120 CKATEKOPODID^;. 



121. Pomatorhinns obscurus. Hume's Scimitar Babbler. 



Pomatorhinus obscurus, Hume, 8. F. i, p. 7 (1873) ; Butler, S. F. iii, 

 p. 471 ; Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis, 1878, p. 137 ; Hume, Cat. no. 404 

 ter ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 416; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 178. 



Coloration. Resembles P. horsfieldii. Differs in being everywhere 

 of a much paler colour, a sort of earthy brown, with the sides of 

 the head slightly darker than the other parts, and in being without 

 the black band which in the other species borders the white breast 

 and abdomen. 



Legs and feet greenish plumbeous ; iris dark red ; bill dirty 

 yellow, black at base above (Hume). 



Length about 10 ; tail 4*1 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 1*3 ; bill from 

 gape 1-2. 



From the examination of a large series of specimens of both 

 species in the British Museum it is quite certain that P. obscurus is 

 not a larger bird than P. horsfieldii, as was asserted by Hume when 

 he described the former species. The bill of P. obscurus is perhaps 

 the larger of the two if an average is taken, but it is by no means 

 a feature to be depended on. The chief point to rely on in dis- 

 criminating this bird is the absence of the black border to the 

 white of the lower parts. 



Distribution. I have examined specimens of this species from 

 Khandala, Matheran, Bombay, Khandesh, Abu, and Seoni. At 

 Abu it is found only on the mount and not in the plains, and its 

 true home appears to be the Vindhya and Satpura ranges as far 

 east as Seoni. 



Habits, fyc. Butler remarks that this species, unlike P. horsfieldii, 

 is not gregarious, but occurs singly or in pairs. The notes of the 

 two species appear to be alike. 



122. Pomatorhinus ferruginosus. The Coral-billed 

 Scimitar Babbler. 



Pomatorhinus ferruginosus, Btyth,J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 597 (1845) j id. 



Cat. p. 146 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 236 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 29 ; 



Hume, N. $ E. p. 249 ; Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis, 1878, p. 134, 



pi. iv, fig. 1 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. ii, p. 75 ; Hume, Cat. 



no. 401 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 288 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 422 ; 



Hume, S. F. xi, p. 146 j Oates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. i, 



p. 86. 

 Pomatorhinus rubiginosus, Blyth, J. A, S. B. xxiv, p. 273 (1855). 



Piong-Kohut or Poniong-hut, Lepch. ; Bhotetet, Bhut. ; Pot-gongor, 

 Daphla. 



Coloration. The feathers of the forehead rufous and lengthened ; 

 crown, nape, lores, under the eye, the ear-coverts, and a patch 

 behind them black ; a distinct supercilium to the nape, the chin 

 and the cheeks, as far back as the ear-coverts, white ; the upper 

 plumage, the tail, and the visible portion of the closed wings olive- 

 brown, tinged with rufous ; chin and throat white ; breast and 



