Nidification. The liufous-bellied Babbler breeds from early 

 June to the end of August and early September, making a ball- 

 sbaped nest of grass and bamboo leaves, lined with finer grass or 

 a little bair, sometimes with no lining at all ; in size it varies 

 in diameter from 5 to 6 inches. Often the nest is placed in, or 

 at the foot of, a clump of bamboos, at other times in grass, 

 bushes or cactus hedges. The eggs number three or four, and 

 are in shape short, blunt ovals with a smooth and rather glossy 

 texture. The ground is white varying occasionally to pink, and 

 they are rather profusely marked all over with specks and blotches 

 of light reddish to dark brown, generally more numerous at the 

 larger end. Fifty eggs average 17*3 x 13'8 mm. 



Habits. This little bird is a typical Babbler in all its ways. 

 Though much more shy than the " Seven-Sisters " group, it has 

 the same gregarious, cheerful habits, the same follow-my-leader 

 style of clambering along from one tuft of grass or one bush to 

 another and, like those birds, is very conversational and argumenta- 

 tive, though it indulges in softer notes and fewer quarrels. It 

 prefers mixed scrub and grass, or grass alone, to other haunts, 

 but may also be found in bamboo-jungle and thin forest or 

 secondary growth. 



Fig. 40. Head of D. a. albigularis. 



(230) Dumetia albigularis albigularis. 



THE SMALL WHITE-TIIBOATED BABBLER. 



Malacocercus albigularis Blyth, J. A. S. B., xvi, p. 453 (1847) 



(Mysore). 

 Dumetia albigularis. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 134. 



Vernacular names. Pandi-jitta (Tel.) ; Batitchia (Ceylon). 



Description. Similar to the last, but with a pure white throat. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris white to pale grey ; bill fleshy, 

 horny-brown on culmen ; legs and feet pale fleshy or livid fleshy, 

 claws horny. 



Measurements. Total length about 150 to 155 mm. ; wing 52 to 

 56 mm. ; tail about 57 to 64 mm. ; tarsus about 18 mm. ; culmeu 

 about 12 to 13 mm. 



Distribution. Ceylon and South-West India as far North as 

 Belgaum. 



Nidification. In Ceylon this little Babbler has two breeding 

 seasons, and Mr. Wait has taken eggs from November to March 



