FRANKLINIA. 377 



Distribution. The whole of the Empire and Ceylon, except Sind 

 and the more desert portions of Rajputana. This species is also 

 absent apparently from Central and Southern Tenasserim. With 

 these exceptions it is generally spread over the whole country. 

 It aseends the Himalayas and other mountains to a considerable 

 elevation, for I have seen specimens collected in Kashmir, at 

 Murree, and Darjiling, in Native Sikkim, and at Shillong. It is 

 everywhere a constant resident except on the higher parts of the 

 hills, which it probably abandons on the approach of winter. 



Habits, $c. F. yracilis frequents forests and wooded parts of the 

 country, as well as grass-lands. It breeds throughout the rains, 

 constructing a nest of grass in the cavity formed by a leaf, the 

 edges of which are skilfully stitched together. The eggs, three in 

 number, are pale blue, spotted with reddish brown, or sometimes 

 entirely unspotted, and measure "58 by *42. 



383. Franklinia rufescens. Beavan's Wren- Warbler. 



Prinia rufescens, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 456 (1847) ; id. Cat. 



p. 143; Godw.-Amt. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. ii, p. 16(3; Anders. 



Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 640 ; Hume, Cat. no. 536 bis j id. S. F. 



xi, p. 211. 

 Prinia beavani, Wold. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 551 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 136; 



Gates, S. F. v, p. 158 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 349 ; Hume, 



Cat. no. 538 bis; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 186; Gates, S. F. x, 



p. 219. 

 Prinia poliocephala, A. Anders. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 370, pi xix ; Hume, 



S. F. vii, p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 535 bis ; id. S. F. ix, p. 286. 

 Cisticola beavani ( Wald.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 255 ; Oates, 



B. B. i, p. 120. 



Cisticola poliocephala (A. Anders.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 257. 

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



p. 242. 



Coloration. In summer the lores are brown ; a streak from the 

 nostrils over the eye white ; forehead, crown, and nape ashy brown; 

 back, wing-coverts, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts rufous- 

 brown; tail more rufous, tipped with white, and each feather with 

 a large subterminal spot of brown ; wings brown, edged with rufous- 

 brown, and the tertiaries wholly of this colour ; sides of the head 

 ashy; lower plumage white, washed with buff, brighter on the 

 flanks. 



In winter the forehead, crown, and nape are a paler ashy, not 

 contrasting so much with the plumage of the remaining upper 

 parts. 



Iris reddish brown ; bill horn-colour, pinkish at base ; legs and 

 claws pinkish ; month flesh-colour. 



Wing 1-65 ; tarsus '75; bill from gape '6; in summer the total 

 length is about 4-5 and the tail 1'7; in winter the corresponding 

 dimensions are 5 and 2. 



Apart from the dark head, this species may be distinguished 



