144 CKATEROPODID.E. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, and nape dark chocolate-brown, 

 the shafts fulvous ; upper plumage dark olive-brown, the tail tipped 

 narrowly with ochraceous, the feathers of the wing- coverts and 

 back with pale shafts, and the edges of the primaries tinged with 

 rufous ; lores, sides of the head and neck, and the whole lower 

 plumage sienna-brown, the sides of the neck and breast with 

 obscure dark striations on some of the feathers, the striations occa- 

 sionally almost entirely absent. 



Some birds have the crown and upper plumage paler, and these 

 seem to be found in the northern part of Ceylon only ; others 

 having these parts darker are found in the south-western and 

 central portions of the island only. 



The iris varies from light reddish to dark red ; eyelid olivaceous ; 

 upper mandible deep brown with a pale margin, lower flesh-colour ; 

 legs and feet brownish fleshy; claws pale brownish (Legge). 



Length about 6-5 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 2'6 ; tarsus 1*1 ; bill from 

 gape -8. 



Distribution. Ceylon, up to 6000 feet or more of elevation. 



Habits, &fc. A nest found in Ceylon, said to have belonged to this 

 bird, was cup-shaped, loosely constructed of moss and leaves, and 

 placed in a bramble about three feet from the ground. 



148. Pellorneum ignotum. The Assam Babbler. 



Pellorneum ignotum, Hume, S. F. v, p. 334 (1877) ; id. Cat. no. 399 



ter A ; id. S. F. xi, p. 146. 

 Turdinus nagaensis, Godivin- Austen, A. M. N. H. (4) xx, p. 519 



(1877) ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 143 ; Godw.-Amt. J. A. S. B. xlvii, 



pt. ii, p. 16. 

 Drymocataphus ignotus (Hume\ Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 556. 



Coloration. Whole upper plumage, tail, and exposed parts of 

 wings rufescent olive-brown, the shafts of the feathers nowhere 

 markedly paler, and the forehead not differing from the crown in 

 colour ; wings and tail rather more rufescent than the back ; lores 

 and over the eyes greyish brown ; ear-coverts brown with paler 

 shafts ; sides of neck like the back ; chin, throat, centre of breast 

 and abdomen dull white, very slightly mottled with rufescent 

 brown ; remainder of lower plumage rusty brown. 



Iris dark brown ; legs and feet light sienna-grey (Godw.-Aust.}. 



Length 5-7 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 2-2 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from gape *65. 



Distribution. The Eastern Naga hills ; Dhollah, in the Dibrugarh 

 district of Assam. 



Genus DRYMOCATAPHUS, Blyth, 1849. 



This genus contains four Indian species which are allied in 

 habits to Pellorneum, but differ from it in having a conspicuously 

 shorter tail and longer bill. Two of the species are very closely 

 allied to each other, and are not easily identified without actual 



