MINLA. 245 



Length about 7 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape -75. 



Distribution. The Himalayas from Garhwal to the Daphla hills 

 in Assam ; the Khasi and Na'ga hills ; Manipur ; the Kakhyen hills 

 east of Bhamo ; the Karen hills east of Toungngoo ; Karennee ; 

 the glopes of Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim. The range of 

 this bird extends to the mountains of Perak. 



Habits t $c. This species is found from 3000 to about 7000 feet 

 of elevation. It breeds from March to June, constructing a cup- 

 shaped nest of moss or of grass, \vith creeper-stems intermingled, 

 in shrubs and small trees. The eggs resemble those of LiotJirix 

 lutea very closely, and measure '86 by '62. 



Genus MINLA, Hodgs., 1838. 



The genus Minla, as I restrict it, contains one Indian bird of 

 pleasing plumage, found on the Himalayas and on some of the hill- 

 ranges of Assam. 



In Minla the bill is very similar in shape to that of Cutia, but 

 very much smaller. The head is subcrested, the wing rounded, 

 and the tail, v^hich is as long as the \\ing, slightly graduated. 



258. Miula igneitincta. The Red-tailed Minla. 



Minla ignotincta, Hodf/s. Ind. Rev. 1838, p. 33 ; Je)'d. B. I. ii, p. 254 ; 



Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 45 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. 11. xliii, 



pt. ii, p. 169 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 93 ; id. Cat. no. 618 ; Scully, S. F. 



viii, p. 319 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 606 ; Oates in Hvme's 



N. fy E. 2nd ed. i, p. 161. 

 Leiothrix ignitincta (Hodgs.), Blyth, Cat. p. 99 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. 



i, p. 366. 



The Red-tailed Hill-Tit, Jeid. ; Minla, Nepal; Megblim ayene, Lepch. 



Coloration. Male. The forehead, crown, nape, and the middle 

 of the upper back black ; a very broad and distinct supercilium 

 from the forehead to the end of the black point on the back, 

 blending more or less with the supercilium on the other side of the 

 crown, white; lores, ear-coverts, and a band extending nearly to 

 the end of the white supercilium, black ; back, rump, and scapulars 

 deep vinaceous; upper tail-coverts black; tail black, tipped and 

 edged on the outer webs with crimson, the two middle feathers 

 with a white streak at the base of the inner webs, the outer feathers 

 suffused with red on the inner webs ; wing-coverts and tertiaries 

 black, edged with white, the latter also broadly tipped white ; 

 primaries and secondaries black, edged with crimson on the greater 

 part of the outer webs, the earlier primaries margined with white 

 near the tips, the later secondaries tipped with white; chin 

 yellowish white ; entire lower plumage yellow, sparingly and 

 narrowly streaked with brown. 



Ftmale. Differs from the male in having the back, rump, 



