RUTICILLA. 



Adult Male. Crown of head ashy grey ; throat, neck, lores, ear coverts, 

 breast, back, and wing coverts dark brown or black, the feathers edged 

 greyish ; wings dusky brown ; the primaries and secondaries margined 

 rufescent on their outer webs ; breast, flanks, under wing coverts, belly, rump, 

 upper and lower tail coverts, and tail (except the inner and part of the outer 

 webs of the two central feathers, which are dark brown) uniform chestnut. 

 The female is brownish above. The edge of the wings, belly, and under tail 

 coverts pale rufous ; bill and legs dark brown ; irides brown. 



Length. 6 inches ; wing 3-3 ; tail 2*5 ; bill at front 0*55. 



Hab. India generally. Breeds in North China, Mongolia, and Eastern 

 Turkestan. Occurs in Sind, Beloochistan, S.-E. Persia, and Afghanistan 

 during winter ; also in Nepaul, Kashgar, Behar, N.-W. Himalayas, Kutch, 

 Kattiawar, Jodhpore, North Guzerat, the Concan, and Deccan to South 

 India. 



Frequents groves of trees, orchards, gardens, and the vicinity of old 

 buildings, walls, and houses. Feeds on insects. It has a most peculiar 

 quivering motion of its tail on its perch after feeding. 



398. Ruticilla hodgsoni, Moore, P. z. S. 1854, p. 26, pi. iviii. ; 



Jerd. B. Ind. ii p. 138, No. 498; Godwin- Austen, J. A. S. Z., xlvii. pt. 2, 

 p. 18 (1878). Phoenicura ruticilloides, Hodgs. MS. Drawings. Ruticilla 

 erythrogastra, (Gould) apud. Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc., p. 168. HODG- 

 SON'S REDSTART. 



Upper surface of body dull slate-grey, shading into white on the forehead 

 and into bright chestnut on the rump and upper tail coverts ; a narrow frontal 

 band at the base of the upper mandible ; the lores, feathers behind the eye, 

 ear coverts, cheeks, chin, throat, and. upper breast black ; lower breast to vent, 

 axillaries, under wing and tail coverts, rump and tail feathers (except the two 

 central tail feathers, the inner and outer margins of which are dusky brown), 

 bright chestnut ; hind part of crown, neck, back, wings and their coverts 

 dusky or dark brown ; the outer half of the basal half of the secondaries 

 white, forming a wing patch ; bill, legs, and feet black ; irides brown. 



Length. 6 -5 inches ; wing 3-05 to 3.3 ; tail 2*6 to 2-85 ; tarsus 0-9 to I ; 

 culmen O'6. 



The female is greyish brown and below the chin is paler, also the axillaries 

 and under wing coverts, shading to albescent or white on the centre of the 

 abdomen ; under tail coverts pale chestnut ; upper tail coverts rich chestnut. 



ffab.The Himalayas from Nepaul to Assam, where it winters in the 

 valleys. It is recorded from Assam, Bhootan, Darjeeling, Afghanistan, and 

 Nepaul. 



