BABAX. 189 



Distribution. Chin Hills. 



Nidification. Nests taken by Venning and Grant in the Chin 

 Hills are described as open cups made of dead leaves and coarse 

 grass stems lined with roots and placed in low thorny bushes on 

 open hillsides or near swamps. They were found in April and 

 May, and contained from two to three eggs similar to those of 

 the preceding subspecies and measuring about 27'5x2O4 mm. 



Habits. This Babax is found from 5,000 to at least 9,000 feet, 

 haunting the same kind of country as the last bird, which it 

 closely resembles in all its habits. 



(182) Babax waddelli. 



THE GIANT TIBET BABAX. 

 Babax waddelli Dresser, P. Z. S., 1905, i, p. 54 (Tsangpo, Tibet). 



Vernacular names. /S'orio, Teli-teh (Tibet) ; Kyu-mo (Gyantse, 

 Tibet). 



Description. Whole plumage ashy-grey; above with broad 

 streaks of blackish brown edged with dull chestnut ; below with 

 narrower streaks but with the chestnut brighter ; centre of belly, 

 vent, under tail-coverts and thighs cinereous ashy without 

 stripes ; on the ear-coverts the central marks are obsolete, but on 

 the cheeks form a broad, black moustachial stripe. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris yellow ; bill black; legs dark brown. 



Measurements. Wing 132 to 140 mm. ; tail 148 to 160 mm. ; 

 tarsus 40 to 43 mm. ; culmen 33 to 37 mm. 



Distribution. South Tibet and the extreme north-east of 

 Sikkim *. 



Nidification. The Giant Babax breeds freely in South Tibet 

 from 11,000 to 14,000 feet, or higher, during May, June and 

 July, a few odd birds breeding both earlier and later. The nest 

 is a large, rather rough cup of grass, dead leaves, fern fronds, 

 roots, wool, etc., lined with finer roots and fern stems or fine 

 grass. It measures externally some 7 inches in diameter by 3 to 4 

 deep, and has an internal cup of about 4" by 2" or rather less. 

 It is placed lo.w down in the small thorny bushes which cover 

 parts of the Tibetan plateaus or in willow-trees and small 

 saplings. The eggs are two or three in number and similar to 

 those of the last but averaging about 33'1 x21 - 6 ram. 



Habits. This is a very common Babax over the greater portion 

 of South Tibet, going about in small parties of five or six birds 

 and having all the habits of the true Laughing-Thrushes. They 

 are great skulkers, keeping much to the ground or to the lower 

 bushes and scrub, and though they come close to dwelling-houses, 



* Babax koslowi, an all rufous bird with obsolete streaks only, is found on 

 the Mekong watershed and is sure to enter parts of N. Burma. 



