132 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



English Robin. The note is a cheerful little chirp. The 

 breeding season begins in March and lasts right on through 

 the dry weather to September. The nest is a little loose 

 structure of moss, hair, roots, or grass, placed in all sorts of 

 cavities, from a hole in a bank, or an empty coconut shell 

 lying on the ground, to any available niche in an outhouse 

 or verandah. There are generally only two eggs, at times 

 three. They vary a good deal, the ground colour ranging 

 from dull white to greenish or brownish -white, thickly 

 spotted with reddish-brown and at times dull purplish -gray. 

 Average size of a large Ceylon series • 79 by ' 59. 



COPSYCHUS SAULARIS CEYLONENSIS. 



The Magpie Robin. 



Copsychus saularis (Gates, Vol. II., p. 116 ; Legge, p. 433). 



Description. — Male : Head, neck, breast, and upper 

 plumage glossy blue-black ; abdomen, sides of the body, and 

 lower tail coverts white ; wing coverts and quills black with 

 a large white area formed by the lesser and median coverts, 

 the outer webs of the innermost coverts and of the two 

 innermost secondaries ; the two central pairs of tail feathers 

 black, the three outer pairs white, the remaining pair white, 

 except for a black border on the inner Aveb and at times a 

 thin black edge on the outer web as well ; wing lining white. 



Females : The black of the wings, tail, and upper parts is 

 rather rusty, the body feathers glossed with blue ; chin, 

 throat, and sides of neck dark gray ; the white of the under 

 parts not quite so clear as in the male ; forehead, lores, and 

 cheeks slightly mottled with gray. 



In young birds the dark parts of the upper plumage are 

 distinctly brown ; the wing quiUs have rufous edges ; the 

 lesser coverts are more or less mottled with rufous ; the 

 throat and breast grayish-brown mottled with rufous. 



Bill black ; eyelids lead colour ; iris hazel brown ; legs 

 and feet dark lead colour. 



Length about 8; wing 3"8; tail 3" 5; tarsus I'lo; bill 

 from gape 1 ; females are slightly smaller. 



Distribution. — This species is found almost throughout the 

 Indian Empire. The Ceylonese form is given sub -specific 



