256 TIMALIID^. 



dark rufescent brown, with very distinct fulvous shaft-stripes ; 

 the feathers of tlie back witli the inner webs black and the outer 

 webs brown and with pale fulvous shafts; rump, upper tail-coverts 

 and tail plain rufescent; wing-coverts and the outer webs of the 

 quills rufous-brown, the former with pale shafts; lores fulvous; 

 ear-coverts rufous-ashy with paler shafts; cheeks mixed black aud 

 fulvous, with a black line above; cliin fulvous-white; throat, 

 breast and abdomen rufescent brown, with large pale fulvous shaft- 

 streaks ; sides of body and thighs plain rufescent brown ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts ferruginous. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris light red-brown ; upper mandible 

 very dark horny, blackish at the base, paler at the tip ; gape and 

 edge of lower mandible blackish, remainder pale horny ; legs pale 

 livid fleshy with no tinge of red but the tarsi tinted brown, the 

 soles, claw and joints very pale. 



Fig. 46. — Head of R. malacop/ihcs. 



Measurements. Total length about 125 to 130 mm.; wing 57 

 to HO mm.: tail about 25 mm.; tarsus about 23 mm.; culnien 

 about 21 to 24 mm. 



Distribution. Sikkim to E. Assam North aud South of the 

 Brahmaputra; Manipur and Looshai. 



Nidification. This Babbler breeds in the hills both North and 

 ISouth of the Brahmaputra throughout Assam from 4,000 feet up- 

 wards, and in theextreineEast,nearerthe snowy mountains, down to 

 3,000 feet. It breeds in much the same sort of country as Turdin- 

 uhis but affects more open forest and nests may be found, though 

 rarely, in scrub-jungle or deserted, overgrowji, cultivation. Tlie 

 nest is a large domed affair, measirt-ing 8 or 9 inches in height by 

 5J to 65 in breadth, the entrance, which is near the top, measuring 

 about 2 inches across. It is made of dead leaves, bracken fronds, 

 grass, sometimes a little moss, and lined with dead leaves only. 

 It is always placed on the ground and nearly always amongst the 

 roots of bushes or at the foot of some tree. The breeding season 

 lasts from the end of April to July. The eggs are three or four in 

 number, rarely live, pinkish white to pale salmon-pink in ground- 

 colour and marked with spots and small blotches of reddish brown 

 and paler smears of the same with here and there lines and scriggles 

 of deep red-brown. The texture is fragile and practically gloss- 

 less, tlie shape an obtuse oval and tliirty eggs average in size 

 21-2 X 15-5 mm. 



Hahits. In habits this little bird is more of a Babbler and less of 



