284 TURDID/E. 



Length. 5-25 to 5*5 inches ; wing 1-75 ; tail 2-5 ; bill at front nearly O f . 



Hab. Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Beloochistan and Persia ; also Bengal, 

 Deccan, Kutch, Kattiawar, Jeypore, Jodhpore, and North Guzerat. As in 

 most parts of Western India, it is a resident in Sind, breeding from May to 



July. 



Blyth has well described the habits of this species. Jerdon quotes him too. 

 He says it is an inhabitant of low scrub, intermixed with tufts of coarse sedgy 

 grass growing in sandy places by the river side, and it frequently flies out to 

 feed among the herbage growing along the margin of the sand dunes. 

 Tamarisk scrub, too, it delights to hop about in, also sedges, &c., growing at the 

 seaside. It is a very difficult bird to shoot, as, like Cettia cetti, it is a great 

 skulk, only occasionally coming up from among the roots and uttering a feeble 

 song. It breeds amongst thickets of flexible grass, making a neat nest, almost 

 always in the vicinity of water. Eggs spotted with red brown. 



Gen. ScotOCerca, Sundev. 

 General characters of Burnesia ; tail nearly square and not graduated. 



345. Scotocerca inquieta, Rupp. Syst. Uebers,^. 56; Hengl. Ibis., 



1869, p. 129 ; id., Orn. N. O. Afr. i. p. 244 ; Sund. Meth. Nat. Av. Tent. 

 p. 7 ; Blf. Ibis., 1874 ; id., East Persia ii. p. 207, pi. xiii. f. 2 ; Sir. F. i. 200 ; 

 ii. 329 ; Murray, Hdbk., Zool., fyc. Sind, p. 159 ; id. Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 154. 

 Malurus inquietus, Rupp. Atl. Reise. N. Afr. Aves. p. 55. Curruca famula, 

 Hemp, et Ehr. Symb. Phys. Aves. fol. b. b. Melizophilus striatus, Brooks, Proc. 

 A. S. B. 1872, p. 66; id., Ibis., 1872, p. 180; Hume, Str. F., i. p. 200. 

 RUPPEL'S WREN-WARBLER. 



PLATE. 



Above light brownish greyj with narrow dark brown streaks on the head as 

 far as the shoulders ; a broad pale rufous brown supercilium ; the cheeks and 

 ear coverts are also of this colour, which extends down the sides of the neck 

 and breast, becoming very pale and diluted under the wings and on the 

 flanks ; wings light brown ; the edges of the quills and coverts greyish ; tail a 

 very much darker or rather blackish brown ; the outer feather on each side is 

 rather lighter, and tipped with white ; the tail feathers are cross rayed, 

 particularly the outer ones. 



Lower surface of body, except sides of neck, breast, and flanks, white, with 

 narrow brown streaks from chin to upper breast. These streaks are well de- 

 fined in one specimen, and faint in another. Lining of wing and edge of the 

 same reddish white. Bill dark brown, except basal half of lower mandible, 

 which is dull brownish orange ; legs and feet yellowish brown ; claws brown. 



Length. 4*55 to 4'8 inches ; wing 1*93 to I '95 ; tail 2^14 to 2-33 ; tarsus "77 

 to '82; bill at front -35 ; from gape -46. The bill is excessively like that of 



