TURDINUS. 



dusky cross bars under certain lights ; wing coverts like the back, greater 

 series and quills sepia brown, externally fulvescent olive brown; irides 

 reddish brown; eyelids plumbeous ; upper mandible dark brown, except the tip 

 and terminal third of the margins, which, together with the lower mandible, 

 are pale bluish ; legs and feet pinkish fleshy. 



Length. 5 '6 to 6-5 inches ; wing 2-9 to 2-95 ; tail 2 ; tarsus I ; culmen 0-85. 



Hab. N.-E. Bengal and Eastern Himalayas through Burmah and Tenas- 

 serim to the Malay peninsula and Borneo. It has been recorded from Nepaul, 

 Dacca, Pegu, Tenasserim, Malacca and Bankasoon, also from Arrakan on the 

 island of Ramree. Capt. Wardlaw-Ramsay obtained it in Tonghoo and at 

 the foot of the Karin Hills, Gates says it is only found in the thickest 

 vegetation, evergreen forests by preference, and also in pine-apple gardens 

 and secondary jungle. It keeps to the ground generally, but at times may be 

 seen tolerably high up in trees, searching for insects. He adds, that though 

 not gregarious, numerous birds are generally met with in one patch of jungle. 

 The species constructs its nest in May and June and part of July, a cup- 

 shaped structure of dead leaves lined with fern roots, which is placed near the 

 ground in some thick bush. The eggs, three in number, are of a beautiful 

 salmon pink colour scrawled and marked with deep purple. 



611. TurdinUS magnirOStris (Moore), Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 vii. p. 547. Alcippe magnirostris, Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 277. Malacop- 

 teron magnirostris, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. "$\j;Hume and Dav. Sir. F. 1878, 

 p. 274; Hut?ie, Sir. F. 1879, pp. 61, 96. Malacopterum rnagnirostre, Oates, 

 B. Br. Burm, i. p. 56. The BROWN-HEADED TREE-BABBLER. 



Adult (type of species). Head, neck, mantle and upper back dull oliva- 

 ceous brown, the lower back and rump more rufescent brown, with some long 

 plumes of yellowish white on the latter, forming a narrow band concealed by 

 the feathers of the rump ; lesser and median wing coverts like the back, the 

 greater series and the quills dusky brown, externally olivaceous brown, with a 

 slight rufous tinge ; upper tail coverts and tail uniform rufous, the feathers of 

 the latter a little browner towards the ends ; lores and feathers round the eye 

 ashy white ; over the eye a shade of grey ; ear coverts ashy brown with 

 dull whitish shaft lines; cheeks dull ashy, forming a broad and distinct 

 moustachial streak ; throat and abdomen white, also the under tail coverts ; 

 breast and sides of the body washed with ashy brown with a few 

 few streaks of ashy on the lower throat and foreneck ; axillaries and under 

 wing coverts buffy white, or white edged with pale fulvous; quills dusky brown 

 below, fulvescent along the edge of the inner web (Sharps) ; legs, feet and claws 

 pale bluish, sometimes a little darker and more plumbeous ; upper mandible 

 dark horny brown, the lower bluish white, pale blue or plumbeous ; gape dull 

 yellow ; irides red, varying from cinnabar to lake, and from lake to crimson. 

 ( W. Davison, Ex. Cat. B. Br. Mus.) 



