PSITTJPABUS. 117 



(105) Psittiparus ruficeps bakeri. 

 BAKER'S PARROT-BILL. 



Scteorhynchus nificeps bakeri Hartert, Nov. Zool., vii, p. 548 (1900) 

 (Ilungrum, N. Cachar). 



Vernacular names. Daomaoyuslia yajao (Cachari) ; Indo-rui 

 Iiifjaoria (Naga) ; Volitera (Mikir). 



Description. Differs from the Bed-headed Parrot-Bill in having 

 the under parts tinged everywhere with buff and in being a little 

 larger. 



Measurements. "Wing 90 to 95 mm.; tail about 95 mm.; bill 

 from forehead to tip in a straight line 16 mm., aud about 14 mm. 

 deep as against 12 mm. in rvficeps. 



Colours of soft parts as in ruficeps, but the bill is a darker 

 horny-brown, more especially above, and the legs are generally 

 quite a dark slate-blue. 



Distribution. Hills south of the Brahmaputra, Chin Hills, 

 Shan States through the hills of Central Burma to Tenasserim. 



Nidification. This Parrot-Bill breeds principally in late May 

 and early June, but eggs have been taken from the loth April to 

 the 24th July. The nest is composed of shreds of grass, shreds of 

 bamboo leaves aud the bark of reeds and bamboos, lined with 

 finer grasses and strips of bark and bound together with cobwebs. 

 In shape it is a deep, very well-built cup, externally about 3 to 

 4 inches broad and deep, whilst internally it is nearly an inch less 

 each way. It may sometimes be placed in reeds and high grass, 

 more often in bamboo clumps, but most nests will be taken 

 from small saplings and high or low bushes. The height from the 

 ground may be anything from 2 to 8 feet. 



The eggs, either two or three in number, rarely four, remind 

 one very much of those of the Garden-Warbler. The ground- 

 colour is white tinged with green, grey or yellowish, sometimes 

 reddish. The markings consist of spots, irregular blotches and 

 cloudings of pale sienna-brown, reddish brown and neutral tint; 

 these, never very numerous, are scattered indefinitely over most 

 of the larger half of the egg; sometimes they are quite sparse 

 and confined to the big end. Forty-five eggs average 21-5 x 

 16*7 mm. 



Habits. Baker's Parrot-Bill is found at all heights between 

 2,000 and 5,000 feet, ascending some 1,000 feet higher than 

 this in the summer and perhaps 1,000 feet lower in the winter. 

 They wander about in parties of a dozen or so, seldom showing 

 themselves except momentarily as they clamber through the grass 

 or undergrowth. Occasionally they will visit the higher bushes 

 and small trees in searching for insects but these they leave at 

 once when disturbed. When feeding they utter a constant 

 " chee-chirrup," but when separated from one another their call is 



