PASSERINE BIRDS OF CEYLON. 127 



The family includes four sub-families represented in Ceylon ; 

 the Chats — Saxicolinse; the Redstarts and Robins — Ruticillinse ; 

 the Shortwings and Blue Chats — Brachypteryginm ; and 

 the Thrushes — Turdinae. The above sub-families comprise 

 a variety of forms, but the following points are held in 

 common, besides those mentioned above ; the edges of both 

 mandibles are smooth, or the upper mandible is simply 

 notched ; the wing has ten primaries ; the nostrils are clear 

 of the line of the forehead ; there is an autumn moult, fre- 

 quently supplemented by a partial change in spring, caused 

 by the shedding of the margins of the feathers ; there are 

 usually twelve, very seldom fourteen, tail feathers. Many 

 of the species are migratory. 



The four sub-families may be divided thus : — 



Saxicolinae. — -Habits like those of the Flycatchers, but 

 more terrestrial. The insect food is captured by short sallies 

 from a perch. 



Ruticillinaa. — Insectivorous ; largely terrestrial. 



Brachypteryginge. — -Insectivorous ; habits terrestrial and 

 skulking. 



Turdinse. — Both terrestrial and arboreal ; larger in size 

 than the other sub-families and more gregarious ; food partly 

 of insects, partly of berries, &c. 



Sub-family Saxicolinse. 

 Genus Pratincola. 



Chats. 



The Chats are nearly related to the Flj'catchers, and have 

 the same habit of making short sallies, in search of insects, 

 from a fixed perch, to which they return. Their prey, how- 

 ever, is generally captured on the ground and not on the 

 wing. They have also a very characteristic manner of 

 raising and depressing their tails and darting out their wings 

 when on their perch. They are most strongly represented 

 in Africa, but are also widely distributed in Europe, Central 

 Asia, and India. 



