Ropinson & Kross: Birds of West Sumatra. 301 
The colour of the iris is very variable, chestnut with 
pale brown inner ring, dark grey with pale grey inner ring, 
pinkish brown, or cream-coloured, bill black or blackish, 
feet greenish grey, claws black. 
Wings 57, 57, 57, 58, 58, 59, 62, 63; @ 57, 59, 60; sex 
inc. 57. 
The young birds are uniform brown beneath with 
scarcely any indication of the black of the throat, though 
the white malar patches are present : the cap is dull black 
with no signs of the greyish white stripes. 
Very common in old and secondary forest and at the 
edge of clearings, travels in flocks up to fifteen birds very 
near the ground, flying and creeping amongst the lower 
plants and bushes. 
The nest is globular, made of dry grass and leaves with 
the entrance on one side; it is placed not more than one 
foot from the ground. 
256. Stachyris poliocephala poliocephala (Temm.). 
IRs Ga Te, VG 1s INIZ/S IRE Ss Lis MMS joy, Nb 
4¢. Balun, Muara Labu, Padang Highlands, 
480 M. 
@ imm. Air Taman, Mt. Pasaman, Ophir Dis- 
tricts, 300 M. 
Iris cream-coloured, upper mandible black, lower 
bluish grey, feet plumbeous with a greenish cast, digits 
darker. The immature bird had the iris slaty and the lower 
mandible sooty yellowish brown. 
Wings 66, 66 66, 67, 65 (imm.) mm. 
The immature bird is duller below than adults with 
the throat patch less developed. 
Lives in secondary forest. 
It is very curious that the stomach of one of these birds 
contained fruit, whereas the Timaliinae are known to take 
exclusively animal food. 
257. Stachyris maculata pectoralis Blyth. 
. Pasir Ganting, Indrapura. 
é, 9. Penatei, Korinchi, 300 M. 
Iris pale ochraceous yellow, orbital and gular skin pale 
bluish grey, upper mandible black, lower bluish dark grey, 
tip blackish, feet and claws bluish plumbeous. 
Wings, ¢ 83, 85; 2 78 mm. 
Sumatran birds agree with Malayan ones rather than 
with the typical Bornean form, 
