LIOTHRIX. 179 



Gen. LiothriX- Swainson. 



General character of the genus Mesia ; upper tail coverts very long, reach- 

 ing nearly to the end of the tail ; tarsus long and slender j wings shorter than 

 the tail. 



665. Liothrix lutea, Scop. (Biyth), J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 552; id., 



Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 99; Gould., B.Asia pl.iii.; Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p. 250, 

 No. 614. Sylvia lutea, Scop., Del., Flor. et. Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 96. Liothrix 

 lutea, Swinh. % P. Z. S. 1863, p. 298; Blyth, B. Burm. p. 109; Hume, Sir. 

 F. 1879, P- IO 4; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 644. Liothrix luteus, 

 Oates, B. Br. Burm. i. p. 142. Leiothrix callypyga, Hodgs., Ind. Rev. 

 ii. p. 88 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, Ind. B. p. 390. The RED-BILLED 

 HILL-TIT. 



Above, including the wing coverts, dull olive greenish ; the primary coverts 

 and bastard wing tinged with yellow ; primaries dark brown, the first seven 

 fiery orange tinged with yellow basally, and golden yellow on the outer 

 margins ; secondaries glossy black externally, and orange at the base of their 

 outer webs, some of the others orange yellow towards the tip of their outer 

 webs and some margined throughout with vermilion ; upper tail coverts 

 browner than the back, with a subterminal bar of grey and tipped white ; tail 

 ashy brown, the feathers glossy black along the outer margin and at tip ; head 

 brighter yellowish green than the back ; lores pale yellow ; ear coverts dull 

 grey ; feathers round the eye pale yellow j a slaty moustachial streak from the 

 bill to below the ear coverts ; chin and throat deep yellow, tinged with orange 

 and terminating in a bright orange gorget on the lower throat ; breast and 

 centre of abdomen greyish yellow, deeper on the tinder tail coverts ; sides 

 of the body, flanks and thighs light ashy brown washed with greenish olive ; 

 under wing coverts and axillaries light ashy. The female has the orange 

 gorget paler and the flaming red of the wing replaced by orange yellow. 



Sharpe says, considerable allowance must be made for the fading of colours 

 in this species,, for the way in which the green and yellow colours vanish is 

 most remarkable, the former changing to grey and the latter becoming very 

 pale. Bill, coral red ; legs fleshy brown ; irides brown. 



Hab- Throughout the Himalayas, to the hills of N.-E. Bengal, and through- 

 out Southern China. Common about Dehra Doon and Darjeeling, also on the 

 Khasia hills, in Sikkim, Bhootan and the Kakhyen hills. Blyth records it from 

 Arrakan, and Dr. Anderson obtained it near Bhamo. Jerdon says it is one of 

 the most common birds about Darjeeling. It usually associates in small 

 parties of five or six, frequenting the dense thickets and underwood which 

 spring up wherever the forest is partially cleared. Its food consists of berries, 

 fruit, seeds and insects. Its usual note is a chattering call, but in the spring 

 it has a pleasing song. It breeds from April to August at elevations of from, 



