GEOCICHLA. 293 



Hab. India generally to Nepaul ; British Burmah, S. W. Europe, Africa, 

 Egypt, Arabia, Deccan, Concan, Kutch, Kattiawar, Jodhpore, and N. Guzerat, 

 also Bengal and Central India. 



In Sincl it affects the tamarisk jungles along the banks of the Indus, and 

 breeds in July and August. Nest a deep purse, beautifully made of vegetable 

 down, and placed in a tuft of soft grass. Eggs, usually five, white, speckled 

 xvith reddish. 



357- CistiCOla exiliS, ( Vig. and Horsf.) Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 vii. p. 269. Malurus exilis, Vig. and Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xv. p. 223. 

 Cisticola isura, Gould, P. Z. S. 1847, No. 32. Cisticola erythrocephala 

 (Jerd.) Blyth, J. A. S. B. xx. p. 523; Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 174, No. 540 ; 

 Hume, Sir. F. v. pp. 94, 351, 406; viii. p. lOi. Cisticola Tytleri, Jerd. B. 

 Ind. ii. p. 196, No. 541. Cisticola delicatula, Blyth, Ibis., 1870, p. 170. 

 Cisticola melanocephala, Godw.-Austen, J . A. S. B. xliii. pt. 2, p. 165, pi. x. 

 fig. i; Hume, Sir. F. viii. p. 101. The GOLDEN-HEADED GRASS-WARBLER. 



Adult & . In breeding plumage. Forehead and crown golden fulvous ; nape 

 and hind-neck dusky fulvous ; lower plumage pale yellowish buff ; back and 

 scapulars dark brown, each feather broadly edged with grey ; wing coverts and 

 quills brown, edged with rufescent grey ; rump and the upper tail coverts 

 fulvous ; tail black, each feather narrowly tipped with ashy ; centre of the 

 abdomen and vent white. 



In the female in breeding plumage the head is streaked with dark brown, 

 and the tips to the tail feathers are about double the width they are in the 

 male. 



In winter plumage both sexes have much longer tails, the upper plumage 

 is streaked with black and margined with rufous, the tail feathers are blackish 

 along the shaft, and the tips are rufescent white. Iris light brown ; upper 

 mandible dark brown ; lower mandible and gape fleshy pink. 



Length. 4 to 4*8 inches ; wing 1*75 ; tail 1-25 to 2; tarsus 0*7. 



ffab, Indo-Burmese countries, Eastern Bengal, and Western India, extend- 

 ing into China and Australia. Habits same as the last, also the mode of nidifi- 

 cation, number, size, shape and colour of eggs. 



Sub-family. TURBINE. 

 Gen. Geocichla. KM. 



This genus, as now revised, includes a number of well-known and very 



familiar genera, such as Zoolhera, Oreocincla, Turdulus, Cichlopasser, 



Chamcetylus and Psophocichla, and forms a well-defined group of a number of 



birds commonly known as Ground-Thrushes. The characters of this group 



39 



