PTERORHINU8TROCIIALOPTERUM 147 



range about in small parties of 3-7 individuals. It breeds in 

 April and places its nest in a dense bush about four feet above 

 the ground, and constructs it of grass straws sheep's wool and a 

 few horsehairs. Prjevalsky found a nest in August containing 

 young, but the eggs of this species are as yet unknown. 



PTERORHINUS, Swinhoe, 1868. 



208. DAVID'S BABBLER. 

 FTERORHINUS DAVIDI. 



Pterorlnnus davidi, Swinh., Ibis, 1868, p. 61 : Gould, B. of Asia, iii. 

 pi. 55 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 187, pi. 50 ; Pleske, Prje- 

 valsky's Reisen, ii. p. 133 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 353. 



Ad. (Mongolia). Upper parts uniform dark ashy brown ; a short super- 

 cilium dull brownish white ; wings brown, the primaries externally margined 

 with pale lavender grey ; central tail-feathers like the back but darker 

 towards the tip, the remaining ones blackish brown ; chin black ; rest of the 

 under parts ashy brown, paler than the back ; bill yellowish, but brown at 

 the base of the upper mandible ; legs liver brown. Culmen 1'05, wing 3'5, 

 tail 5-05, tarsus 1'28 inch. 



Hob. South-eastern Mongolia, Ordos, Alaschan, Kan-su, the 

 Upper Chuanche, and the Mountains of North China. 



Frequents bushes on the banks of the rivers and is found in 

 the mountains to an altitude of 9,500 feet. In its general habits 

 it is active and sprightly reminding one of Rhopophilus, and 

 obtains its food chiefly on the ground. Its call-note is a loud 

 musical whistle something like that of Ehopophilus, and its song 

 which is heard chiefly in the morning and evening i$ short and 

 consists of a few variations of the call -note. It breeds in 

 Mongolia late in April or early in May. The nest is a somewhat 

 loose structure of dry grass, rootlets, and twigs, and is placed 

 in a dense bush not much above the ground. The eggs usually 

 3 in number are uniform glossy blue green, and measure about 

 11 by 0-75. 



TROCHALOPTERUM, Blyth, 1843. 



209. ELLIOT'S LAUGHING THRUSH. 

 TROCHALOPTERUM ELLIOTI. 



Trochalopterum ellioti, Verr. Nouv. Arch. Mus. vi. Bull, p. 36 (1870) ; 

 Gould, B. of Asia, iii. pi. 42 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 202, 

 pi. 57 ; Pleske, Prjevalsky's Reisen, ii. p. 135 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. 

 Mus. vii. p. 370. 



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