DENDEOCITTA. 33 



Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from the Sutlej valley 

 to Sadiya, and theuce through the Assam hill-tracts to Tenasserim, 

 where it has been procured as far south as Muleyit mountain. 

 In the Tweeddale collection there is a specimen labelled as having 

 been obtained at Murree, and Blyth records the species from 

 Arrakau, whence, however, I have not seen a specimen. It is 

 found in hilly tracts at elevations from 2000 to 6000 or 7000 feefc, 

 and does not appear to occur in the plains. 



Habits, $'C. According to Jerdon, this species is found in the 

 more open parts of the forest and near cultivation and villages. It 

 breeds from May to August. The nest is usually a shallow, flimsy 

 saucer of twigs built in a small tree. The eggs, which are marked 

 with olive-brown, measure 1*14 by *85. 



A closely allied species is D. sinen-sis, with which the present 

 species was long confounded. D. sinensis occurs throughout 

 China, is of smaller size, has the tail-coverts whiter and the central 

 tail-feathers entirely white. 



19. Dendrocitta frontalis. The Black-br<xved Tree-pie. 



Dendrocitta frontalis, McC'lell. P. Z. S. 1839, p. 163 ; Horsf. $ M. 

 Cat. ii, p. 569 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 317 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. IS. B. xlv, 

 pt. ii, p. 83 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iii, p. 78 ; Hume, Cat. no. 677 ; 

 id. S. F. xi, p. 260. 



Crypsirhina altirostris, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 932 (1843). 



Dendrocitta altirostris (Blyth), Blyth, Cat. p. 92. 



The Black-broived Magpie, Jerd. ; Hamshi-bon, Lepch. ; Kolio-Ko, 

 Bhut. 



Fig. 12. Head of D. jrontalis. 



Coloration. Forehead, the greater part of the crown, sides of the 

 head, chin, throat, fore neck, tail, wing -quills, and the primary- 

 coverts black; the remainder of the wing ash-grey; nape, hind 

 neck, upper back, sides of the neck, breast, and upper abdomen 

 pale grey ; lower back, scapulars, rump, upper tail-coverts, lower 

 abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts chestnut, the thighs tinged 

 with brown. 



The colour of the bill, &c., does not appear to have been 

 recorded. 



YOL. i. D 



