133 Zoological Society : — 



Orthotomus Bennettii et O. lingoo, Sykes, P. Z. S. (1832) p. 90. 

 Lafres. Mag. de Zool. (183G) t. 52, 53. Jerdon, Madr. Journ. xi. p. I . 

 Hodgs. Cat. B. Nep. p. 63. 



Orthotomus mfcapiUa, Huttou, J. A. S. Beng. u. p. o04 (1833). 

 Orthotomus sphenurus, Swains. 2\ Cent. p. 343 (1838). ^ 



Orthotomus sutorius, v. ruficapilluSy v. sphenunis, Hodgs. Gray s 

 Zool. Misc. (1844) p. 82. 



Orthotomus sutoria et O. patla, Hodgs. P. Z. S. (1845) p. 29. 

 S^/io/'iV/ ff^?fe, Nicholson, P. Z. S. (1851) p. 194. 

 The Indian Tailor Bird. 

 Phutki, of the Hindoos, Jerdon. 

 Tuntuni, of the Bengalese, Hamilton, Blyth. 

 Patia, or " Leaf Bird," Nepal, Hodgson. 



Hah. India generally; Ceylon; Burmese comitries ; Malayan 

 peninsula ? . . 



This species is too well known to require further description. 

 " The Tailor Bird is tolerably common in most wooded districts, and 

 universally spread, frequenting cultivated ground, especially gardens, 

 groves of trees, and is also found in high jungle, in the more open 

 spaces. It lives in pairs or in small flocks, incessantly hoppmg about 

 the branches of trees and shrubs, peas and other vegetables, with a 

 loud reiterated note, and picking various insects (chiefly ants and 

 small larvae) off the bark and leaves, and not unfrequently seeking 

 them on the ground. It has the habit of frequently jerking up its 

 tail while feeding or hopping about, and at times (especially when 

 calling) it has the power of raising the feathers on the lower part of 

 the throat, and displaving on either side a small black stripe. This 

 has been noted bv no" one except Lieut. Hutton, who states, * it is 

 only seen when the bird is in motion, and wholly disappears when in 

 a state of rest.' It has various notes, one of which sounds like twee, 

 twee, twee, as mentioned by Col. Sykes, and another which is gene- 

 rally used when alarmed or angry, and sounds \±q chick, chick, chick, 

 chicky, chick. It is a familiar bird, and ventures close to houses, 

 but when observed becomes wary." — Jerdon. 



Dr. Nicholson says, "It has 'a loud, short, and not unmelodious 

 song ; its genei-al cry being ' wheet, wheet, wheet; often repeated ; 

 but'^its alarm cry is like ' cheertah, cheertah, cheertah.' " 



The following are a few observations on the structure of two speci- 

 mens of the nest of the Tailor Bird, found in the garden belonging 

 to Capt. Hearsey, by Lieut. Hutton : "The first was neatly formed 

 of raw cotton and bits of cotton threads, woven strongly together, 

 thickly lined with horse-hair, and supported between two leaves on a 

 twig of the Amaltas tree {Cassia fistula ). These two leaves were 

 first placed longitudinally upon each other, and stitched m that posi- 

 tion from the points to rather more than halfway up the sides with 

 a strong thread spun from tlic raw cotton by the bird, lea\ing the 

 entrance to the nest at the point where they join the branch of the 

 tree. Both of these leaves were of course green and living. Subse- 

 quentlv, however, they were blo.va down by a high wind, and being 

 now withered, the nest appears enclosed between two dead leaves. 



