312 TIMALIID.5;. 



Distribution. Sikkim to Assam North and East, of the Brahma- 

 putra, Abor and Miri Hills. The eastern limits are not yet 

 known, but Hai'ington obtained it in the Kachin Hills. 



Nidification. Similar to that of the previous two birds. Kound 

 about Margherita we found its nests on banks and sides of 

 cuttings through the jungle, made of soft tow-like material mixed 

 with moss, leaves and rubbish, more or less filling the base of the 

 hole in which it was placed. The eggs were generally three only, 

 rarelv four and they differed from those of the Chestnut-headed 

 Btapiiidia only in being a little more richly marked. One hundred 

 eggs measured on an average 16-6xl3-3mm. and the extremes 

 were 180 X 13-2 mm., 16-2 x 13-7 mm. and 14-7 X 12-4 mm. 



The breeding season lasts from March to June. 



Habits. This little Staphidia is found in parties throughout 

 the cold weather, according to Stevens sometimes numbei'ing as 

 many as thirty individuals. It haunts trees and brushwood alike 

 both in forest and in the secondary growth and has the usual 

 restless habits of its tribe. It is not a shy bird. It probably 

 ascends as high as 4,000 feet in summer but is more a low^-level 

 bii'd, keeping for the most part from the foot-hills up to about 

 2,000 feet. 



Genus SIVA Hodgson, 1838. 



The genus Siva contains two species which occur within our limits, 

 these being divided into several well differentiated geographical 

 races. They are distinguishable at a glance from othei- genera by 

 their peculiar tail-feathers, the ends of which are obliquely truncated. 

 The four central pairs are of equal length and the two outer pairs 

 graduated. 



The bill is about half the length of the head, gently curved and 

 notched ; the rictal bristles are long and the nostrils are covered 

 by a membrane ; the head is crested and they are birds of hand- 

 some plumage. 



Key to Species and Subspecies . 



A. Primtaries edged with orange. 



n. Central tail-feathers red on only half 



their lenotli >S'. strigula strignla, p. 313. 



b. Central tail-feathers red on five-sixths 



of their length S.s. castaneicauda, p. 314. 



B. Primaries edged Avith blue. 



c. Under plumage vinous-grey. 



a'. Upper plumage light ochraceous ; fp- 314. 



secondaries tipped with white .... *S'. cyaji. cyanouroptera, 

 b'. Upper plumage fulvous olive-brown ; 



no white tips to secondaries S. c. wincjatei, p. 315. 



d. Under plumage white. 



c' . Forehead blue, indistinctly striped. 

 a". Upper plumage fulvous olive- 

 brown S. c. oatesi, p. 316 



b'\ Upper plumage dusky olive-brown. S. c. sordida,^. '■'AQ. 



