THE BIRDS OF NORTH C A CHAR, 167 



ScRiLOPHus LUNATUS. — Gould's Broad-bill. 

 Hume, No. 139 Bis, 

 I am very doubtful about this bird, never having had a typical Bur- 

 mese S. lunatus to compare with my skins. At present all I can say is that 

 I have come across some half-dozen birds in^ these hills ivhich dijfer from 

 the normal plumage of S. rubropygius in that tliey have the forehead a 

 pale grey, not contrasting with, but shading into, the dark grey of the 

 occiput, and also have the hue of the nape decidedly brownish. 



This, of course, agrees exactly with Sclater's diagnosis of S. lunatus 

 as given in the British Museum Catalogue, Vol. XIV, page 460 ; but 

 the colouring is so much a matter of degree that, loithout having a typical 

 skin for purposes of comparison, I. do not number this as being, without 

 doubt, a Cachar bird. 



Nearly all the birds I have seen loith this plumage have been birds 

 caught on the nest. 



Both this and tlie eggs are exactly like that of the normal 

 S. rubropygius. 



(375) ScRiLOPHUS EUBROPYGius. — Hodgson's Broad-bill. 

 Hume J No. 139, 

 This is a very common bird in North Cachar. 



The nest of this bird is built on the same plan as that of Psarisornus 

 dalhousicBj but is far neater, smaller, and more compact. It is built of 

 much the same kind of materials, but fewer twigs, sticks, and tendrils 

 are used, and a good deal more grass and similar substances ; moreover, 

 in the inside as lining there are always placed a certain number of 

 fresh leaves gathered from some evergreen plant, a lining which 

 P. dalhousice more seldom goes in for ; but, on the other hand, he in- 

 variably masses on the outside of his nest" a comparatively vast tangle 

 of small twigs, silk cocoons, excreta of insects and other useless 

 ornaments which S. rubropygius finds he can do without. 



The positions chosen as sites for the nests are much the same, and 

 on one occasion I found a nest of each species on the same tree ; but 

 I have never taken two nests of the red-backed bird from one tree. 



It breeds from the lexel of ihe plains up to about 5,000 feet, 

 perhaps even higher, but the majority below 3,000 feet. 



The eggs, in number four to sis or even seven, are white with a few 

 black or black-and-purple spots scattered about all over the surface 



