TESIA. J91 



Elaphrornis has the bill similar to that of Drymochares, and short 

 rictal bristles ; the wing is extremely rounded, the tail of moderate 

 length and much graduated, and the tarsus long. The plumage is 

 very soft and ample, especially on the back and rump. 



200. Elaphrornis palliseri. The Ceylon Short-wing. 



Brachypteryx (?) palliseri, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xx, p. 178 (1851) ; Holds- 

 worth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 443, pi. xviii ; Hume. S. F. vii, p. 377 ; id. 

 Cat. no. 338 bis. 



Elaphrornis palliseri (Bl.},Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 514, pi. xxiv, fig 1 . 2 ; 

 Shtuye, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 517 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. 

 i, p. 131. 



Coloration. The whole upper plumage, tail, and exposed parts 

 of the wings olive-brown, tinged with rufous on the tail and upper 

 tail-coverts ; lores, the ear-coverts, and under the eye dark brown, 

 the ear-coverts with whitish shafts ; a dull white line over the 

 lores, extending over the eye ; chin fulvous white, throat rusty 

 fulvous ; middle of the abdomen yellowish ; remainder of the lower 

 parts slaty olive, the flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts with a 

 rufous tinge. 



The male has the iris clear red ; bill black, slaty at the base be- 

 neath ; legs and feet deep neutral brown or purplish brown ; claws 

 pale brownish horn ; in the female the iris is buff (Legye). 



Length about 6-5 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 2-4 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape -8. 



A young bird, or perhaps an adult female, resembles the adult 

 above described generally, but has the chin and throat fulvous white, 

 barred or mottled with greenish, and the rusty-fulvous patch on the 

 throat is altogether wanting. 



Legge remarks that the iris of the young male is pale reddish 

 buff and that of the young female white. 



Distribution. Ceylon, above 5000 feet of altitude. 



Habits, $-c. This species is found in thick brushwood, feeding on 

 the ground. Mr. Bligh found a nest in April : a deep cup-shaped 

 structure of moss lined with roots, placed in a thick bush. The 

 nest contained three young birds. 



Genus TESIA, Hodgs., 1837. 



The genus Tesia of Hodgson was made to embrace several species 

 of birds which are not now considered congeneric ; but as Tesia 

 cyaniventris was the first species enumerated by him, it may fairly 

 be considered the type, and as such I adopt it. 



In Tesia the bill is rather more than half the length of the head, 

 broad at the base, flattened, and blunt. The wings are excessively 

 short and rounded, the tail extremely short, and the tarsi very long. 



Tesia contains one Indian species, which inhabits the Himalayas 

 and the Eastern hill-ranges. In this genus the sexes are differ- 

 ently coloured, and the young bird does not resemble the female so 



