136 TIMALIID®. 
Subfamily TIMALIIN. 
This subfamily, as now constituted, contains Oates’s Crateropo- 
dine and the 7imaline, which I find quite impossible to differ- 
entiate by any satisfactory character one from the other. 
The great majority of the Zimaliine are very gregarious and 
go about in flocks of considerable size, a few consort in small 
flocks, whilst fewer still are only found singly or in pairs. ‘They 
feed principally on the ground or in bushes and long grass close 
to it, but some of them also haunt trees in their quest for the 
insects which form their main diet. Some of the genera comprise 
birds as noisy as any known, whilst others are birds with 
sweet notes or are silent. The most prominent characteristics 
are the very powerful legs and the weak, rounded wings. - The 
head is frequently fully crested, and is generally covered with 
somewhat erectile feathers even where there is no definite 
crest. The bill is of almost every conceivable shape. In 
habits they are non-migratory, though some of the hill forms 
move up and down the hills under climatic stress and, whilst 
some species are very bold and haunt freely the vicinity of 
villages, others are among the most shy. 
In the following key an attempt has been made to discriminate 
between the genera in a way which will be easy for the field 
naturalist to work out; size and plainly visible features in con- 
struction being made use of. 
Key to Genera. 
A. Tail more than 88 mm. long, 
a, Bill not so long as head, 
a'. Nostrils almost hidden by bristles .... Dryonasres, p. 158. 
b'. Nostrils visible and only partly concealed 
by ibristlesic....< zice.. teri eerie cho GARRULAX, p. 145. 
, 
ce’. Nostrils not hidden by bristles but some- 
times with a few long hairs. 
a’. Billnot toothed at the extremity. 
a". Tail tipped with white or brown . [anrHocrncia,p.155. 
i’. Tail with no white or brown tip. 
a‘. Bill long and slender. 
a>. Wing longer than tail,....... STACTOCICHLA, p.186. 
b>. Wing shorter than tail. 
a°. Shafts of feathers of forehead 
short and not glistening .. TurporpEs, p. 190. 
U8, Shafts of feathers of forehead 
long and glistening. 
a’. Upper parts uniform, not 
streaked. 
a. Feathers of breast not 
SPIMOUSINe eye © e-cne <0 ArG@yYA, p. 196. 
bo. Feathers of breast spin- 
OUST Butete wie chs ACANTHOPTILA, p. 203. 
b°. Upper parts striated .... Babax, p. 187. 
O22 bill short andéthiclwme ere. er .. GRAMMATOPTILA, 
(p. 184. 
