PASSERINE BIRDS OF CEYLON. 95 



" tcheetiti, tcheetifci, tcheetiti — chee." The breeding season 

 probably extends from about February to May. The nest, 

 which is hard to find, is a neatly made shallow little cup of 

 grass and fine roots, covered outside with cobweb and flakes 

 of lichen, and lined inside with soft fibres. It is placed in a 

 fork or on top of a branch at some height from the ground. 

 There are generally three eggs. They are elongated ovals in 

 shape. The ground colour is greenish-white mottled with 

 darker green and brown. Average size (of South Indian 

 eggs) -69 by -49. 



Tephrodornis pondicerianus. 

 The Common Wood Shrike. 



Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Oates, Vol. I., p. 475) ; Tephrodor- 

 nis pondiceriana (Legge, p. 372). 



Description. — Upper plumage from forehead to tail coverts 

 dark slaty-gray to ashy-brown, the tint varying with indivi- 

 duals ; rump feathers tipped with white, upper tail coverts 

 very dark brown ; great wing coverts and wing quills rather 

 more brown than the back, the inner quills with pale edges ; 

 tail feathers dark brown, the two outer pairs white, except at 

 the base and tip ; a more or less distinct whitish streak above 

 the eye and a band of dark brown from the nostril through the 

 eye to the ear coverts ; this is bordered below by another 

 whitish streak, which includes the chin and centre of the throat; 

 rest of lower parts ash colour, which gradually merges on the 

 abdomen into the white of the lower tail coverts. 



According to Legge the browner specimens come from the 

 north, but in the Colombo Museum there is a gray bird from 

 the Northern Province, and both gray and brown birds from 

 the Central and Southern Provinces ; the difference appears 

 to be largel}'" individual. 



Nestling birds are paler, are conspicuously spotted with 

 white on the head, and have wavy markings on the wings ; 

 these markings gradually disappear. 



Bill dark horn colour, lighter beneath ; iris yellowish-brown ; 

 legs and feet dusky -slate colour. 



Length 6*2; wing 3 • 3 ; tail 2*5; tarsus • 7 ; bill from 

 gape -9. 



