62 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



The eggs of the Crateropidince form a very useful guide to their classifica- 

 tion. Mr. Gates draws particular attention to this fact, and considered those 

 laying spotted eggs might eventually have to be transferred either to the 

 Timeliince or Sibiince. Since Mr. Gates wrote his valuable work, the nidifica- 

 tion of the great majority of the Indian Trochalopeterum have become known. 

 Those laying spotted eggs fall into a very natural group, which I think 

 should be raised to the dignity of a genus. The colour of the eggs of the 

 remainder is uniformly a spotless blue or white. The texture, however, 

 appears to vary in different genera. 



The Crateropodincs fall into the following well marked groups, (1) The 

 Laughing Thrushes, (2) Babblers {Crateropus and Argya), (3) Baba.v, 

 (4) Acanthoptila, (5) Garrulax cincereifrons, Blyth, a form peculiar to the 

 island of Ceylon, which appears to be the connecting link between the 

 Laughing Thrushes and Babblers {Garrulax and Crateropus) whilst Acantho- 

 pila appears to connect Argya with Babax. So that we find these five 

 groups, although having well marked features of their own, grading from 

 one into the other. This grading of genera is one of the chief difficulties 

 in the study of the Timeliides, and it is often very hard to say whether each 

 group should be treated as one big genus, or sub-divided up into several. 



I have, therefore, with the exception of the Trochalopterum, kept to 

 Mr. Gates' classification. I wish however to draw attention to differences 

 which exist in the following genera. 



Garrulax. — I think that G. leucolophus and its geographical races should 

 be separated from the other members of this genus, on account of their very 

 ample crests. 



Dryonastes. — These clearly fall into two groups, those having the bristles 

 and hairs overhanging the nostrils more or less even, and with a delicately 

 curved bill ; and those having the bristles growing in coarse tufts, and 

 having a stout straight bill. 



Trochalopterum. — I have divided up this genus into two, a further sub- 

 division, I think, should be made, separating the four Southern Indian birds 

 from the rest, on account of their plain plumage, all the others having very 

 highly coloured wings and upper plumage. 



Argya longirostis . — I think this species should be placed in a genus by 

 itself. It undoubtedly is very near Argya, but it has a much finer and lon- 

 ger bill than the other members of this group ; its eggs also, although being 

 blue, are not the rich turquoise blue of Argya and Crateropus. 



Group 1. 



Laughing Thrushes. 



Have the following characteristics, bill shorter than the head, and not 

 strikingly curved, tail generally longer than the wing, and greatly gradua- 

 ted : the feathers of the forehead with shafts lengthened ; and the nostrils 

 more or less overhung with bristles or long hairs. 



The Laughing Thrushes as a whole are a well marked group consist- 

 ing of several distinct genera ; whether these should be further sub- 

 divided it is very hard to say. 



Group 2. 



Cratbkopus and Aegya. (Babblers.) 



Bill shorter than the head, stout and not greatly curved. The posterior 

 half of the covering membrane of nostril clothed with plumes, which are 

 continued back to the forehead, the feathers of which are short and rounded 

 and no hairs overhanging the nostrils, plumage dull and either plain or 

 striated. 



