jEthostoma. 259 



sides of the head brighter ; upper tail-coverts and tail chestnut ; 

 lores dull wliite or pale fulvous ; lower plumage white suffused 

 with brownish on tlie breast and less so on the sides of the body. 



Colours of soft pai'ts. Iris pale wood-brown ; upper inaudible 

 dirty white, lower mandible dark brown ; legs and feet fleshy- 

 white. 



Fig. 47.— Head of E. hicolor. 



Measurements. Total length about 160 to 170 mm.; wing 72 

 to 82 mm.; tail about GO to 63 mm,; tarsus about 28 mm,; 

 •ciilmen 18 to 20 mm. 



Distribution. Tenasserim South through the Malay Peninsula 

 to Borneo and Sumatra. 



Nidification unknown. 



Habits. Said by Davison to be entirely a ground bird, only 

 flying up into the bushes and trees when disturbed. 



Genus ^THOSTOMA Sharpe, 1902. 

 The name Trichostoma being already occupied, Sharpe's ^tJio- 

 stoma is the earliest available for tliis genus. It differs from the 

 hist genus in having i*eraarkably long rictal bristles and a very 

 short tail. 



(266) .ffithostoma rostrata. 



Bi.tth's Babbler. 



Trichostoma rostrata Blyth, .T. A. S. B., xi, p. 795 (1842) (Malaya) ; 

 Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 153. 



Vernacular names. None recorded. 



Description. "Whole upper plumage and wings rufescent olive- 

 'brown, tinged with rufescent on the upper tail-coverts and outer 

 webs of tall- feathers; lores whitish mottled with black; ear-coverts 

 and round the eye rufescent, the former with whitish shafts; 

 cheeks white with black shafts and tips; entire lower plumage 

 white, washed with pale grey across the breast and suffused with 

 ashv-brovvn on the sides of the breast and abdomen. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris pale red-browii ; upper mandible 

 dark luirn-brown, lower pale ])lumbeous blue; legs and feet rather 

 dark pinkish-fleshy ; claws pale horny-brown (Davison). 



Measurements. Total length about 160 to 170 mm.; wing 70 

 to 75 mui. ; tail about 52 to 54 mm.; tarsus about 2i5 mm.; 

 ■culmen about 18 to 20 mm. 



s2 



