TURDINULUS ROBERT! 



Robert's Pygrny Babbler. 



Pnoepyga, sp., Godwin-Austen, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxxix. p. 101 (1870). 



roberti, Godwin-Austen & Walden, Ibis, 1875, p. 252.— Hume, Stray Feathers, 1876, p. 218. 



Turdinulus roberti, Hume & Davison, Stray Feathers, 1878, p. 234.— Hume, op. cit. 1879, p. 93. 



The general aspect of this bird is so like that of a Pnoepyga that I am not surprised that its original 

 describers placed it in that genus; but its plumage is quite unlike that of a Wren, and much 

 resembles that of a Turdinus in colour. Mr. Hume has therefore, in my opinion, correctly indicated the 

 affinities of the bird in his name Turdinulus ; and I find, on examining the structure of the specimen 

 before me, that it is a true Timeliine bird, with easily distinguishable rictal bristles. I at once adopt 

 Mr. Hume's generic name for it. 



The original specimens were obtained at Chakha in the Munipur hills, and at Asalu, by Mr. William Robert. 

 It was observed also on Mooleyit in Tenasserim by Mr. Davison, at a height of 5500 feet and upwards. The 

 following note on the habits of the birds is from the pen of the last-named naturalist :— " Generally seen 

 in pairs, occasionally three or four together, hopping about on the ground or about the stems of the 

 undergrowth only in the densest portions of the forest, and not preferentially near water. When alarmed, 



like T. bremcaudatus, they all raise a note of alarm — ' chick-chick, chick ; chick-chick, chick, chick,' which 



they continually and unceasingly utter, until either you have passed on or they think they have got out 

 of sight and danger. They are not shy, and do not fly unless very closely pressed, and then only for a 

 short distance. As a rule, when disturbed, they leave the ground and thread their way with great rapidity 

 amongst the stems of the brushwood, clinging sideways to these as many birds do. They are entirely 

 insectivorous," 



The following is a copy of the description given by Colonel Godwin-Austen and Lord Tweeddale : 



" Above olive-brown, each feather pale-centred and fringed or tipped with dark brown. Lores albescent. 

 Between the eyes and the rictus black. A well-defined streak extending from above the eye down each 

 side of the head fulvous. Ear-coverts cinereous at base, brown towards the tips. Chin and throat pure 

 white, each throat-feather being terminated by a small black triangular drop ; as the tips of the feathers 

 overlap, these drops form continuous black lines, the two principal ones descending from the angles of the 

 under mandible. Cheeks ferruginous, each feather with a black terminal drop. Pectoral and abdominal 

 feathers pale brown, with broad pure-white or fulvous-white centres. Under tail-coverts bright ferruginous 

 yellow. Plumage on the rump loose, soft, and dense, completely concealing the short tail, and being of an 

 almost uniform ferruginous brown colour. Wings, when closed, dark chocolate-brown, most intense on the 

 secondaries. Most of wing-coverts distinctly tipped with almost pure white, so also the inner tertiary quills. 

 Rectrices chocolate-brown. Mandibles dark brown. Legs pale horn-brown. Bill from nostril 37 inch 

 wing 2*15, tarsus '75, tail 1*15." 



The Plate, which represents two birds of the natural size, is drawn from a specimen kindly lent me by 

 Colonel Godwin-Austen. 



[R. B. S.] 





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