ALCIPPE. 157 



a . No trace of a superciliiiin A. phceocephala, p. 158. 



b' . Traces of a supereiliimi produced as a 



band oil upper back A. phayrii, p. 158. 



163. Alcippe nepalensis. The Nepal Babbler. 



Siva nipalensis, Hodys. Ind. Rev. p. 89 (1838). 



Alcippe nipalensis (Hody.), Bli/th, Cat. p. 148; Horsf. $ M. Cat, 

 i, p. 226; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 18; Godw.-Anst. J. A.' S. B. xxxix, 

 pt. ii, p. 103 ; ILnm; N. $ E. p. 240 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, 

 p. 260 ; Hume, Cat. no. 388 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 287 ; Octtes, 

 />'. />'. i, p. 68 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 620 ; Hume, S. F. xi, 

 p. 138 ; Oates in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. i, p. 104. 



The Nepal Quaker-Thrush, Jerd. ; Sam-dayal-pho, Lepch. 



Fig. 46. Head of A. nepalensis. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, and upper back ashy brown ; 

 sides of the head and of the neck paler ashy brown ; a very con- 

 spicuous ring of white feathers round the eye ; lores grey ; a black 

 supercilium commencing narrowly over the eye, widening gradually 

 and extending to the upper back, where it becomes more or less 

 streaky; lower back, scapulars, wing-coverts, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and tail fulvous brown; wings brown, edged with fulvous 

 on the outer webs ; chin whitish ; lower plumage pale buff or 

 earthy brown, albescent on the abdomen. 



Bill grey or livid horny, the base of the upper mandible and a 

 line along the culmen black ; iris hazel-brown ; feet livid fleshy ; 

 claws grey-horny (Scully). 



Length about 5 ; tail 2-4 ; wing 2'3 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape 

 55. 



This species can be easily separated from A. phayrii and A. 

 plicwcepJiala by its smaller size, its conspicuous white orbital ring 

 of feathers, and by its long well-marked black supercilia. 



Distribution. The Himalayas from Nepal to the extreme east of 

 Assam ; the Khasi andNaga hills ; Manipur ; the hilly portions of 

 Tenasserim from Karennee and Toungngoo down to Nwalabo 

 mountain. Hume records this bird from the northern portion of 

 the Pegu hills, and Blyth from Arrakan. In the Himalayas it is 

 found up to 5000 feet or more. 



Habits, fyc. This bird is found in thick jungle, feeding on the 

 ground in small parties, and creeping among bushes in search of 

 insects. It has a low twittering note. It breeds from March to 

 May, constructing a small cup-shaped nest of bamboo-leaves and 

 grass in the fork of a bush close to the ground. The eggs, three 

 or four in number, are pinkish, blotched with maroon-reel, am} 

 measure *77 by '58. 



