490 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



called the Timaliip^, or 'bal)bliii<>:-tlinislies.' While taking a goodly number of 

 forms out of this heterogeneous assemblage, we will yet have to leave enough in it to 

 justify the ejiithet above, as this is manifestly not the jilaee to attempt unravelling 

 the tangle into w hich modern systems have brought themselves. 



The Timaliidw form quite an extensive group, consisting almost exelusively of 

 tropical Old AVorld types, which, sj)eaking in a general way, may be said to resemble 

 tlie true thrushes, differing chiefly in not having the anterior t:n-sal scutes fused, and 

 in having their wings strongly concave, so as to fit closely to the body. With the 

 excejition of one pretty well defined grou]) within the family, most of the birds which 

 we include in it are very modestly colored, rufous being a very conmion ground-color, 

 or with admixture with white, gray, and black. In this respect the 'babblere' show 

 considerable similarity to the Formicaroidea', ofTering another ])roof of how erroneous 

 is the po])ular belief that the tropical l)irds must necessarily be brilliantly coloreil. 



Out of the nearly four hundred and fifty species composing this family there will 

 only be s|>ace to mention a few of the most ]irominent forms. The remarkalde spine- 

 tailed Orthoiiijx /c/«;/(/«c^(/, from eastern .Australia, is noteworthy for the fact that 

 grave doubts as to its oscinine nature were entertained until (piite recently, when 

 Forbes, in 1882, demonstrated its mesomyodian character. This liird .also deserves to 

 be mentioned on account of an anatomical feature which is unicjue, inasmuch as the 

 left carotid (the only one developed, as in all Passeres) "is not contained anywhere 

 in the subvertebral canal, but runs u]> su])erficially in company with the left vagus 

 nerve to near the head, where it bifurcates in the usual manner." Another strange 

 form, the true i)asscriuo nature of which has only been shown recently, is the Malayan 

 and Papuan genus I'Jiijyetes, the type species of which, -£'. iiiacrocercns, is said to have 

 a great external resemblance to J/esitcs. The bill is long, and the head and neck are 

 covered with very short vt-lvety feathers, causing the neck to look disprojtortionately 

 thin ; over the eye a silky white streak. 



There are many other genera, some of whicli resemble sln-ikes, othere which look 

 more like jays, others again which ])crson.ate the thrushes or starlings. Koiopia stri- 

 ata, from the Malay Peninsula, in its coloration strongly recalls :i JJe/idrocolaptcs, 

 but the feathers of the lower back are very long and soft, a feature characteristic of 

 manj' true timaliine birds; it is carried to an excess in Jfcicro/nfs ptilosus, from the 

 same country, in which, moreover, the shafts are broadened, .stiffened, and white- 

 colored. First in the Pycnonotinic, bulbuls, or fruit-thrushes, are found more bril- 

 liantly colored species, among which we may mention the different 6]>ecies of Pi/cno- 

 notits, brownish gray binls, with more or less blackish he.ad, and easily recognizable 

 by having the under tail-coverts brightly colored, either red or yellow. Another genus 

 which is now referred to this group is Ireiia, containing the fairy bluebirds, brilliantly 

 blue and black colored birds, as large as robins, and characteristic of the oriental re- 

 gion from central India eastward to the Philip]iine Islamls. Another grouj), which 

 lias often been regarded as a separate family or sul>family, has also recently been 

 united with the foregoing genera, viz., the green bulbuls ( C/iloropsis and allies), a 

 sm.all group of oriental fruit-eating birds of brilli.-nit green jilumage, on the head often 

 adonu'il with blue, yellow, and black. The genus Criiuijcr is esi>ecially remarkable 

 for the long and extremely tiiin liaiis whirh protrudi' between the feathers of the head 

 and hind neck, and for the very stiff bristles at the mouth angle. 



Little is known about the habits of the tiTualiine birds. Of Pi/cnonotus kcemor- 

 rhous Caj>tain Legge writes as follows: "The Madras bulbul affects gardens, com- 



