POMATOKIIINTS. 115 



Iris white ; eyelid plumbeous ; bill black ; inside of mouth 

 greenish yellow; legs and feet plumbeous brown; claws dusky 

 horny (Ley ye). 



Length nearly 10; tail 4-3; wing 4-5; tarsus 1'5; bill from 

 gape 1-2. 



Distribution. Ceylon, where it occurs in the humid parts up to 

 3500 feet of elevation. 



Habits, $'c. This bird is a true Crateropus in the structure of the 

 feathers of the head and in its general conformation. According 

 to Legge it is found in gloom and shade in the dampest forests in 

 troops of ten to twenty, and it is very noisy. 



Genus POMATORHINUS, Horsf., 1821. 



The genus Pomatorhinus contains a large number of birds which 

 form a very natural group. Seventeen species inhabit the Empire. 



In this genus the bill is quite as long as the head and frequently 

 much longer; it is very slender, much curved downwards and 

 compressed. The feathers of the forehead are short, rounded, and 

 close, as in the last two genera, but feathers do not grow on the 

 nasal membrane, which is perfectly bare. The tail is longer than 

 the wing and considerably graduated, the outer feather being two 

 thirds to three quarters the length of the tail. The feathers of 

 the crown are lengthened, and when erected, at such times as the 

 bird is excited, form a short crest. 



All the species lay white unspotted epgs and their nests are 

 constructed on or very near the ground. They are noisy birds, 

 but their notes are extremely pleasant. They are sociable and 

 have much the same habits as the Laughing-Thrushes. 



Key to the Species. 



a. With a white supercilium. 



a'. Bill short and deep, about length of head. 

 a". Breast and upper abdomen white like 



throat. 



a'". Sides of neck chestnut, quite dif- 

 ferent to upper plumage. 

 a 4 . Chestnut of neck produced down 

 side of breast and abdomen us a 

 band, 

 a"'. This band streaked with white. P. schisticeps, p. 116. 



b 5 . This band not streaked P. nuchalis, p. 117. 



fc l . Chestnut contined to side of neck. P. olivaceus, p. 118. 

 b"'. Sides of neck rufescent, matching 



upper plumage P. melanurus, p. 118. 



c'". Sides of neck black or brown. 



c l . Sides of neck and breast deep black. P. horsfieldii. p. 119. 

 d l . Sides of neck and breast brown, 

 nearly concolorous with upper 

 plumage P. obscwtts, p. 120. 



