392 NOTES ON SOME BIRDS COLLECTED ON THE NILGHIRIS 
ditches, &c. I procured one specimen, a male, for identification, 
and this is identical with many among the large series con- 
tained in our museum. 
§40.—Cisticola erythrocephalus,* Jerd. The Red- 
headed Fantail Warbler. 
I found this species only on the Bramagherries, and on the 
Peria forest hills, and they were rare there, and very difficult 
to obtain, keeping, as they do, to the long elephant grass. I 
found them generally in small parties, very shy, and keeping 
most persistently to the long grass. I noticed the peculiar loud 
call mentioned by Jerdon. 
The following are the dimensions and colours of soft parts 
of two specimens (both unfortunately females) taken in the 
flesh :— 
Length, 4°8 to 5:0 ; expanse, 5°7 ; tail, 2°0 to 2°1 ; wing, 1:7 
to 1:75 ; tarsus, 0°7 to 0°75 ; bill from gape, 0°5 to 0:6 ; weight, 
0°3 to 0°35 oz. | 
Irides burnt sienna ; lower mandible, legs, feet, and claws 
fleshy ; upper mandible pale brown. 
Two specimens of this species in the museum—one from 
Saugor, C. P., and the other from the Pulneys—have the entire 
top of the head and entire lower parts uniform ferruginous ; 
the Saugor bird is not dated, the bird from the Pulneys was 
shot on the 12th June, and is sexed a male. I collected five 
specimens, f four from the Peria forests, shot between the Ist 
and 6th of May, and one shot on the Bramagherries on the 
17th April. All these birds have the head more or less strongly 
striated,—in fact in four out of the five the black markings 
preponderate over the ferruginous. In one the entire head is 
almost black, there being only a supercilium, and a few narrow 
edgings to the feathers of the feathers of head, ferruginous. 
In the one exception the head is ferruginous, with only a few 
black spots showing here and there. In all these five specimens 
the throat, breast, flanks, and lower tail-coverts alone are 
ferruginous, the chin and abdomen being white. This species 
may, however, always be distinguished from cursitans by not 
having the tail feathers white tipped, and. by the ferruginous 
of the lower surface, which is always present in a greater or 
less degree. 
* From the dimensions given and description, I suspect these birds are C. tytleré 
(vide ante p. 219 n, and 221 ».)—Ep, S. F. 
+I have not seen these specimens, and Mr. Davison’s remarks make me doubtful 
of the identification—Ep , S. F 
