192 MUSCICAPID/E. 



Adult Male. Head, neck, chin, throat, sides of face, back, tail and wings 

 black ; the feathers of the back and scapulars (some of which are white 

 tipped) edged with pale rufous, and the tail basally white ; the quills dusky 

 brown, margined with sandy brown, as are also the wing coverts and 

 secondaries ; a large wing patch, rump, upper tail coverts, and sides of neck 

 forming a demicollar, white ; foreneck and breast bright ferruginous ; abdo- 

 men, vent and under tail coverts white, slightly tinged with fulvous ; axillaries 

 black. In winter plumage, the general colour above is brown, the rump and 

 tipper tail coverts rusty, also the entire under surface, but duller. The adult 

 female is brown above with pale rufous edges to the feathers, and the edgings 

 to the wing coverts and scapulars much lighter ; the wing patch is much 

 smaller and less distinct ; the rump and upper tail coverts a rufescent buff ; 

 cheeks and throat fulvous ashy, and the entire under surface a sullied white 

 or pale buff ; the axillaries also buffy ; the bases of the feathers brownish ; bill 

 and legs black ; irides brown. 



Length. 4*5 to 5-5 inches; wings 2*75 ; tail 175 ; tarsus O'&$. 



Hab t India generally during the winter, also China, Japan, Cashmere, 

 Nepaul, N.-W. Himalayas, Upper Burmah, Eastern Turkistan, Abyssinia, 

 Beloochistan (Bolanand Quetta), Afghanistan (Chaman and Gulistan). Occurs 

 in Sind, Kutch, Kattiawar, Jodhpore, Jeypore, North Guzerat, the Deccan, 

 Kamptee, in Central India and Darjeeling. 



The Indian Bush Chat breeds throughout the lower ranges of the Himalayas, 

 south of the first snowy range, at almost any elevation not exceeding 5,000 feet, 

 from Afghanistan to Assam. Ocasionally, too, they breed in the salt range in 

 the Suleiman Hills, in the plains district of the Punjab which skirt the bases of 

 these lower hills, and there is one instance on record of the nest being taken at 

 tfte extreme south of the Sharunpoor district. April and May appear to be the 

 months in which they mostly lay, but they have two, and possibly three, broods, 

 eggs having been taken at Kotegurh as early as the first week in March and 

 as late as the middle of July. The situation of the nest varies according to 

 locality. They have been found in low, thick, generally thorny, bushes or 

 dense tufts of grass on or near the ground and in crevices of rough stone 

 walls. 



The nest is a more or less regular cup, composed of coarse grass and dried 

 moss lined with fine grass, fur, hair, feathers, and the like. The eggs are 4 or 5 in 

 number. The ground colour is dull pale green or greenish white, and they 

 are finely and faintly freckled with pale brownish red ; size 07 + 0-55. 



216. Pratincola leucura, Biytk, J.A. S. B. xvi. p. 474; Bp. 



Consp. i. p. 305 ; Jerd. B. Ltd. ii. p. 126, No. 484 ; Hume, Str. F. 1873, 

 p. 183; 1874, p. 478; 1875, p. 135; Murray, Hdbk., Zool., fyc., Sind, 

 p. 145; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. iv. p. 134; Murray, Vert. Zool., Sind? 

 p. 140; Oates, B. Br. Burm., i. p. 280. The WHITE-TAILED BUSH CHAT. 



