180 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Distribution. — This little species is found in the plains 

 throughout the greater part of India proper. The Ceylon 

 form appears to be a good sub-species, which probably also 

 occurs in the dry south-east corner of India, With us it is 

 confined to the dry maritime zones of the north, north-west, 

 and south-east, but it occasionally straggles, probably storm- 

 driven, to other parts, and has been seen in Colombo and at 

 the top of Ramboda Pass. 



Habits. — Found in little troops on arid plains near the 

 coast. It feeds on the ground and squats very close, occasion- 

 ally taking short little flights in the air, when it gives out a 

 cheerful but weak little warble. The breeding season is from 

 May to July. The nest is placed in a small depression on the 

 bare plain, right out in the open, occasionally in the centre 

 of an old desiccated patch of cowdung. It is a minute, shallow 

 cup of fine, dry grass and grass roots, with occasionally a 

 scrap of wool in the thin lining. The top is neatly levelled 

 off flush with the surface of the ground so that the nest 

 absurdly reminds one of a hole in a bagatelle board. There 

 are only two eggs. The ground colour is whitish, rather 

 sparingly, but evenly freckled with fine spots of yellowish- 

 brown. Occasionally the markings form a zone round the 

 middle. Average size • 75 by * 54. 



Family Zosteropid^. 



Genus Zosterops. 



WMte-ey&s. 



The White-eyes are a group of wliich the classification has 

 been much in dispute. Gates has placed them among the 

 Crateropodidas, other ornithologists either with the Sunbirds 

 — -Nectariniidss, the Flowerpeckers — Dicseidss, or the Honey- 

 eaters — Meliphagidse. Their natural affinities, on the whole, 

 seem to be near the Sunbirds, and I have followed Stuart 

 Baker, who accords them family rank and places them just 

 before that group. They are aU very small, arboreal birds, 

 which are found over a great part of Africa and in Southern 

 Asia and Australia. The bill is curved, slender, and pointed, 



