283 
BIRDS OF BMTISH BURMAH. 
portion of Pegu^ suited to its habits, where it is not common ; and Mr. 
Blyth states that it is found in Arrakan, where I imagine it must be 
common in all the lowlands. 
It is found over the Indo-Burmese countries and nearly the whole 
peninsula of India. In the extreme south of the Empire it is replaced by 
a larger and doubtfully distinct race^ P. bicolor. It extends down the 
Malay peninsula to Java^ Borneo and the Philippine Islands. 
The Pied Chat is a familiar and well-known bird, found in all the culti- 
vated portions of the country and also in those parts where the jungle is 
open. It has the same habits as P. maura. I have frequently found the 
nest in Pegu in April and May. It is usually placed in a hole in the 
ground, the footprint of a bullock serving the purpose very frequently; 
sometimes it is placed on the ground under the shelter of a tuft of grass. 
The nest itself is a mere pad of dry grass. The eggs, three or four in 
number^ are pale green marked with dull reddish brown. 
Genus OREICOLA, Bonap, 
267. OREICOLA JERDONI. 
THE BLACK-AND-WHITE BUSH-CHAT. 
Rhodophila melanoleuca, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 128, iii. ^^j/j. p. 872 {nec Vieill.). 
Oreicola jerdoni, Bl. Ibis, 1867, p. 14 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 449 ; Bl. B. 
Burm. p. 101 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 99; Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. iv. p. 264; 
Inglis, S. F. ix. p. 254. Pratincola jerdoni, Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 616. 
Description. — Male. The whole upper plumage, wings, tail, sides of the 
head and neck deep black ; the whole lower plumage white ; under wing- 
coverts black mixed with white. 
The female is brown above, tinged with rufous, especially on the rump 
and upper tail-coverts ; tail brown, edged paler ; wings and their coverts 
brown edged with rufous ; sides of the head mixed ashy and brown ; lower 
plumage uniform pale fulvous. 
Bill and legs black ; irides dark brown. (Jerdon.) 
Length 6 inches, tail 2*7, wing 2*7, tarsus '85, bill from gape 75. The 
female is a little smaller. 
The Black -and- White Bush-Chat is a bird of extreme rarity. It has 
only once been procured in British Burmah, when Mr. Blanford met with 
it in long elephant- grass in the northern portion of the Bassein district. 
It has been found near Bhamo in Upper Burmah by Dr. Anderson ; and 
the taxidermist of the Phayre Museum in Rangoon, Mr. Swarries, 
