224 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OP INDIA. 



The sexes are alike, but individuals vary a good deal in 

 tint ; the entire cap is dark brown ; the lores paler brown ; 

 the cheeks and ear-coverts a greyish brown ; the whole of 

 the back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail coverts a dull uni- 

 form brownish olive green, much browner in some birds, much 

 greener in others ; the wings and tail hair brown. All the 

 feathers suffused on their outer webs with a somewhat duller 

 shade of the same color as the back ; the first two primaries 

 with only a trace of this ; the third to the sixth primaries 

 slightly emarginate on the outer webs and paler there ; the 

 chin, throat, and breast greyish white, in some faintly striated 

 with pale brown, in some with pale yellow ; the rest of the 

 lower parts, including the wing lining, white, tinged with prim- 

 rose yellow, much paler and duller in some, brighter in others ; 

 the lower surface of the shafts of the tail feathers white, 

 except at the extreme tips. On the lower surface of the closed 

 wings the visible portion of the inner webs of the quills, within 

 a line drawn from the base of the first primary to the tip of 

 the last secondary, albescent ; flanks tinged a little with oli- 

 vaceous. In some specimens there is an indistinct dull brown- 

 ish band across the breast and traces of this, not quite meeting 

 in the centre, are visible in all specimens. 



Davison says : — " Occurs only at the Nicobars wdiere it is com- 

 paratively common ; it keeps to the forest generally, but is also 

 found in gardens, in the secondary jungle, and not unfrequently 

 in places where there are only a few scattered bushes ; it usually 

 is seen singly, in pairs, or in small parties of five or six ; but I 

 have on several occasions seen them in flocks of nearly a hun- 

 dred. They have a chattering note very similar to the other 

 Hypsipetes, and when they are in flocks they make neai'ly as 

 much noise as a flock of mynas settling for the night. They 

 breed at the Nicobars ; I shot very young birds in February ; 

 but did not succeed in finding any nests." 



457 quat.— Brachypodius fuscoflavescens, 

 Hume. (14.) 



This species was fully described, Stray Feathers, 1873, p. 297. 

 We ourselves secured eight specimens, male and female, all 

 perfectly adult, and all exactly similar except in so far that the 

 females are always somewhat darker than the males ; subsequently 

 six more have been sent to us. 



Lord Walden remarks that this species has for its adult dress 

 the immature plumage of B. melanocephalns. I cannot concur 

 in this view ; the latter species is one with which I am very well 



