112 CBATEEOPODTD^. 



the peninsula. This bird appears to ascend the hills to about 5000 

 feet of elevation or probably higher in the south. 



Habits, fyc. Has much the habits of Argya, but is arboreal, not 

 confining itself to any particular sort of jungle. It is very noisy 

 and goes about in flocks. Breeds from March to July and in the 

 south of India even in the dry weather up to December. The nest 

 is placed in thick low trees or in bushes or hedges, and the eggs, 

 generally three in number, measure 1*01 by '78. One or more 

 species of Cuckoos select the nest of this bird in which to deposit 

 their eggs. 



111. Crateropus griseus. The White-headed Babbler. 



Turdus griseus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 824 (1788). 



Malacocercus griseus (Gm.}, Jerd. 111. Ind.'Orn. pi. 19; Blyth, 



Cat. p. 141 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 220 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 60; id. 



Ibis, 1872, p. 307 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 271 ; id. Cat. no 433 ; 



Damson, S. F. x, p. 381 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 179. 

 Crateropus griseus (Gm.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 480; Oates in 



Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed, i, p. 78, 



Khyr, Hind. ; Chinda or Sida, Tel. ; Kalli-Kuravi, Tarn. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, lores, and round the eye 

 dingy greyish white, sometimes extending over the hind neck ; 

 upper plumage ashy brown, the feathers of the back with white 

 shaft-stripes and a black streak on both webs ; quills black, narrowly 

 edged on the outer webs with ashy ; tail ashy brown on the basal 

 half and dark brown on the terminal half, which is tipped with 

 whitish ; tail and tertiaries cross-rayed with blackish ; cheeks and 

 ear-coverts dark brown ; chin, throat, and breast black, with ashy 

 margins to the feathers ; middle of abdomen fulvous ; remainder 

 of lower plumage brown. 



Legs, feet, claws, bill, and orbital skin dead white, slightly tinged 

 with yellow ; iris creamy white (Davison). 



Length about 9 ; tail 4 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 1*3 ; bill from gape -9. 



This species is a fairly well marked one, being recognizable by 

 its whitish head and dark ear-coverts. 



Distribution. Southern India from the extreme south up to about 

 a line drawn from Ellore through Secunderabad to Belgaum. 



Habits, $c. Breeds apparently throughout the year, constructing 

 a nest of grass-stems and roots in trees and bushes, not far off the 

 ground. The eggs measure '95 by -68. 



112. Crateropus striatus. The Southern-Indian Babbler. 



Malacocercus striatus, Swains. Zool. III. new series, pi. 127 (1831) ; 



Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 59 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 300 ; Holdsw. P. Z. S. 



1872, p. 449 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 458, vii, p. 385 ; id. Cat. no. 432 



bis j Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 494 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 479. 



Crateropus striatus (Sw.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 481 ; Oates in 



Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. i, p. 79. 

 Demelitcha, Ceyl. ; Punil, Tarn. 



