396 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 
are no records; however Buxton met with it again at Khanikin on the Diala 
river on the Persian (Khurdistan) frontier! Zarudny records it as resident in 
the Karun district and also in the Zagros. 
This Babbler is of course resident and breeds. Cumming says at Fao it nests 
from April to mid-June and he has found eggs as late as June 19th when many 
young were on the wing, so that probably this, like other species, rears more 
than one brood. Cumming gives the usual clutch as three eggs, Tomlinson, 
who records it from Basra and Ahwaz, says five eggs, but it is not certain that all 
his records refer to this species ; in fact Jourdain informs me the larger clutches 
he received from Tomlinson were those of huttoni. The eggs are glossy blue 
and measure 20-21°5 by 16°5 mm. 
Its habits, except for its propensity for reed beds, do not appear to difter from 
those of others of the genus, it may be recognized at once in the field by each 
member of the flock fluttering out of a bush one after the cther and sailing to 
the bottom of the next bush. Hartert makes a mistake in putting this Bab- 
bler as a race of the Indian bird, as the larger Babbler huttoni, which is clearly a 
race of the Indian bird, occurs in the same area. It should stand as a separate 
species. Its smaller size, more curved and weaker bill and almost spotless upper- 
parts at once distinguish it from huttoni! 
Twenty specimens examined: ¢, Basra, 18-2-18; 9, Amara, 30-1-18 ; Fao. 8-7- 
17; Amara, 18-10-16, 12-8-18, 14-2-18, (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.); 2, Amara, 
18-10-18 ; 2, Basra, 15-8-18 ; Amara, 9-1-18; ¢, Ezra’s Tomb, 23-2-18 ; Khanikin, 
23-11-18 (two pairs) (P. A. B.); Nahr Umar, 24~-3-18 (C. R. P.); Amara, 7-3-19 
(?); 9, Basra, 21-11-17 (two); ¢ 9, 19-3-18 (C. B. T.). 
The juvenile plumage is very different to that of huttont. Upperparts pale 
sandy grey with fine dark shafts to crown and back ; chin and vent white, rest 
of underparts creamy buff and unstreaked ; ear coverts creamy buff. 
Wings 74-80 mm. ; tail 102-107 mm. Bill from base 20°5-24 mm. Wing for 
mula 4 and 5 longest, 3=8. 
99. Hutton’s Babbler. Crateropus caudatus. 
Crateropus caudatus huttoni, Blyth. (J. A. S. B. xvi., p. 476, 1847— 
Kandahar). 
Tnis larger Babbler would appear to have a restricted range in Mesopotamia. 
Its headquarters are in and around Baghdad where it is not uncommon, inhabit- 
ing date palm gardens. Cheesman met with it at Zoar on the Tigris in jungle 
and again at Nahr Umar, and at Khanikin on the Diala river. In both these 
latter places altirostris also occurs; Woosnam obtained it at Bund-i-kir and 
Zarudny records it from the Zagros. It is resident where it occurs ; Cheesman, 
who found a nest of three fresh eggs at Khazimain on April 13th, says the nest 
was placed in the heart of a young date bush well concealed by tall thistles 
and rank herbage growing up into the bush. The nest, loosely constructed 
but firm, was an open thin walled cup, the foundations made of grass and corn 
stalks with a few dry roots and grass stems interwoven with date palm fibre 
and lined with finer fibre. The eggs measure 23°5 by 19 mm. They are not so 
deep in colour as those of altirostris and four is the more usual clutch, even 
five. 
In habits it seems to resemble the Indian race, the call note is a tremulous 
twitter, occasionally a scale of falling notes ; food consists of coleoptera and small 
white seeds. 
Thirteen specimens examined and compared with type and series of topo- 
types: ¢, Abed, 9-2-18(F. M. B.). d Q, Azizieh, 16-10-18; ¢ Baghdad, 13-11-18 
(two); , Baghdad, 9-2-19; ¢ 2, 14-2-19; Baghdad, 10-11-17, 15-2-19; 2, Nahr 
Umar, 17-2-18 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.), ¢ G, Baghdad, 10-10-17 (P. A. B.). 
I thought at first that Mesopotamian birds were separable from typical ones 
from Khandahar having darker and greyer upperparts with rather heavier 
