PASSERINE BIRDS OF CEYLON. ] 33 



rank. It is common over the whole of the Island up to about 

 5,500 feet, except in the heart of the damp forests. 



Habits. — As familiar and tame a bird as the last species. 

 It is equally abundant in town gardens, village compounds, 

 cultivated lands, scrub-jungle, and open forest. It feeds on 

 the ground on insects, and is active on its feet. It has the 

 habit of cocking its tail perpendicularly at the end of its run. 

 The song is varied and full, and, especially during the breeding 

 season, is poured out for long periods in the early morning 

 and late evening. The breeding season is generally from 

 March to August, but at times in the early part of the north- 

 east monsoon. The nest is rather a rough structure of 

 grass, root fibres, &c., placed in the hole of a tree, in any 

 niche of a wall, or among the cadjans in the roof of an out- 

 house or watch hut. There are usually three eggs, very 

 seldom four. They are rather dumpy and slightly pointed. 

 The ground colour is pale bluish-green, or light green, thickly 

 sprinkled with various shades of sepia brown and occasionally 

 bluish -gray. The markings tend to coalesce at the larger end, 

 but vary considerably in distribution. Average size '92 

 by -69. 



CiTTOCINCLA MACRURA MACRURA. 



The Shama Rohin. 

 Cittocitxclamacrura (Gates, Vol. II., p. 118 ; Legge, p. 437). 



Description. — Male : Whole head and neck, back, wing 

 coverts, and chest glossy blue-black ; rump and upper tail 

 coverts white ; wing quills and primary coverts rusty-black ; 

 four central tail feathers entirely black, the rest black at the 

 base, white at the end ; abdomen, vent, and under tail coverts 

 chestnut ; thighs white above, black at the knee. In females 

 the black parts are more slaty-brown, and the chestnut of 

 the lower parts pale rufous ; quills and wing coverts with 

 narrow rufous edges. 



Young birds vary ; in most the upper plumage is dark 

 brown with some light chestnut spots ; the quills are edged 

 with rufous ; the lower parts rusty -red mottled with brown 

 on the throat and breast. 



