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



GEOUP VII. 



Maiacochstla,* Blyth, 1845 {Turdinus, Blyth). 



Turdimis, Blyth, 1844 ; Gates, F. B. I., i., p. 153. 



" The genus Turdinus differs from all the other genera of this sub- 

 family with stout straight bills in having the nostrils oval and exposed, 

 not protected by a membrane. As restricted here, it contains but one 

 Indian species. This has a very short tail." (Gates). 



" This genus is sufficiently distinguished by the following characters : — 

 Plumage, never mottled on upper surface which is olive-brown ; flanks 

 and undertail-coverts more or less tinged with fulvous ; bill short, clumsy 

 and rather high ; nasal aperture oval and placed in front of the nasal groove, 

 which is covered by a membrane ; rictal bristles rather strong, but never 

 reaching far beyond the nostrils : wing rounded ; tail short, not fully 

 two-thirds of the length of the wing ; tarsus and toes long ; especially 

 the hind toe, tarsus fairly two-thirds of the length of the tail and longer 

 than one-third of the length of the wing." — Buttikofer, Notes Leyden 

 Museum, xvii., f. 78. 



The above two descriptions of this genus are very conflicting and Gates 

 points out the distinguishing features, namely, the esposed nostril, which 

 has no overhanging membrane ; and its short tail. 

 The chief other characteristics are — 



A short round wing, fitting close to the body. The first four primaries 

 graduated ; tail shorter than the wing ; rectal bristles well developed ; no 

 hairs overhanging the nostrils ; feathers of the forehead soft, bill stout 

 and straight, and fairly long equal to the hind toe and claw ; the nost- 

 rils pierced in the membrane and exposed ; no hairs overhanging the 

 nostrils. 



Malacocinla abbotti, Blyth. 



Malacocinla abbotti, Blyth, T. A. S. B., xiv., p. 601 (1845). 



Turdinus abbotti, Sharpe, Oat., B. M., vii., p. 277 ; Gates, F. B. I., 

 i.p. 154. 



^Description. — As in Gates, F. B. I. 



Note. — I found this bird nesting in February in Rangoon, so it possibly 

 has two broods in the year. 



GROUP VIII, 



ALCIPPE. 



In this sub-division of the Timeliidce, I have placed the following genera : 

 Pseudominla, ScJiceniparus, Alcippe, Projmrus, Siva, and Lioparus. It includes 

 birds which are both, solitary and terrestial in habits, and those which are 

 arboreal and go about in small flocks. I have called it the " Alcippe" Group, 

 as that genus may be taken as typical of the whole, half its members being 

 purely Timeliine in habits, that is shy, solitary, and haunting the ground ; 

 the others have all the habits of Siva, being sociable, and going about in 

 family j)arties, and frequent trees and bushes. 



By placing all these genera in one group, I have no wish to do away with 

 their generic rank, as each genus has its well marked characteristics although 

 they appear to grade from one into the other. This, I think, may be 

 probably due to the fact that they are still in a process of evolution, as we 

 find each species represented by numerous geographical races. 



* The following: other members of this g'enus are:— 



M. sepiaria, Java ; M. minor, Java and Sumatra ; M. rufiventris, Borneo ; 

 M- perspicillata, Borneo. 



