LEIOPTILA. 299 



Measurements. Total length about 235 to 245 mm. ; wing 92 to 

 97 mm. ; tail about 130 to 140 mm. ; tarsus about 30mm. ; culmen 

 about 20 mm. 



Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur and 

 Chin Hills. 



Nidification. This bird breeds freely in the Khasia Hills, where 

 it is common between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. In the early sixties 

 Godwin-Austen took its nest in the Umiam Valley and the next 

 nest was taken by myself in 1905 in the same spot ; since then 

 many nests have been taken, all in pine-trees and all built in the 

 thick tufts at the ends of branches. They are made of green moss 

 and lined with roots and are rather massive and well-built cups. 

 The eggs are generally two only in number, sometimes three and 

 very rarely four, la appearance they are very like weakly coloured 

 Blackbirds' eggs, pale greyish or greenish blue, lightly freckled and 

 blotched all over with pale reddish; a few eggs approach the 

 Actinodura type of egg with bolder markings and spots. Sixty 

 eggs average 23'9 X 17'7mm. The breeding season lasts from the 

 middle of May to July and the birds may be found during these 

 months anywhere between 4,000 feet and the highest peaks. 



Habits. The Grey Sibia is essentially a bird of pine-forests, 

 outside of which it is but rarely met with except in the cold 

 weather months, when it wanders down to about 3,000 feet in any 

 kind of tree-forest. It flies fairly well, haunting the tops of the 

 pines in small flocks or pairs, working the branches for insects as 

 assiduouslv as other species of this family. Its call is a fine, clear 

 treble note but if has many others of a conversational character 

 though it is not a noisy bird. 



(314) Leioptila melanoleuca melanoleuca. 

 TICEELL'S SIBIA. 



Sibia melanoleuca Tickell, Blyth, J. A.S.B., xxviii, p. 413 (1859) 



(Muleyit Mt.). 

 Lioptila melanoleuca. Blanf . & Gates, i, p. 198. 



Vernacular names. None recorded. 



Description. Ear-coverts very dark brown ; forehead, crown, 

 nape and rest of the sides of the head black ; back, scapulars, 

 lesser and median wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts 

 chocolate-brown, tinged with ashy on the two latter parts ; wing- 

 quills and greater coverts black ; tail dark brown, the outer webs 

 edged black and all the feathers tipped with white ; entire lower 

 plumage white. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris lake ; bill black ; legs and feet dark 

 reddish-brown to dark purplish -brown or brownish black (Hume 

 $ Dav.). 



Measurements. Length about 220 mm. ; wing 87 to 90 mm. ; tail 

 about 120 mm. ; tarsus about 28 mm. ; culmen about. 17 mm. 



