MALACONOTINiE. 411 



This bird is found throughout the greater part of India, frequent- 

 ing thin jungle, groves, gardens, and even hedge-rows. It is more 

 abundant in the Carnatic than either on the Malabar coast or 

 the bare table-land. It is common in Bengal and Upper Burmah, 

 extending to the foot of the Himalayas, and also into Assam. It 

 is found in small flocks, generally ranging from tree to tree, and 

 most carefully hunting the branches and foliage for various insects, 

 chiefly Coleoptera and Ortlioptera. 



It has a harsh cry at times : but, in general, has a pleasing 

 mellow whistling note, whence its Telugu name ; and it is said by 

 Buch. Hamilton to be occasionally caged for its song. The nest 

 has been brought to me in August at Nellore, chiefly made of 

 roots and lined with hair ; and the eggs, three in number, were 

 greenish-white with large brown blotches. 



266. Tephrodornis grisola, Blyth. 



J. A. S., XXL, 180, bis— Blyth, Cat. 886.— 



The Abakan Wood-Sheike. 



Descr. — Above brownish-ashy ; beneath reddish-white ; wings 

 and tail dusky-brown. 



Length G^ inches ; wing 3^ ; tail 2^ ; bill at front ^ ; tarsus f . 



This species differs from the last in wanting the white eyebrow, 

 in having no white on its tail-feathers, and in the ear-coverts not 

 being dark. 



It is a native of the Eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, from 

 Arakan down to Malayana, and also the Andaman Isles and Java. 

 It has been procured very rarely near Calcutta. 



Tephrodornis gularis, Eaffles, from Malacca and the isles, is very 

 near T. pelvica and sijlvioola, but it has lately been separated 

 generically as 2\phrolanim ; and a species from Ceylon, T. affinis, 

 has been described by Blyth, very like T. ponticeriana, but smaller, 

 with proportionally smaller bill, and the eye-streak less prominent. 



Gen. Hemipus, Hodgson. 

 Syn. Cahanisia, Bonap. (partly). 



