ALCIPPE. 279 



ochraceous. The exposed portions of primaries and tail are 

 yellowish brown. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris pearly-white to grey ; eyelids slaty ; 

 upper mandible brownish-horny, darker at base and on culmen, 

 lower paler and yellowish ; legs and feet pale dull fleshy, or 

 fleshy-white. 



Measurements. Wing 66 to 72 mm. ; culmen 12 to 13 mm. 



Distribution. Assam and Western Burma from the Chin Hills 

 to the South of Arrakan. 



Birds from Assam and others from W. Burma differ in some 

 respects, more especially in the tint of the grey on the head and 

 again in the amount of rufous on the lower plumage. However, 

 though material from Assam is plentiful, from Burma it is very 

 scanty and more must be obtained before the value of the 

 differences can be estimated. 



Nidification. The nest of this bird is merely a rather larger 

 edition of that of the Nepal Babbler and is placed in quite similar 

 positions. It breeds in great numbers in all the hills South of the 

 Brahmaputra, not only at elevations up to 2,000 feet but also 

 freely in the plains themselves. I have myself taken eggs as 

 early as March and as late as September but May and early June 

 is the principal breeding time. The eggs only differ from those of 

 the Nepal Babbler in being larger, but the great majority are in 

 colour of the clouded and smudged type described as No. 4 in 

 that bird. One hundred and fifty eggs average 19'6 x 15-0 mm. 



Habits. The larger Quaker-Babblers of this group (poioicei>hala) 

 are rather more Timaliine in their habits than those of the 

 previous (^nepalensis) group. More shy and retiring, they are also 

 less quick and active in their movements. They use their legs 

 more, yet are not so Tit-like in their actions and though they 

 take readily to flight, they do not make the constant little sallies 

 into the air, both in play and for food, like the Nepal Babblers 

 do. I do not think they ever actually descend on to the ground 

 to feed except for a second or two. 



(291) Alcippe poioicephala davisoni. 



THE TENASSERIM QUAKER-BABBLEK. 



Alcippe phaocephala davisoni Harington, B. N. H. S. J., xxiii, p. 453 

 (1915)(Tavoy). 



Vernacular names. None recorded. 



Description. Very similar to A. p. brucei from S. India but much 

 darker. The head and neck are brownish-ashy well defined from 

 the back ; in some specimens there are faint indications of the 

 coi-onal stripes but in most these are quite absent. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris slaty-grey to slaty -yellow ; bill, upper 

 mandible horny-brown, lower yellowish. 



Measurements. Wing 68 to 73 mm. ; culmen 13 to 14 mm, 



