246 TIMALIID®. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris brownish red; bill brownish flesh ; 
legs and feet flesh-grey (Babault). 
Measurements. Wing 68 to 74 mm.; tail 57 to 62 mm.; tarsus 
28 mm. (Wells). 
Distribution. North Ceylon. 
Nidification unknown. 
Habits. This form is purely a dry district form, whereas the 
last bird inhabits the wet portions of the island. 
(251) Pellorneum nigricapitatum. 
THE Bnack-CaPPED BABBLER. 
Brachypteryx mgricapitata Eyton, P. Z. 8., 1839, p. 103 (Malaya). 
Dr ymocataphus nigricapitatus. Blanf, & Oates, i, p. 145. 
Vernacular names. None recorded. 
Description. The lores, a broad supercilium reaching to the 
nape and the cheeks grey, each feather with a white shaft-stripe ; 
ear-coverts ashy-rufous with whitish shafts; a very narrow 
moustachial stripe black ; forehead, crown Aan nape black ; the 
whole upper plumage, tail and exposed parts of the wing deep 
ferruginous brown; chin and throat white; sides of neck ad the 
whole lower plumage ferruginous, brightest on the breast and 
tinged with brown on the flanks, lower abdomen, vent and under 
tail-coverts. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris rhubarb-red ; upper mandible black, 
lower fleshy-white; legs and feet fleshy-white, slightly tinged 
with brown or reddish-horny. 
Measurements. Total length about 170 to 180 mm.; wing 69 to 
72 mm.; tail about 52 to 54 mm.; tarsus about 28 mm.; culmen 
about 17 mm. 
Distribution. Tenasserim and S8.W. Siam, down the Malay 
Peninsula to Sumatra. 
Nidification. Davison describes the nest as being built on the 
cround, of coarse fern roots on a foundation of twigs and leaves. 
It was placed at the base of a small clump of ferns and contained 
two eggs. They are described as creamy-white, densely speckled 
all over with inky-purple and purplish brown. They measure 
20°8X15°7 mm. 
Habits. I'he Black-capped Babbler appears to be more essen- 
tially a ground bird than any of its relations. Davison says that 
he never found it off the ground, and even when pressed to flight 
it always alighted again on the ground. It has the same shy, 
skulking habits of the birds of thisand the last genus, and inhabits 
dense cover, most often in heavy forest. Its note is said to be a 
one loud call na it 1s ae Loe alone or in Dea ae 
2 ID i ee ee Walden, A. M.N. H. xy, p.402 (1875) (Karennee) 
are so aia but voung Pomatorhini of some kind. 
