AqTIXODURA. 303 



Distrttnition. The Hills South of the Brahmaputra above 5,000 

 feet, Toropatu Peak, Dafla Hills. 



Nidification unknown. 



Habits. This Sibia frequents only the higher ranges. In some 

 parts of the Naga Hills at about 7,000 to 9,000 feet it is not rare 

 and it wanders, probably only in winter, into Cachar and the 

 Khasia Hills on the peaks" and ridges between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. 

 Godwin-Austen says, that it is found in companies of about half-a- 

 dozen, haunting the tops of rhododendron-trees, the flowers of 

 which it searches busily for insects. The only call I heard was a 

 very loud, shrill whistle, less musical than the notes of this genus 

 generally are. They are extremely active birds like all the others. 



Genus ACTINODURA Gould, 1836. 



The genus Actinodura only differs from Leioptila in its shorter, 

 less slender bill and in life they have a stouter, rather stronger 

 tarsus, though this is not visible in dried skins. 



The bill is about half the length of the head, the rictal bristles 

 are long and the tail is considerably longer than the wing and well 

 graduated as in Leioptila. 



There are in India and Burma two species which vary con- 

 siderably in different geographical areas. 



Key to Species and Subspecies. 



A. No white ring round eye. 



a. Forehead and fore crown chestnut ; back 



reddish-olive A. egertoni egertoni, y.3Q3. 



b. Forehead rufous ; crown like the back. 



a'. Back ochraceous A. e. khasiana, p. 304. 



b'. Back greyish-olive A. e. ripponi, p. 305. 



B. A conspicuous ring of white feathers 



round the eye. [p. 305. 



c. Crown and back ashy olive- brown .... A. ramsayi ramsayi, 



d. Crown tinged with rufous ; back more 



ochraceous A. r. radcliffei, p. 306. 



(321) Actinodura egertoni egertoni. 

 THE NEPAL BAK-WING. 



Actinodura egertoni Gould, P. Z. S., ] 836, p. 18 (Sikkim) ; Blanf. & 

 Gates, i, p. 201. 



Vernacular names. Ramnio-pfio (Lepcba). 



Description. Crest rich ashy-brown ; forehead, lores, round the 

 eye, cheeks and chin rufous ; ear-coverts, sides of the neck and 

 mantle brown, paler than the crest ; smaller wing-coverts, rump, 

 back and upper tail-coverts reddish brown ; primary-coverts almost 

 entirely black ; greater coverts chestnut ; inner webs of primaries 

 and outer secondaries brown, the outer webs ashy with chestnut 



