TEE BIRDS OF NORTH CACHAR. 547 



in North Oachar as is the next, for the natives of one trihe (the Mikirs) 

 call the white-spotted birds the female and those with unicoloured ilores 

 the male. 



The wings are said by Hartert to average somewhat longer than 

 those of C. gigantea, but the single specimen I have measures only 

 7-86" as against 8-19", S'lS", 7-9", and ?-7", the measurements of four 

 birds which I possess of the next species. 



The chin in my specimen is no paler than in many specimens of 

 C. indica, indeed not so pale as it is in a few ; there are also faint 

 indications of a white spot in front of the eye, but the back is extremely 

 dark. 



The difference in newly-feathered birds and those about to moult is 

 very striking, the former having rich brown plumage much glossed, 

 whilst the latter are almost glossless, and the brown colour becomes of 

 a very dull dead shade. In new feathers the white edging to the 

 terminal portions of the tertiaries is very distinct. 



(455) Ch^tura indica. — The Indian Giant Spine-laiL 

 Hume, No. 96 ; Cat., B. Museum^ Vol. XVI^p. ^Ih. 



I believe there is nothing on record about the nidifi cation of this 

 bird except the few notes which I published some five years ago in 

 " The Asian. " 



The place where I found that this bird is in the habit of breeding is 

 called " The Hot Springs," and is situated about a quarter of a mile 

 from the Kopili, which here forms the boundaiy between the North 

 Cachar Subdivision and the Khasia Hills. 



All about this part of the country there are numerous very old 

 deserted lime quarries ; most of these lie in the pockets between the 

 hills and generally consist of small deep valleys, further split up into 

 narrow ravines, the work of nature and man combined. The sides of 

 these ravines are always very steep and often consist of sheer perpendi- 

 cular walls of limestone^ over which the trees hang in dense masses, iu 

 places shutting out the light and everywhere rendering them very 

 dark and gloomy. Here and there, however, the sides have fallen in, 

 forming passages by which the bears, who inhabit these places, easily 

 ascend or descend to their caves. In many places these ravines run 

 along parallel with one another for some distance, hardly 20 feet apart, 

 sometimes even less, and it is here that the work of man is most 

 2 



