160 CRATEllOPODIDyE. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Crown and sides of head black It. atriceps, p. 160. 



b. Forehead and ear-coverts only black R. nigrifrons, p. 160. 



c. Ear-coverts only blackish It. bourdilloni, p. 161. 



166. Rhopocichla atriceps. The Blade -headed Babbler. 



Brachypteryx atriceps, Jerd. Madr. Journ. L. S. x, p. 250 (1839). 



Alcippe atriceps (Jerd.), Blyth, Cat. p. 148; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 19; 

 Hume, Cat. no. 890 ; Butler, 8. F. ix, p. 399 ; l)avison, S. F. x, 

 p. 375 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 625 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 175. 



Khopocichla atriceps (Jerd.), Odtes in Hume's N, Sf E. 2nd ed. i, 



p. 109. 

 The Black-headed Wren-Babbler, Jerd. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, ear-coverts, and under the 

 eye black ; the whole upper plumage fulvous brown ; lower plu- 

 mage dull white, changing to olivaceous on the flanks and under 

 tail-coverts ; the exposed parts of the closed wings and tail like 

 the back. 



Iris bright yellow ; the lower mandible and the commissure of 

 the upper fleshy pink ; rest of the upper mandible dull black ; legs, 

 feet, and claws sometimes pale plumbeous, sometimes pure fleshy 

 pink, at other times pink more or less strongly tinged with purple 

 (Davison). 



Length about 5-5 ; tail 2 ; wing 2-3 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from gape '7. 



Distribution. The Nilgiris and the western coast of India up to 

 Belgaurn. This Babbler is found up to 5000 feet or even higher. 



Habits, $c. Davison remarks that this bird goes about in larger 

 or smaller parties and seems to prefer bamboo and scrub jungle. 

 It breeds in May, June, and July, constructing an egg-shaped nest 

 of blades of grass in clumps of bamboo or among weeds near the 

 ground. The eggs, two or three in number, are white speckled 

 with brownish and purplish red, and measure '77 by '55. 



167. Rhopocichla nigrifrons. The Black-fronted Babbler. 



Alcippe nigrifrons, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviji, p. 815 (1849) ; id. Cat. 



p. 340 ; Legge, S. F. iii, p. 367 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 383 ; id. Cat. 



no. 390 ter ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 507, pi. xxvii, figs. 2 & 3 ; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 625. 

 Rhopocichla nigrifrons (Blyth), Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. i, 



p. 110. 

 Batitchia, Ceyl. 



Coloration. Forehead, ear-coverts, and all round the eye black, 

 the shafts of the feathers of the forehead glistening; the whole 

 upper plumage, sides of neck, and visible portions of the wings and 

 tail rufous-brown, darkest on the crown; lower plumage, cheeks, 

 and under the ear-coverts dull white, tinged with olivaceous on the 

 sides of the breast and body ; vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts 

 rufpus-brown ; the feathers of the cheeks with lengthened black 

 shafts; under wing-coverts pale fulvous. 



