THE BIRDS OF NORTH CACHAR. 170 
(17) Scmoruyncnus RuFICEPS.—The Red-headed Crow Tit. 
Oates, No. 60 ; Hume, No. 375. 
The legs of all my birds have been of a dark slaty-blue ; the soles 
paler and duskier. 
This bird is by no means rare here. On the Hemeo peak, where it 
was obtained by Godwin-Austen, and the surrounding peaks, Hungrum, 
the Ninglo range, and Laisung it may constantly be met with, and it is 
found, though less often, down to 2,000 feet, and sometimes even in 
the plains at the foot of the hills. The description of the nest given 
by Gammie would serve for nine-tenths of those found by myself, 
though they average somewhat smaller than his. The lining is either 
of strips of bamboo or ekra or of fine grasses, but whatever the material 
may be, in colour it seems invariably to be a bright yellow. 
The eggs vary from two to four in number, and are very much like 
those of the Paradowxornis, already described, but are more profusely 
marked, and there are generally a good many secondary markings of 
very pale purple-grey or neutral tint. In shape they are a regular oval, 
and the surface is not as smooth as in the eggs of P. rujiceps. 
The shell is also less fragile. The average of 15 eggs is -8" by °62". 
They breed from May to the beginning of August. As so little is 
known of this bird, I reproduce here the notes which I sent to the 
“ Asian” some years ago :—“ Their favourite haunts are thin bamboo 
jungle, which they frequent in pairs or small parties of from four to six, 
and in such eases I believe the flocks consist merely of the parent birds 
and their last brood. Jerdon states that it does not shun observation, but 
this remark does not agree with the results of my own experience. 
True, as long as the observer is perfectly motionless and silent, the birds 
hop about, clambering about the shrubs and creeping amongst the bam- 
boos in their search for food, taking but little notice of him, but should 
he move hand or foot, or open his mouth to speak, in a minute every bird 
has disappeared, not by flying away, but by scrambling from branch to 
branch, or at once hiding in dense thicket or the undergrowth and fallen 
rubbish. When on trees it is very tit-like in its motions and spends 
much of its time in clambering about the smaller twigs and branches, 
sometimes hanging head downwards, and in this fashion proceeding 
along the lower side of some thin bough. I have also observed it 
es 
