135 



sufficiently differentiated by the plumage of the young. As 

 regards the name for the family, we cannot use Crateropodidce for 

 Crateropus, the name used by Gates tor a genus of Babblers, is 

 preoccupied, and we must therefore discard this also for the 

 family. 2 J imaliidce from the genus Timalia of Horsfield 1821 

 may therefore be taken as the family name. 



Since the first volume of the 'Avifauna of British India' was 

 published, our knowledge of the Timaliine birds has advanced 

 considerably, and many alterations and eliminations, with a few 

 additions, are imperative. 



In the first place, the subfamily Bracliypterygince must be 

 removed to a place near the Thrushes, the spotted plumage in the 

 young birds making it impossible to retain them in the present 

 group. The genus Zosterops, again, appears to have no close 

 connection with the Babblers and must form a family of its own, 

 more properly placed near the Dicceidm. The Bulbuls differ from 

 the true Babblers in their shorter tarsi and longer wings, and 

 would seem also to form a fairly well-marked family already 

 frequently differentiated as the Pycnonotidce. Other genera and 

 species which must be removed are Melanoclilora to the Titmouses, 

 Paridce, Leptopcecile and Cephalopyrus to the Regulidce and 

 Psaraglossa to the Starlings. 



There are, however, other birds of which the position is still 

 very doubtful. Thus the genera l^urdinulus and Rimator are 

 Wren-like in many respects though they possess very small 

 rictal bristles. ^Egithina and Aethorhynchus have a summer 

 and winter plumage, differing in this respect from all other 

 Babblers ; Chloropsis is perhaps nearer the Pycnonotidce than the 

 Timaliidcf, whilst Chalcoparia is undoubtedly a Sun-bird, though 

 an aberrant one. So also the long-winged, thrush-like Trena can 

 have no connection with this family and Oberholser seems right 

 in placing it in a family by itself. 



When we come to dividing the Timaliidce into subfamilies in 

 order to facilitate students' work, we are met with many difficulties. 

 The differences relied on by Gates and Haringtonare often purely 

 individual, varying greatly in degree in different genera. It cannot 

 be either useful or scientific to depend on noisiness and similar 

 characteristics as guides to classification and, though the coloration 

 of birds' eggs may help greatly in giving us hints as to their 

 position in the Avifauna, we cannot rely on this exclusively as a 

 sufficient ground for differentiation. 



The only three subfamilies I now retain may be diagnosed as- 

 follows : 



Key to Subfamilies. 



A. Sexes alike. 



a. Legs and feet very powerful; wings short 



and rounded ; habits mainly terrestrial . . Timaliina, p. 136. 



b. Legs and feet less powerful ; wings short and 



rounded ; habits principally arboreal .... Sibiince, p. 294. 



B. Sexes dissimilar Liotrichince, p. 326. 



