ASSAM, SYLHET AND CACHAR. 79 



high grass at the edges of swamps and j heels, but only suc- 

 ceeded in shooting a pair with the wings 5*5 and 6*05. By 

 some accident the ticket of the former has been lost ; the latter 

 was sexed by my skinner, I find, as a male, but I should be- 

 lieve it to be a female {vide S. F., VI, 172). 



I have this from N.-E. Cachar and many localities in 

 the Dibrugarh district. 



[This species is called by the Assamese " Ooloo Koo-hoo-ha" 

 from its frequenting " ooloo " and other grassy plains ; they are 

 permanent residents. A female shot 13th January measured : — 

 Length, 14'60; expanse, 1916 ; tail, 8"0 ; wing, 6"70 ; tarsus, 

 1'60 ; bill from gape, 1"22 ; weight, 3-65ozs. This species is 

 more abundant than the last in the Dibrugarh district.] 



I have never received it from Shillong, and do nob 

 believe it ascends so high, but Godwin-Austen got it 

 somewhere in the Khasi hills, and he records it also in his 

 Dafla hill list. 



In Pegu and Tenasserim it is generally distributed, and I 

 know of its occurrence in many localities. No doubt it will 

 be found in Arakan also, but I cannot discover that I have any 

 record of its having been sent thence. 



223.— Arachnothera magna, Ilodgs. 



Seen once in the Western hills (where apparently rare), but 

 not procured. Fairly common in the Eastern hills, where I 

 shot four, and could have shot a dozen. 



The following are particulars of a male : — 



Length, 7'5 ; expanse, 11*5 ; tail, 20 ; wing, 3"7 ; tarsus, 0-85 ; 

 bill from gape, 1"68 ; weight, l"15ozs. 



Legs, feet and claws clear, bright, wax orange ; bill black ; 

 irides brown. 



I have this from several localities in the Dibrugarh district,* 

 and Godwin-Austen records' it from the Khasi hills and in his 

 Dafla hill list. I have no other record as yet of its occurrence 

 in Assam, Sylhet or Cachar. 



This species is recorded by Blyth from Arakan, whence I 

 have not yet seen it. We found it rare in Northern Tenasserim ; 

 Bingham found it very common in the Thoungyeen valley of 

 Central Tenasserim. It does not appear to occur in Southern 



* [This species is found in forests as well as about villages, where it hangs 

 about the clumps of plantains which grow in every homestead. A $ shot 

 25th January measured: — Length, 7*30; expanse, 100; tail, 1 '80 ; wing, 

 3'42 ; tarsus, 0'80 ; bill from gape, 1"70; weight, IMOoz. Legs and feet 

 bright wax yellow, claws ditto, mouth inside pale yellow, bill black. Also I have 

 noticed this bird stretching out its neck when at rest as described by Mr. Gates.— 

 J. R. C] 



