 



(197) Argya longirostris. 



The Slender-billed Babblek. 



Pyctorhis knif/irostris (Ilodgs.), Moore, P. Z. S., 1854, p. 104 (Nepal). 

 Ar-f/i/a lonijirostris. Blaiif. & Oates, i, p. 108. 



Vernacular names. Bao-Ung tltri (Cachari). 



Description. Upper plumage, tail and exposed parts of wings 

 deep reddish brown ; lores, cheeks, chin and upper throat white ;, 

 the whole lower plumage and the ear-coverts ferruginous, 

 becoming albescent on the abdomen ; tail cross-rayed. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris white or bluish white ; bill black ; 

 legs and feet dark brown. 



Measurements. Length about 240 mm.; wing 75 to 79 mm.: 

 tail about 115 to 120 mm. ; tarsus about 30 nnn. ; culmen about 

 18 to 19 mm. 



At first sight this bird with its more slender, curved, bhick bill 

 looks as if it should be put in a genus separate from the Common 

 Babbler with its shorter bill of almost bright yellow. Its some- 

 what spiny-shafted feathers of the forehead are also a feature 



