MALACOPTERU3J. 151 



soft and silky. The two Indian species of this genus appear to be 

 more arboreal than any of the preceding genera, and to have 

 somewhat of the deportment of Bulbuls. The rictal bristles are 

 very conspicuous on account of their length. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Crown bright ferruginous M. magnum, p. 151 . 



6. Crown olive-brown M. magnirostre t p. 151. 



15G. Malacopterum magnum. The Red-headed Tree-Babbler. 



Malacopteron magnum, Hi/ton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 103; Horsf. # M. 

 Cat. i, p. 225 ; Hume&'Dav. S.F. vi, p. 270 ; Hume, Cat. no. 396 

 ter. ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 55 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 564. 



Malaropteron niajus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 461 (1847) j id. Cat. 

 p. 148, App. p. xxi; Tiueedd. Ibis, 1877, p. 309. 



Coloration. Forehead and crown bright ferruginous, the anterior 

 feathers black-shafted and the posterior ones faintly edged with 

 black ; lores and a broad supercilium grey, the middle o*f the feathers 

 whitish ; the whole nape black ; ear-coverts fulvous brown with 

 pale shafts ; the whole upper plumage olive-brown, tinged with 

 ferruginous on the rump, which colour also suffuses the upper tail- 

 coverts and the outer webs of the tail-feathers ; cheeks mottled 

 grey and white ; chin, throat, and upper breast white, streaked 

 with grey ; remainder of lower plumage greyish white. 



Legs, feet, and claws blue, varying from pale plumbeous to pale 

 smalt-blue; upper mandible dark horny brown, lower mandible 

 and often the edges of the upper plumbeous blue or white tinged 

 with blue, fading to bluish w 7 hite at the tip; iris carmine to 

 orange-red, changing probably according to age, as a younger bird 

 has it pale sienna-brown (Hume <Sf Davison). 



Length about 7 ; tail 3 ; wing 3-5 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1. 



Distribution. The extreme south of Tenasserim, extending down 

 the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo. 



Habits, $-c. According to Davison this bird hunts about trees and 

 bushes in pairs or small parties, seldom or never descending to 

 the ground. Its weak feet corroborate this description of its habits. 



157. Malacopterum magnirostre. The Brown-headed Tree-BalUer. 



Alcippe magnirostris, Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 277 ; Horsf. fy M. 



Cat. i, p. 407. 

 Malacopteron magnirostris (Moore), Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 274 j 



Hume Cat. no. 396 quint. 



Malacopterum magnirostre (Moore), Oates, B. B. i, p. 56. 

 Turdinus magnirostris (Moore), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 547. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, and back olive-brown, the 

 feathers of the forehead with black shafts ; wing-coverts and ex- 

 posed parts of quills rufescent olive ; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 bright chestnut-brown ; feathers round the eye white ; lores and 



