■BIRDS COLLECTED IN THE IIYLAEANDY DISTRICT. 457 



©liin, throat and abdomen white ; breast slightly fulvous ; wing 

 feathers dark brown on inner web and of a golden-brown colour on 

 outer web ; tail feathers also golden-brown. The colour of the head 

 generally changes, first of all the tips of the feathers turning white, 

 and then by degrees the remainder turns whiter. ^ I have a very good 

 series of this bird demonstrating the gradual change. 



These birds are gregarious, going about in krge numbers, and 

 affect dense jungle. They may generally be found in company with 

 G. pictoralis, C. chinensis, the Picadm^ &c. Their note is slightly harsh, 

 and once heard cannot be mistaken. They are not shy, and nearly 

 the whole flock may be procured with a little trouble. They seldom 

 <3ome near the cultivation, but 1 have seen them once or twice flitting 

 from bamboo to bamboo skirting the tea. 



Genus Pellornemn (Swains, 1831). 



No. 142, Pellorneum mandbllii. — Mandelli's Spotted 



Babbler (Bianf.). 



Hume, "N.and E.," 2nd Ed., Vol. I, p. 99 ; Hume, " S. F.," 

 Vol. I, p. 298 ; id.y XI, p. 144. Pellorneum pectoralis : Hume, 

 ^' S. F.," Vol. V, p. 340. Pellorneum nipalense : Hume, " S. F.," 

 Vol. VIII, p. 188. Hemipteron nipalense : Hume, " S. F.," Vol. I, 

 p. 493. 



This Babbler is very common, and is generally found in the under- 

 growth, scraping, among the dead leaves that have fallen, for insects. 

 They make as much noise with their scratching as partridges. I have 

 often been thus misled, thinking they were A. torqueola. 

 Genus Alcippe (Blyth, 1844). 

 No. 163. Alcippe nepalensis. — The Nepal Babbler (Hodgs.). 



Hume, '* N. and E.," 2nd Ed., Vol. I, p. 104 ; Hume and Dav., 

 ^'S.F.," Vol. VI, p. 260 ; Scully, " S. F.," Vol. VIII, p. 287; 

 Hame,^'S. F.,"Vol. XI,p. 138. 



These birds are very common in the dense jungle and are not at 

 ,all shy ; th^y may easily be known by the very conspicuous white 

 orbital ring and black supercilium. They generally go about in 

 small flocks, and keep up a constant twittering sound. The eggs are 

 of a pinkish colour mottled with maroon. 





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