NOTES ON INDIAN TIMELIIDE8 AND TREIR ALLIES. 629 



Stachykhidopsis pykrhops, Hodgson. 



The Red-billed Babbler. 



StacJiyrJiis pyrrhops, Hodgson, Blyth, J., A. S. B., p, xiii., p. 379 

 (1844). 



Stachyrhidopsis pyrrhops, Sharpe, Cat., B.M., vii., p. 600; Gates, F.B.I. 



i., p. 165. 

 Descnption. — As in Gates, F. B. I. 



Distribution. — The Himalayas, Murree to Nepal. 



Stachykhidopsis ruficeps and rufifrons. 



S. ruficeps and its allied races extend from Nepal eastwards along 

 the foot hills of the Himalayas to Assam and Burma, and from thence into 

 China and the Islands of Formosa and Hainan. 



The first of these to be described was S. ruficeps, Blyth, 1847, from 

 Darjeeling. In the original description Blyth first compares it with 

 S. pyrrops, a bird with a black chin, he then gives description as follows : 

 " chin and middle of throat white, with slight black central streaks to the 

 feathers ; the rest of the upper parts plain olive, and of the loioer ivhitish, 

 %oith a fulvous tinge on the side of the neck and breast. Blyth, J., A. S. B., 

 1847, p. 452. 



The above is almost an exact description of what at present is con- 

 sidered S. rufifrons, Hume, originally described from Pegu, Burma, but 

 stated to occur in Sikhim and Assam. 



Birds of the above description also occur in the Sikhim Hills, Butan 

 Duars, and Assam, and are evidently birds of low elevation. 



The true S. ruficeps from Sikhim and Nepal is a very difi"erent bird, 

 having the chin and throat yellow withblach shaft stripes, breast and under parts 

 a decided yellow and upper plumage green, the rufous of the head extending 

 well over the nape. 



Jerdon, 1863, also mentions the white chin and throat, but states "under- 

 parts fulvous, or dull oil yellow or pale ferruginous," and I think must 

 have been confusing the two species, as S. rufifrons, Hume, was not 

 described until 1893, and much later than this was stated to occur in 

 Sikhim. 



Since writing the above, on my way through Bombay, I have been 

 able to examine both of Blyth's types of 8. ruficeps, from 

 Darjeeling. These were kindly forwarded for my inspection by Dr. 

 Annandale from the Calcutta Museum. Both these specimens are very 

 faded, but fortunately the rufous cap on the head is quite conspi- 

 cuous, and extends well over the nape, so that there can be no doubt 

 that they are what are now considered to be 8. ruficeps, and not 8. 

 rufifrons which I considered possible from both Blyth's and Jerdon's 

 description. 



However 'S. rufifrons, Hume, from Pegu, differs materially from the 

 so-called specimens from Darjeeling and Assam, for the latter I propose 

 the name 8. rufifrons ambigua, sub-sp, nov. 



As both S. ruficeps, and 8. rufifrons and their geographical races (or 

 sub-species) occur in the same localities, they must be distinct species, 

 (and not the one a sub-species of the other). The former being found at 

 higher elevations than the latter, which appears to be a bird of the plains 

 and low foot hills. 



More and fresh specimens of these confusing little birds are required to 

 enable us to form a complete idea of their distribution. 



