MYZORNIS. 173 



The young, Mr. Sharpe describes as browner in colour, upper tail coverts 

 being somewhat rufescent ; quills and tail feathers margined externally with 

 rufescent brown instead of dull olive brown ; head ashy brown, the crest 

 being dingy black ; lores and chin spot black as in the adult ; the under 

 surface whitish, washed with fulvous. 



Hab. The Himalayas, extending eastwards into the Naga hills and to 

 the borders of Moupin and Szetchuen. It is recorded by Sharpe from 

 N.-W. Himalayas, Nepaul and Sikkim. Reid, in his Catalogue of Birds in the 

 Provincial Museum at Lucknow, notes it from Ranibagh, Himalayas and 

 Kumaon. According to Jerdon, it is a rare bird. It is said to breed near 

 Moupin, but Hume notes a nest taken by Mr. Gammie on the 1 7th June 

 below Rungbee, at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, which was placed in a 

 large tree at a height of about 10 feet from the ground and contained four 

 hard set eggs. The nest is said to be a mere pad of moss below, mingled 

 with a little wool and moss roots, and above with excessively fine grass roots. 

 The eggs are tiny, little elongated ovals, pure white and absolutely glossless, 

 measuring 0*58 by 0*43 0*5. 



Gen. MyzomiS- Hodgs. 



Bill rather long, slightly curved, slender, entire ; nostrils almost closed by 

 an impending scale ; gape with a few fine vibrissae ; wings much graduated ; 

 4th, 5th, 6th, and yth quills subequal and longest ; tail short, even ; tarsus 

 moderate ; outer toe much syndactyle ; claws moderately curved, hind claw 

 large (Jerd.}\ crest only moderately developed. Plumage soft, dense, and 

 copious, very puffy over the rump ; feathers of the head scale-like ; tongue 

 brushed. Only one species confined to the North-Eastern Himalayas. 



658. Myzornis pyrrhura, Hodgs., J.A. S. Beng. xii p. 984; 



id., in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82; ztf., J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 561 ; Blyth, Cat. 

 B. As. Soc. p. 101 ; Gould, B. Asia, pt. viii.; Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p, 263. 

 Yuhina pyrrhoura, Hodgs., Icon. ined. in Br. Mus. Passeres^ pi, 67, figs, i, 2 

 (No. 694) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 397. Myzornis pyrrhurus, Hume, Sir. F. 1879, 

 p. 104. The FIRE-TAILED FLOWER-PECKER. 



Above grass green ; wing coverts the same ; the head bright emerald 

 green ; the feathers with black centres and scale-like in appearance ; lores and 

 eyelids black ; primary coverts green, tipped with bluish, forming an alar 

 speculum ; quills black, tipped with white, the secondaries edged with chestnut, 

 the innermost grass green ; tail feathers dark ashy, tipped with black, reddish 

 on their outer webs, the two centre feathers only greenish on their inner webs ; 

 a faint indication of a yellowish green supercilium ; sides of the face and 

 under surface of body grass green, with a rufous shade on the throat and 

 breast, also on the abdomen ; under tail coverts saffron yellow ; axillaries and 

 under wing coverts greenish, washed with yellow, their bases yellow. Bill 

 dusky brown ; legs fleshy ; iris brown. 



