120 CRATEROPODID.E. 



184. Lioparus chrysaeus (Hodgs.). The Golden-breasted Tit- 

 Babbler. 



Proparus chrysaeus, Hodgs., Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 256 ; Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. fy E. no. 621. 



The Golden-breasted Tit-Babbler breeds, according to Mr. Hodg- 

 son's notes, near Darjeeling and in the central region of Nepal. 

 It lays from three to four eggs, which are figured as somewhat 

 broad ovals, measuring 0*7 by O5, with a pinky-white ground, 

 speckled and spotted thinly, except towards the large end, where 

 there is a tendency to form a cap or zone, with brownish red. The 

 nest is oval or rather egg-shaped, and fixed with its longer dia- 

 meter perpendicular to the ground in a bamboo-clump between a 

 dozen or so of the small lateral shoots, at an elevation of only a few 

 feet from the ground. One, taken near Darjeeling on the 12th June, 

 measured externally 6 inches in height, 4'5 in breadth, and 3 

 inches in depth, and on one side it had an oval aperture 2*5 in 

 height and 175 in breadth. It appeared to have been entirely 

 composed of dry bamboo-leaves and broad blades of grass loosely 

 interwoven, and with a little grass and moss-roots as lining. 



Hodgson originally named this bird Proparus chrysotis, but as the 

 bird has silvery ears Hodgson himself rejected this name and adopted 

 the one given above. Mr. Gray, however, retains the specific name 

 chrysotis. Now, I think a man has a perfect right to change his own 

 name ; what I object to is other people presuming to do it for him. 



Subfamily BRACHYPTERYGIN^E. 



187. Myiophoneus temmincki, Vigors. The Himalayan Whistling- 

 Thrush. 



Myiophonus temminckii, Vig., Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 500 : Hume, Rough 

 Draft N. $ E. no. 343. 



The Himalayan Whistling-Thrush breeds throughout the Hima- 

 layas from Assam to Afghanistan, in shady ravines and wooded 

 glens, as a rule, from an elevation of 2000 to 5000 feet, but, at 

 times, especially far into the interior of the hills, up to even 10,000 

 feet. 



It lays during the last week of April, May, and June. The 

 number of eggs varies from three to five. 



The nest is almost invariably placed in the closest proximity to 

 some mountain-stream, on the rocks and boulders of which the 

 male so loves to warble ; sometimes on a mossy bank ; sometimes in 

 some rocky crevice hidden amongst drooping maiden -hair ; some- 

 times on some stream-encircled slab, exposed to view from all 

 sides, and not unfrequently curtained in by the babbling waters of 

 some little waterfall behind which it has been constructed. The 



