38 THE BIRDS OF THE LUCKNOW CIVIL DIVISION. 
dozen. During the heat of the day the party usually retires: 
to rest in some bush overgrown with long grass, where they 
may be heard conversing in a low chatter. If disturbed then, 
they make a great noise and scuttle through the adjoining grass 
in all directions, becoming silent as they hide or squat, and 
remaining so until the intruder moves off, when they generally 
re-assemble either in the same bush or in some other close 
by. ‘The male bird sings very sweetly, oftenest, 1 think, in the 
cold dewy November mornings. 
432.—Malacocercus terricolor, Hodgs. Native 
name—Ghoughar and Sat-bhai. 
1st November, Female.—Length, 10°; expanse, 13:; wing, 5°50 ; 
tail, 4°30; tarsus, 1°40; bill, from gape, (?) ; weight, 2°50 oz. 
The Bengal Babbler is very common in avenues, gardens, 
hedgerows, mangoe topes and dhak jungles—in fact where- 
ever there are trees or bushes it is sure to be found. 
Jerdon surely could never have mistaken this species for 
M. maleolmi, yet we find him writing that the latter doubtless 
“extends through most of the N. W. Provinces, whilst 
M. terricolor, so tar as we know, is not found there’ —( Birds of 
India, Vol. [1., page 65). The reverse is the case, and so far 
from MM. terricolor not occurring it is one of the commonest, 
and probably the noisiest, bird in the N. W. Provinces. It is 
universally known amongst the natives as the “ Sat bhai,” or 
seven brothers ; ‘ babbler’’ or ‘“chatterer’” being the name 
usually applied to it by Europeans. Being a constant resident 
in gardens and compounds its habits are very generally known. 
When the Shikra, as it sometimes does, makes a swoop at 
a party of babblers, it is curious to observe how silent they 
become, sneaking off singly to the tops of trees where they 
hide for some time, and then begin to file away to some other 
locality where they still keep very quiet until well into the 
business of feeding again. 
Their breeding season extends from March to September ; 
but though by habit gregarious, they never breed in company. 
Orange, citron, guava and other low trees and shrubs are 
favorite nesting places, as well as the lower branches of mangoe 
trees. Their nests are mostly composed of coarse grasses 
lined with finer grass, but sometimes with coarse hair-like roots, 
the egg cavity being about 5 by 4 by 2 inches. They gener- 
ally lay three eggs, of a deep greenish blue (the shade varies 
in some), and occasionally four may be found in a nest. 
Average measurement of 12 eggs *99 by ‘77 inches. 
Measurement of largestegg ... 1:05 ,, °79 
Measurement of smallest egg... °95 ,, ‘76> ,, - 
