POMATOBHINUS. 127 



breast with a few small spots of slaty grey ; sides of body and 

 the thighs rufous-ashy ; under tail-coverts ferruginous. 



Bill pale greenish or greyish horny ; legs and feet pale silvery 

 leaden; iris brown (//uie). 



Length about 11; tail 4'5 ; wing 4'3; tarsus 1-5; bill from 

 gape 1-8. 



The young bird wants the bright rusty colour on the side of the 

 head. 



There has been a good deal of controversy regarding this bird. 

 After studying the series in the British Museum, consisting of 

 about a dozen skins, I have arrived at the conclusion that P. inylisi 

 is the young bird, and P. hypoleucus the adult. The series contains 

 intermediate specimens showing a perfect gradation between the 

 two supposed species. 



Distribution. Assam from the Daphla hills to Sadiya; the Graro, 

 Khasi, and Naga hills ; Cachar ; Manipur ; Arrakan. 



132. Pomatorhinus tickelli. TickelVs Scimitar Babble)'. 



Pomatorhinus hypoleucus (Blyth}, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 273 



(1875). 

 Pomatorhinus tickelli, Blyth, Tickell, Ibis, 1883, p. 113(descr. nulla) ; 



Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis, 1878, p. 142; Oates, B. B. i, p. 76; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 429. 

 Orthorhinus tickeUi, Hume, S. F. v, p. 32 (1877) ; Hume $ Dav. 



S. F. vi, p. 285 ; Hume, Cat. no. 405 quat. ; Bingham, S. F. ix, 



p. 181 ; Hume, S. F. ix,.p. 253 ; xi, p. 153. 



Coloration. Upper plumage rich olive-brown, deeply tinged with 

 rufous on the tail and exposed parts of closed wing ; lores, cheeks, 

 and ear-coverts rufescent ; a patch of deep rufous on the side of 

 the neck behind the ear-coverts; a line commencing just over the 

 eye, passing over the ear-coverts and terminating in the neck- 

 patch, rufous, the feathers with central white streaks, increasing in 

 size posteriorly, and extending to the sides of the neck and shoulders ; 

 chin, throat, breast, and centre of abdomen white suffused with 

 a pink tinge ; sides of the breast deep slaty grey streaked with 

 white ; thighs and sides of body rufous -ashy ; under tail-coverts 

 ferruginous. 



The legs and feet vary a good deal, being pale bluish green, very 

 pale brown, or pale whitish blue ; the upper mandible pale brown, 

 the lower mandible pale whitish blue ; iris pale to dark brown and 

 brownish red ; naked patch behind eye flesh-colour, more or less 

 strongly tinged blue (Hume <$f Davisoii). 



Length nearly 12; tail 4-3; wing 4; tarsus 1-6; bill from 

 gape 1-8. 



Distribution. Tenasserim from Thatone to Tavoy among the 

 higher hill-ranges, extending eastward to the valley of the Thoung- 

 yeen. 



Habits, c. Mr. Davison remarks : "This Babbler 1 always found 



