PASSERINE BIKPS OF CEYLON. 119 



Distribution. — The form found in Ceylon was for long 

 supposed to be confined to this Island, but recently it has 

 been discovered as not uncommon in the Travancore hUls. 

 It is a sub-species of S. melanops, which occurs over the 

 greater part of the Indian Empire. Our ])ird is fairly abun- 

 dant up-country at elevations over 2,000 feet, but chiefly in 

 the higher hills. 



Habits. — Rather a quiet shy bird, seen chiefly on the borders 

 of hill streams in the jungle, by woodland paths, or on the 

 outskirts of forest. It has a low clear song. It generally 

 perches on logs, rocks, or on branches fairly close to the 

 ground. The breeding season is from March to May. The 

 nest is placed in the crevices of trees or on ledges in the banks 

 of streams or of path cuttings. It is a deepish cup of moss, the 

 outside wall being built up from the ledge on which it rests, 

 and is lined with a few fine vegetable fibres. Two or occa- 

 sionally three eggs are laid. The ground colour is dull white 

 with minute red spots, which generally form a cloudy zone or 

 cap at the larger end, leaving the rest of the egg scantily 

 marked. Average size of a small series '87 by "58. 



Alseonax latirostkis. 

 The Brown Flycatcher. 



Alseonax latirostris (Oates, Vol. II., p. 35 ; Legge, p, 415). 



Description. — Upper plumage ashy-brown, the feathers of 

 the crown with slightly darker centres ; a faint tinge of gray 

 towards the rump ; lores and a thin ring round the eye 

 whitish ; wing coverts and C{uills dark brown with ashy-white 

 margins to the coverts and inner quills ; tail dark brown, the 

 outer feathers with narrow whitish edges ; under parts white, 

 the flanks, breast, and fore-neck tinged ^dth ashy-gray. 



In young birds the crown is blackish with fulvous streaks ; 

 the upper plumage and wing feathers have large fulvous spots ; 

 the lower plumage is mottled with brown. After their first 

 moult young birds are more rufous than adults. 



Bill black above, the lower mandible yellow with a darker 

 tip ; iris brown ; legs and feet lilack. 



Length 5 • 2 ; wing 2 • 8 ; tail 2 • 1 ; tarsus • 5 ; bill from 

 gape "Or). 



