1(58 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



531. Orthotomus coronatus, Jerdon and Blyth. 



P. Z. S., 1861, p. 200 — Sing-ka?ieel, Lepch. 



The Gold-headed Tailor-bird. 



Descr. — Forehead and top of head golden fulvous ; lores, ear- 

 coverts, occiput and nape ashy ; a narrow pale yellow stripe over 

 the eye ; back and wings pale olive-green ; chin, throat, breast, and 

 narrow stripe down the middle of the abdomen, milky white ; 

 flanks, lower part of a D doroen, under tail-coverts, and lining of 

 the wings, pale canary yellow ; quills internally, and tail dusky, 

 edged with greenish ; the two outer tail-feathers with the inner 

 web white. 



Bill horny brown, darker above ; legs pale fleshy yellow ; irides 

 light yellow brown. Length 4^ inches ; extent 5| ; wing If ; tail 

 If ; bill at front \ ; tarsus f . 



The bill in this species is somewhat depressed throughout, and 

 flat on the culmen. 



I procured specimens of this new species of Tailor-bird from the 

 vicinity of Darjeeling, where it occurs in the warmer vallevs. A 

 nest and eggs were brought to me, said to be those of this bird, 

 similar to that of the last, but not so carefully made ; the leaves 

 were loosely attached and with fewer stitches. The eggs were 

 two in number, white with rusty spots. It exceedingly resembles 

 the description of 0. cucullatus, Temminck, from Sumatra, 

 but there are points of difference, viz. the presence of a 

 yellowish superciliary streak, and the white on the tail, in our 

 bird ; and the locality alone would warrant the probability of the 

 two being distinct. 



Moore has published a monograph of this genus in the Proceed- 

 ings Zoological Society for 1854. Other species on record are as 

 follows: O. edela, Temm., P. C. 599, 2, {sepium, Raffles) from 

 Malacca and Sumatra ; 0. ruficcps Lesson, and 0. atrogularis 

 Temm., from Malacca and Borneo ; 0. fiavo-viridis, Moore (edela, 

 apud Blyth), very common at Malacca; 0. cineraceus, Blyth, 

 (sepium, Lafresnaye), also from Malacca; O. longirostris, Swainson ; 

 O. Derbianus, Moore, the giant of the group ; and others. 



