TIMALILD ®. 1385 
sufficiently differentiated by the plumage of the young. As 
regards the name for the family, we cannot use Crateropodide tor 
Crateropus, the name used by Oates tor a genus of Babblers, is 
preoccupied, and we must therefore discard this also for the 
family. Zimaliide from the genus Yimalia of Horstield 1821 
may therefore be taken as the family name. 
Since the first volume of the ‘ Avifauna of British India’ was 
published, our knowledge of the Timaliine birds has advanced 
considerably, and many alterations and eliminations, with a few 
additions, are imperative. 
In the first place, the subfamily Brachypterygine must be 
removed to a place near the Thrushes, the spotted plumage in the 
young birds making it impossible to retain them in the present 
group. The genus Zosterops, again, appears to have no close 
connection with the Babblers and must form a family of its own, 
more properly placed near the Dicwidew. The Bulbuls differ from 
the true Babblers in their shorter tarsi and longer wings, and 
would seein also to form a fairly well-marked family already 
frequently differentiated as the Pycnonotide. Other genera and 
species which must be removed are Melanochlora to the Titmouses, 
Paride, Leptopecile and Cephalopyrus to the Regulide and 
Psaraglossa to the Starlings. 
There are, however, other birds of which the position is still 
very doubtful. Thus the genera T'urdinulus and Rimator are 
wee like in many respects though they possess very small 
rictal bristles. Mgithina and <Aethorhynchus have a summer 
and winter plumage, differing in this respect from all other 
Babblers ; Chloropsis is perhaps nearer the Pycnonotide than the 
Timaliide, whilst Chalcoparia is undoubtedly a Sun-bird, though 
an aberrant one. So also the long-winged, thrush-like Zrena can 
have no connection with this family and Oberholser seems right 
in placing it in a family by itself. 
When we come to dividing the Timaliide into subfamilies in 
order to facilitate students’ work, we are met with many difficulties. 
The differences relied on by Oates and Harington are often purely 
individual, varying greatly in degree in different genera. It cannot 
be either useful or scientific to depend on noisiness and similar 
characteristics as guides to classification and, though the coloration 
of birds’ eggs may help greatly in giving us hints as to their 
position in the Avifauna, we cannot rely on this exclusively as a 
sufficient ground for differentiation. 
The only three subfamilies I now retain may be diagnosed as 
follows :— 
Key to Subfamilies. 
A. Sexes alike. 
a. Legs and feet very powerful; wings short 
and rounded ; habits mainly terrestrial .. Timaliine, p. 136. 
b. Legs and feet less powerful; wings short and 
rounded; habits principally arboreal .... Stbiine, p. 294. 
B. Sexes dissimilar ...... c\GibIG Olivo Bo aeene item Liotrichine, p. 326. 
