ACTINODURA,. 303 
Distribution. The Hills South of the Brahmaputra above 5,000 
feet, Toropatu Peak, Dafla Hills. 
Nidification unknown. 
Habits. This Sibia frequents only the higher ranges. In some 
parts of the Naga Hills at about 7,000 to 9,000 feet it is not rare 
and it wanders, probably only in winter, into Cachar and the 
Khasia Hills on the peaks and ridges between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. 
Godwin-Austen says that it is found in companies of about half-a- 
dozen, haunting the tops of rhododendron-trees, the flowers of 
which it searches busily for insects. The only call I heard was a 
very loud, shrill whistle, less musical than the notes of this genus 
generally are. They are extremely active birds like all the others. 
Genus ACTINODURA Gould, 1836. 
The genus Actinodura only differs from Letoptila in its shorter, 
less slender bill and in life they have a stouter, rather stronger 
tarsus, though this is not visible in dried skins. 
The bill is about half the length of the head, the rictal bristles 
are long and the tail is considerably longer than the wing and well 
graduated as in Leioptila. 
There are in India and Burma two species which vary con- 
siderably in different geographical areas. 
Key to Species and Subspecies. 
A. No white ring round eye. 
a, Forehead and fore crown chestnut ; back 
TEGUISH=“OlUVGING well echo secede lela as.d 4 A, egertoni egertoni, p.303. 
6. Forehead rufous ; crown like the back. 
Ge backwochraceousis emcees .... Ae. khasiana, p. 304. 
6'; Backvoreyish-Olivel <i clere ses poten A, e. rippont, p. 305, 
B. A conspicuous ring of white feathers 
round the eye. [ p. 805. 
ec. Crown and back ashy olive-brown .... A. ramsayi ramsayi, 
d. Crown tinged with rufous; back more 
OQEHFACEOMS Pater aatliheielectn ptr a8 > A,r, radcliffer, p. 306, 
(321) Actinodura egertoni egertoni. 
THe Nepat Bar-wine, 
Actinodura egertont Gould, P. Z,S., 1836, p. 18 (Sikkim); Blanf. & ~ 
Oates, i, p. 201. 
Vernacular names. Ramnio-pho (Lepcha). 
Description. Crest rich ashy-brown ; forehead, lores, round the 
eye, cheeks and chin rufous; ear-coverts, sides of the neck and 
mantle brown, paler than the crest; smaller wing-coverts, rump, 
back and upper tail-coverts reddish brown ; primary-coverts almost 
entirely black; greater coverts chestnut; inner webs of primaries 
and outer secondaries brown, the outer webs ashy with chestnut 
