CRINIGEB. 363 



were already hard-set . Tlie nests, which were taken in dense forest 

 in amonf^'st the heaviest undergrowtli, were placed in low buslit's on 

 the banks of, or close to, forest streams. They were bulky cups 

 of leaves, roots, twigs, moss etc. with a thick lining of bamboos, 

 inside which again there was a true lining of roots both fine and 

 coarse. The eggs, two in number in each case except once when 

 there were three, are very beautiful. The ground-colour varies 

 from a pale wine-coloured pink to the deepest salmon and the 

 whole surface is more or less covered with blotciies, smudges and 

 a few s]jots and scrawls of deep bright red. The surface is 

 intensely glossy, the shell hard and fine and in shape tliey ai-e 

 rather long ovals, generally well pointed at the smaller end. 

 Nine eggs average 25'2 x 18'5 mm. 



Habits. Similar to those of the better-known C t. JIaveolus 

 from the Sub-Himalayas. They are birds of dense evergreen 

 forests at low levels, go about in small flocks in the non-breeding 

 season and are very noisy birds. They keep much to the lower 

 trees and undergrou th. 



(380) Criuiger tephrogenys flaveolus. 



The I^^DiAJf White-throated Bulbul. 



Trichophorus Jlaveolus Gould, P. Z. S., 1836, p. 6 (India) (Cacliar). 

 Criyiic/er Jiaveohts. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 255. 



Vernacular names. Kussap-eecMop-pho (Lepcha) ; Bao-halip- 

 gurrmo-didi (Cachari). 



Description. Differs from the last in having the u[)per plumage 

 more green, the edges of the feathers being distinctly olive-green; 

 the louer surface is a bright yellow, the chin and upper throat 

 alone being white ; there is a white supercilium always present 

 and sometimes quite conspicuous. 



Colours of soft parts. Irides deep red ; bill pale greyish blue, 

 gape and mouth still paler; legs greyish-horny, pale bluish-horny 

 or fleshy-grey. 



Measurements. Total length about 210 to 220 mm. ; wing 88 to 

 96 mm. ; tail about 83 mm. ; tarsus about 18 to 20 mm. ; culm en 

 17 to 18 mm. 



Distribution. The Sub-Himalayas from Garhwal and Xepal, 

 where it is apparently A^ery rare, to the East of Assam, North and 

 South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur and Tippera. 



Nidification. This fine Bulbul breeds in some numbers in all 

 the ranges of hills south of Assam from 1,000 feet, or even lower, 

 to above 5,000 feet. At first I took most of my nests at higher 

 elevations but later, when I knew the bird's habits better, I found 

 it extremely common below 2,000 feet and many nests were 

 taken in the ever-w^et, deep forests of tho lower valleys. They 

 were almost always placed near running water and a favourite 



