THE ROCK THRUSH AND THE BABBLERS. 85 



reddish buffy under-parts. It makes a curious nest, 

 a regular ball of coarse grass, with a hole in one side. 

 The first I ever found was in a Bombay garden and 

 was not made of grass, but of the curly paper shav- 

 ings in which eau-de-cologne bottles are packed. 

 How the bird came by this material is a question on 

 which the imagination may exercise itself pleasantly. 



Besides these there are several Thrushes which, 

 though they do not like to reside in Bombay, belong to 

 this part of the country and are too pretty and too in- 

 teresting to be omitted altogether. Among them is the 

 White-winged Ground Thrush (Geocichla cyanotis)^ 

 most common and least seen of all the beautiful birds 

 that haunt the cool shades of Matheran. As you walk 

 along any quiet path you may hear it whisking the 

 fallen leaves about with its beak, and if you bear 

 yourself gently, it will let you come very near. Its 

 back and Avings are slaty, or leaden, blue, but the rest 

 of its costume is of a fine, golden fawn colour. The 

 sides of its face are white, with two dark cheek 

 stripes, by which you may know it among a hundred. 

 Though generally so silent, it can sing sweetly and 

 would make a charming cage-bird. 



There is another rainbow-tinted creature to which 

 good Jerdon has done injustice by his clumsy and 

 pointless name the Yellow-breasted Ground Thrush 

 (Pitta bengalensis). Its native name, Nowrung, or 

 " Nine colours," is better. The crown of its head is 

 golden olive and black, its mantle green, lower back 

 pale blue, chin and throat white, breast yellowish 

 fawn, tip of tail bottle green, under tail coverts crim- 

 son, legs and feet pink. This bird seldom leaves the 

 ground, even making its nest at the root of a bush, 



