138 SYLVIAD^. 



Gen. Tliamnobia,— -^ws. 



Bill slender, sli'glitly widened at the base, sides compressed ; 4tli 

 and 5th quills longest ; secondaries and tertiaries broad, nearly the 

 length of the primaries ; tail moderate. 



Thamnobia cambaiensis, Lath. ; Jeri. B. Ind, ii. 122, No. 480; 



Hume, Sir. F. i. 182; Murray, Hdbh., Zuol., Sj-c, Sind, p. 145. 

 {Foosree, Sind). — The Brown -backed Indian Robin. 



Male. — Head dusky olive brown ; lores, ear-coverts, lower plumage, 

 wings and tail black ; back, scapulars and upper tail-coverts dusky 

 olive brown ; under tail-coverts and centre of lower abdomen deep 

 chestnut; a white wing spot. The female is sooty brown throughout; 

 vent and under tail-coverts chestnut ; bill and legs black ; irides brown. 



Length. — 6 inches, wing 2*8 to 3, tail 2*75,'tarsus 1, bill at front 0*5. 



Hab. — Central and Northern India to the Himalayas, Found com- 

 monly in the Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Sind, Kutch, Kattiawar, N. 

 Guzerat, Jodhpore, the Concan and Deccan, also in Khandeish, and, as 

 in Sind, is probably a resident of these places. In Sind it breeds from 

 March to July. Eggs white or pale greenish white, speckled with pale 

 red. 



Gen. Pratincola, Koch. Syst. d. Baier. Zool. p. 190. 

 Bill short, straight, wider at the nostrils than high; nostrils hidden; 

 second primary longer than the secondaries, the first not half the 

 length of the second. 



Pratincola maerorliynclia, StoUckza, J. A. S. B. xli. p. 238 ; 

 Hume, Str. F. 1876, p. 40; 1877, pp. 131, 241, 244; 1879, p. 53. 

 Pratincola rubetraoides, Jerd. B. Ind. iii. App. p. 872 (ex. Jameson 

 MS. Desc. Nulta) Dresser, B. Eur. parts 23, 24; Hume, Str. F. 1877, 

 p. 239. Pratincola rubetra, Hume, Ibis. 1869, p. 354. Pratincola Jame- 

 soni, Hume, Str. F. 1877, p. 239 {710771 e7nende) Sharpe, Oat. Birds, B. 

 Museum, vol. iv. p. 182. 



Adult Male. — A broad stripe over the eyes and over the greater 

 portion of the ear-coverts white, with a slight buffy tinge ; lower parts 

 of the lores dusky ; chin, throat and entire lower parts, including lower 

 tail-coverts and tibial plumes, white with a yellowish tinge and a very 

 feeble rufescent tinge on breast and flanks ; wing lining and axilla ries 

 pure white, the former slightly mottled with dusky; foi-ehead, crown, 

 occiput, nape, back and scapulars light sandy buff, striated longitudinally 

 with hair brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, most of the 

 feathers tinged towards their tips with pale rusty buff; primaries and 

 secondaries hair brown, margined on the outer webs with light buflf 

 and tipped with yellowish white, the primaries more narrowly, the 

 secondaries more broadly ; tertiary, greater coverts, or perhaps, I should 

 call them lower scapulars, white ; tertiaries and greater and median 

 secondary coverts deep brown, broadly margined with pale, more or 

 less rufescent buff ; entire visible portion of lesser coverts pale sandy 

 buff; edge of wing and outer webs of earlier greater primary coverts 

 pure white ; tail hair brown, all the feathers margined on the outer 



