292 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



away the cloud which now seems to hang over Jerdon's 

 No. 426. 



The Streaked Laughing-Thrush is a permanent resident on 

 the hills round the valley of Nepal, at elevations of from 5,000 

 to 7,000 feet. It is tolerably common, but does not occur in any- 

 thing like the numbers seen in the hills further west. Its habits, 

 nests, and eggs are thoroughly well known ; here I need only 

 mention that three nests were taken in the valley at an eleva- 

 tion of about 6,000 feet on the 5th, 6th and 14th June, and 

 that each nest contained three unspotted greenish blue eggs. 



428.— Actinodura nipalensis, Eodgs. 



Three males, Valley, May and June. — Length, 7-9 to 8*2 ; 

 expanse, 10-5 to 11-15 ; wing, 3-4 to 3-65 ; tail, 3-3 to 3-35 ; 

 tarsus, 105 to 1*2; bill from gape, 0*85 to 0*9 ; bill at front, 

 0*6 to 0'65; closed wings short of tail, 2-0 to 2'3. 



Bill dusky or brownish black ; irides brown; eyelid dark bluish 

 grey ; feet brownish fleshy ; claws brownish grey or livid. In 

 his description of this species Jerdon says: — ''Tail also castaneous 

 with numerous black bands, except the two middle tail fea- 

 thers ;'' but the central tail feathers are even more conspicuously 

 barred than the rest. 



This handsome Bar-Wing was only obtained in the Sheopuri 

 Forest in May and June, at an elevation of about 7,000, and 

 was not common. It was found in dense bushes on steeply 

 sloping ground, and its habits seemed to be precisely those of 

 Trochalopteron. 



429.— Malacias capistratus, Vig. 



Eight males. — Length, 86 to 9*4 ; expanse, 11 to 12; wing, 

 3-7 to 3-9 ; tail, 4 to 4*6; tarsus, 1-05 to 1*2; bill from gape, 

 094 to I'l ; bill at front, 0"65 to 0-74; closed wings short of 

 tail, 2-45 to 3-0. 



Ten females. — Length, 8"2 to 9; expanse, 10*6 to 11'4; wing, 

 3-5 to 3-65 ; tail, 3'8 to 4-1 ; tarsus, 0-95 to 1*15 ; bill from 

 gape, 0-9 to 1*0 ; bill at front, 0-65 to 072 ; closed wings 

 short of tail, 2*3 to 2-85. 



Bill black ; irides reddish brown ; feet fleshy brown ; 

 claws brown horny. It appears from the above measurements, 

 all carefully taken from fresh specimens, that the female in 

 this species is constantly and appreciably smaller than the 

 male, the average difference being, in length, '4 ; in expanse, 

 •4 to '6 ; in length of wing, '1 to '35 ; in length of tail, 

 •2 to '5 ; in length of tarsus, "05 to '1 ; in length of bill 

 frcm gape, "04 to "1 j in length of bill at front, '02 ; and 



