. 



134 TIMELIID^E. 



Hab. The Central Provinces of the Indian peninsula, from the Midnapoor 

 jungles westwards to Nagpore, and south to the Godavery Valley. Hume 

 adds Chota Nagpore, Upper Bengal, eastern portions of the N.-W. Provinces, 

 parts of Oudh, and even in the low valleys of Kumaon. 



Its occurrence in the Konkan is doubtful, where, I think with Sharpe, 

 albigularis only occurs. The bird is very common on the Shevaroy Hills, and 

 may always be met with where there are clumps of grass, which is used for 

 thatching houses in those parts. Mr. W. Mahon Daly writes to say that he 

 had taken its nest very frequently, and always found four eggs, white and 

 very thickly spotted with reddish brown ; they are about the size of those of 

 the White-eyed Tit. It breeds there in April and May, and makes its nest 

 of thick blades of grass, covered in, with an entrance hole in the side. 

 The nest is generally placed in a date bush or in a clump of grass, and never 

 more than a foot or two feet from the ground. It is not a shy bird. It 

 returned to its nest after two eggs had been taken out of the four. He tried 

 to rear the young, but always failed, as they seem to feed entirely on small 

 insects. 



Eggs taken 23rd May 1885 and I2th April 1886. 



It breeds from June to August, building a globular nest of broad grass 

 blades or bamboo leaves, and placing it among dead leaves on the ground or 

 not very high from the ground in a small shrub. Eggs 2 4 in number, and, 

 according to Hume, short, broad ovals, very slightly compressed towards one 

 end. Ground colour white or pinkish white, streaked, spotted and speckled 

 most thickly at the large end and thinly towards the small end, with shades 

 of red, brownish-red and reddish purple, varying much in different examples. 

 Some are said to be miniatures of some types of Pyctorhis sinensis. In length 

 they vary from 0-63 to 07, and in breadth from 0-5 to 0-56. 



Gen. Pellorneura- Sws. 



Bill moderately long, straight, compressed, very slightly hooked at the tip 

 and notched, the distance between the front of the nostril and tip of the bill 

 more than the length of the hind toe without claw ; rictal bristles feeble ; wing 

 rounded, the 5th, 6th and 7th quills nearly equal ; tail moderate, rounded, 

 less graduated than in Dumetia ; the distance between the tip of the outer 

 feather and tip of the middle feather less than the length of the tarsus ; tarsus 

 moderate, with four distinct scutes ; feet large ; mid-toe lengthened. 



603. Pellorneum nipalense (Hodgs.), Hume, Sir. F. 1879, p. 96 ; 



id. Str. F. 1880, p. 250; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 519. Hemipteron 

 nipalense, Hodgs., Icon. ined. Br. Mus. Passeres, pi. 170, fig. i. Pellorneum 

 ruficeps (non Swains.}, Gray, Cat. Mam., etc., Nepaul ; Hume, Str> F. 1873, 

 p. 403. Pellorneum mandellii, Pr. As. Soc. Beng. p. 215 ; Hume, Str. F. 

 1873, p. 298, note. Pellorneum pectoralis, Godw.-Aust., J, A. S. B. xlvi. 

 pt. 2, p. 41. The NEPAULESE SPOTTED WREN -BABBLER. 



