KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. HAND 56. NO 2. 57 



The Burmese spotted Babblei was very common on suitable localities över tli«- 



whole of Siarn, though more abundant in the Northern parts of the country. It always 



* keeps to the thick tmdergrowth and was seldom seen in the lower trees where it probably 



only retires when on look ont for some danger. It has a niee song which il frequently 



utters, and on account of its retning habits it is more often heard than seen. 



The speeimen shot up among the mountains west of Koh Lak differs somewhat 

 from the other speeimens in my Siamese collection. It lias the under surface, w it Ii 

 the exception of the centre of the abdomen, rich fulvons bnff, exceedingly darker tli;m 

 in typical birds. The blackish brown stripes on the ehest and upper breast are paler 

 and narrower; the bill is plnmbeous grey instead of horn colour, bu1 in every other way 

 it agrees with typical speeimens of P. subochraceum. 



98. Turdinus abbotti abbotti. Blyth. Abbotfs Babbler. 



Ta ni innu abbotti: Robinson & Kloss p. 59; Williamson II p. 77: Robinson III p. 7 Ii». 

 Trichasfoma abbotti: Muller p. 371. 



ef Koh Lak Paa 7 /jg 11)14. L = 142 mm.; W = 75 mm.: T = 56 rom.; C =17 mm.: Tarsus = 24 mm. 

 I lides: brownish red. Bill: brown with the tip påle plumbeous. Legs: påle riesh colour. 



The birds obtained by me up among the mountains on the Tenasserim boundary west 

 from Koh Lak have to be referred to the typical T. a. abbotti and not to the southern 

 race which has been named by Strickland T. a. olivaceum. This race inhabits the Malay 

 Peninsula at least as far north as to Bandon - — where it was f ound by Robinson — and 

 the island of Borneo. Curiously enough Mr. C. Boden Kloss obtained T. a. olivaceum 

 during his recent trip to the Chantaboon district in south-eastern Siarn. He obtained 

 this bird on a more northern latitude than that one of Koh Lak, why the southern race 

 seems to extend further to the north on the eastern side of the Gulf of »Siarn than on 

 the western. 



I only prepared the skin of a single male speeimen but shot several others, though 

 they unfortunately got spoiled and were not worthy of being preserved. They, however, 

 all belonged to the typical race, having the underparts of the body very dark and the 

 under tailcoverts deep rufous ochre. 



When observed they were always single, though several speeimens could occur 

 on rather a small area of land. They generally kept on the ground among the thickest 

 undergrowth; only when being disturbed in some way they flew up in a low tree, though 

 very.soon diving down to the ground again, where they were jumping about in search 

 of food among the dry leaves. 



In the Northern parts of the country I never observed them. One speeimen has 

 been recorded from Bangkok by Mr. Williamson (Journal Natural History Society of 

 Siarn Vol. I N:o 2 p. 77). 



My speeimen agrees well with the description in the literature but the grey eye- 

 brow is very distinct almost reaching to the upper parts of the ear-coverts. 



K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl. Band 56. N:o 2. > 



