200 TIMALIID®. 
Description. Forehead and short line to the eye grey with 
black streaks ; crown to back and scapulars ruddy brown, with 
dark shaft- stripes ; rump and upper tail-coverts olive- Browae 
the latter with faint stripes; tail olive-brown, cross-rayed; exposed 
parts of wing olive-brown, some of the greater coverts indistinetly 
dark-shafted ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck ruddy brown ; 
lores black ; ‘chin, throat, cheeks aud upper breast w hite; re- 
mainder of lower plumage ferruginous. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris yellow or reddish brown; legs and 
feet dark yellow; bill pale yellow-horny, culmen and tip dark 
horny-brown. 
Measurements. Length about 260 mm.; wing 78 to 83 mm.; 
tail about 140 mm.; tarsus about 35 mm.; culmen about 19 to 
20 min. 
Distribution. The dry zone of Central, North and South Burma. 
Nidification. That of the rest of the genus. The full clutch 
seems to be four though often only three eggs are laid. Mr. 
Mackenzie gives me the measurements of 60 exgs as follows :— 
average 22:6 x 17:1 mm. : maxima 247 x 17-2 and 23°5 x 18:2 mm.; 
minima 20°6x17:0 and 22:0x160mm. ‘The breeding season 
is from early April to late May. 
Habits. “The Zay-we is one of the most familiar birds of 
Mandalay and the dry zone generally, haunting both compounds 
and jungle, and goes by the names of the ‘seven sisters’ or 
‘rat-birds.” There is no mistaking them with their untidy dress, 
dirty white shirt fronts and long, ragged tails. They cannot be 
exactly called ‘Laughing-Thrushes’ as they seem never happy, but 
always complaining with their harsh, grating voices. They go 
about together in parties, and generally seem very busy as they 
hop about with tails held at different angles, hunting and turning 
over the fallen leaves. When they have to fly, which they always 
seen loth to do, they go in for a regular rocketing flight, with 
their small, round wings extended and their tails spread out in 
fans.” (H. H. Harington.) 
(195) Argya malcolmi. 
Tur Larce Grey BABBLER. 
Timalia malcolmi Sykes, P.Z.S., 1852 ” P: 88 (Dukhun). 
Argya malcolmi. Blant. & Oates, i, p. 108. 
Vernacular names. Ghogoi (Hind.); Gangai (Hind. in N.W.P.); 
Gongya (Can.); Nokatti (Mahr.); Verri-chinda and Gowa-sida 
(Tel.); Bhatna (Lucknow). 
Description. Upper plumage dull brown, the feathers of the 
mantle with dark centres; forehead bluish grey with fine white 
shaft-streaks ; lores dusky; e ear-coverts brow n with pale shafts ; 
the three outer pairs of tail-feathers white, the fourth pair with 
