185 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII. 
have often been reminded by its actions of the common Bengal Babbler 
(A, terricolor). One bird takes up the call started by another, and then 
each bird repeats it until every member of the flock has notified his 
exact whereabouts. They quarrel too occasionally, such an event be- 
ing a matter of the most intense interest to each individual, who backs 
his particular fancy much in the same way as other bipeds in England 
back prize-fighters, that is, on the win, tie or wrangle system. They 
often appear to be very undecided as to whether some article of food is 
good enough to eat or not, and they contemplate it ina melancholy 
way with their heads on one side, until another bird decides for them 
by eating it himself, or else he seems to make up his mind to eat it and 
risk the result. I have never examined the stomach of any birds and 
can say nothing about their food. They are extremely active on their 
legs, but their flight is feeble and they never seem to travel far on the 
wing. They descend a long way into the plains, having been recorded 
from the low lands of Sylhet, and I believe they remain there all the 
year round. I have seen this bird and taken its nests up to 5,000 feet, 
but it is most common about 2,500 feet. There is one place in parti- 
cular in these hills, called The Hot Springs, where this bird is most nu- 
merous. The country consists of open grass lands with sparse oak forest, 
the pockets between the hills being filled with dense scrub jungle and 
here and there patches of the small hill bamboo. As already mention- 
ed, I once took four nests there in one day, and several times I found 
two myself and had others brought to me.” 
(53) P. miyus.—Sharp’s Spotted Babbler. 
Oates, No. 148. 
Sharp’s type bird was recorded from Cachar. I have never met 
with it, ; 
(54) P. ruricers.—The Spotted Babbler. 
Oates, No. 144; Hume, No. 399. 
This bird, hitherto supposed to be a purely southern form, re-appears 
in North Cachar and is by no means uncommon. The first bird I obtained 
was sent by me to Mr. Barnes, and was identified by him as being of 
this species, and it was also, the same day I believe, identified by Mr. 
Murray. Since then I have met with any number of birds, and Mr. H. 
A. Hole has also obtained it in South Cachar, and has, I think, a specimen | 
