XIPHORHAMPHUS SUPERCILIARIS, Blyth. 



Scimitar-bill. 



Xiphirhynchus super ciliaris, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. p. 175. 



Xiphorhamphus super ciliaris, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xii. p. 947. pi. at p. 1010.— lb. Cat. of Birds in 



Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 147.— Jerd. 111. Ind. Orn., pi. 49.— Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 220.— 



Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 238. 

 Pomatorhinus super ciliaris, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 229, Pomatorhinus, sp. 7. 



That this rare and curious bird is very intimately allied to the members of the genus Pomatorhinus there 

 can, I think, be little doubt ; Mr. Blyth, however, considers it to be sufficiently different to warrant its being- 

 constituted the type of a new genus, to which he has given the appellation of Xiphorhamphus. Specimens 

 of this singular bird are contained in the Collections at the British Museum and the East India House, and 

 it is from the latter that I have been favoured with the loan of examples to figure in the present work. All 

 that is known respecting them is, that they are from Darjiling ; but I suspect that low trees skirting the 

 great forests will be the kind of situations it frequents, and that in its actions it is restless and active, 

 hopping from branch to branch, or flying from tree to tree with a tremulous motion of the wings and out- 

 spread tail. Such at least are the habits of the members of the group to which I consider it to be 

 allied, as observed by me in Australia: whether these conjectures be or be not confirmed, it will be 

 interesting to ornithologists to receive an account of its habits from any person favourably situated in its 

 native country for observing and noting them. 



I believe that no marked external difference will be found in the sexes, and that the young will very 

 closely resemble the adults. 



Head dark dusky-grey, with an interrupted white superciliary stripe ; upper surface rich reddish-brown ; 

 wings and tail rich silky-brown ; chin grey; under surface rufous ; bill blackish-brown ; feet dark brown. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Clematis smilacifolia of Dr. Wallich. 







