494 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



Gen. Brachypteryx, Horsf. 



Syn. Goldana, Gray. 



Char. — Bill of moderate length, straight, curving gently at the 

 tip, and slightly notched ; nostrils with a tuft of nareal bristles 

 at the base ; gape smooth ; wings short, rounded ; 4th, 5th, and 6th 

 quills longest, 5th slightly the longest ; tail short, soft and flexi- 

 ble ; tarsus very long and strong ; feet large ; middle toe length- 

 ened ; laterals nearly equal ; hind toe large ; claws long, not much 

 curved. Sexes diiFer in colour. 



The birds of this genus are mostly of a dull bluish color, with 

 long legs and short tail. They are closely allied, I conceive, to 

 Pnoepyga ; and I see that a bird from some of the isles has been 

 classed by some as a Brachypteryx, and by others as a Microura. 



336. Brachypteryx nipalensis, Hodgson. 

 Moore, P. Z. S., 1854— Horsf., Cat., App. 647. 



The White-bellied Short-wing. 



Descr. — Male, color, above a greyish-cyaneous, or dusky blue, 

 as are the cheeks, sides of breast, and flanks, paling to greyish- 

 white on the middle of the breast ; throat, middle of belly, vent 

 and under tail-coverts, and a streak over the eye, white. 



Female, ferruginous-brown above, paler on the sides, throat, 

 breast, and belly; under tail-coverts, and superciliary streak, 

 whitish ; the feathers on the breast and sides, tinged with brown. 

 Bill dark horny ; legs pale brown ; irides light brown. 



Length 4^ inches; extent 7^; wing 2^; tail If; tarsus 1; 

 bill at front |. Another was 5 inches long and the tail 1^. 



This species closely resembles the Pnoepyga in size and 

 general structure ; as also in the colouring of the female. I 

 procured several specimens at Darjeellng at various elevations, from 

 4,000 to 8,000 feet. It feeds chiefly on insects. Mr. Hodgson 

 also sent it latterly, either from Nepal or Sikhim.* 



* All of Mr. Hodgson's specimens are stated in Horsfield's Catalogue to be 

 from Nepal ; but Mr. Hodgson, as is well known, resided in Sikhim, at Darjeel- 

 ing, for the last years of his residence in India, and collected there largely. I sus- 

 pect, therefore, that most of his latter contributions to the Museums at home were 

 from Sikhim and not from Nepal. 



