TEPHRODORNIS. 473 



a shallow nest of fine grass coated with cobwebs and bits of leaves 

 in small trees. The eggs, apparently always two in number, are 

 greenish white marked witji brown and measure about -65 by '53.* 



Genus TEPHRODORNIS, Swains., 1831. 



The genus Tephrodornis contains a few arboreal Shrikes of a grey 

 colour. They are more or less gregarious, occurring in small 

 bands of from four to six individuals, more rarely in pairs, and 

 they never descend to the ground, nor do they catch insects on the 

 wing. These Wood-Shrikes search the leaves of trees and they 

 are only found in forests or in well-wooded localities. 



In I epJirodornis the bill is very strong and about three quarters 

 the length of the head, strongly hooked and notched ; the nasal 

 bristles or hairs are very numerous and entirely conceal the nostrils; 

 the wing is blunt ; the tail short and square and the feet feeble. 

 The feathers of the rump are exceedingly ample and their shafts 

 are soft. In one Indian species the sexes are alike, in two others 

 slightly different. All three species are resident. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Tail almost entirely brown ; wing consider- 



ably over 4 inches. 



a'. Head grey; back ashy brown T. pelmcus, p. 473. 



b '. Head and back uniform bluish ashy .... T. sylvicola, p. 474. 



b. Outer tail-feathers white; wing considerably 



under 4 inches T. pondlcerianus, p. 475. 



486. Tephrodornis pelvicus. The Nepal Wood-Shrike. 



Tentheca pelvica, Hodgs. 2nd. Eev. i, p. 447 (1837). 

 Tephrodornis pelvica (Hodgs.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 153 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. 

 i, p. 171 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 409 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 156 ; 

 Hume, S. F. iii, p. 92 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iii, p. 276 ; Hume Sf 

 Dai\ S. F. vi, p. 205 ; Hume, Cat. no. 263 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 256 ; 

 Hume, S. F. xi, p. 93 ; Oates, in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. i, p. 330. 

 Ramnun-pho, Rabnun-pho, Lepch. 



CoUration. Male. Forehead, crown, and nape ashy grey ; back, 

 scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts ashy brown ; rump ashy brown, 

 tipped with white and obscurely barred with brown ; the shorter 



* Blyth gives Hemiptis obscurus, Horsf., from Mergui (Birds Burm. p. 122). 

 He gives DO authority for the occurrence of this species in Tenasserim, and 

 probably accepted the statement on insufficient grounds. This Pied Shrike, so 

 far as is known, occurs no further north than Malacca, and it is unlikely to 

 occur in Tenasserim, where Davison failed to meet with it. I shall therefore 

 not include it in this work, but I give a short description of the bird in order 

 that it may be identified if met with. 



Male. The wings, tail, and the whole upper plumage black, except the shorter 

 upper tail-coverts and the tips of the rump-feathers, which are white ; the 

 whole lower plumage and cheeks white, tinged with grey on the breast. 



Female. Brown wherever the male is black. 



Length about 6 ; tail 2 '2 ; wing 2'6 ; tarsus '45 ; bill from gape '8. 



