It passes most of its time near the ground, searching in thick grass and 
undergrowth for insects, often flying to the top of the bush which has affor¬ 
ded it shelter; here it sits motionless for some little time, and commences 
suddenly to re-iterate its loud clear call. 
It is particularly noisy in the afternoon, and is able, in the stillness 
of the evening, to make Itself heard at no little distance, as It sits on 
the top of a fence or dead stump in a solitary jungle clearing. It has but 
little pretensions; to the name of War bier; but there are perhaps few birds 
which endeavour to make themselves heard more than it, or which give one the 
impression of trying to proclaim their whereabouts to all their neighbours. 
When it desires to give out the singular ringing note of which it is pos¬ 
sessed, it invariably mounts to the very top of a bush, and having commenced 
its call continues lustily with it until disturbed, when it often remounts 
an adjacent shrub and prolongs Its evening salutation. 
It is equally noisy throughout the year, and I have no doubt its notes 
are well known to most of the residents In the handsome bungalows adorning 
the Cinnamon Gardens of Colombo, as well as familiar to those who take an 
afternoon drive round the 'Circular*, or on the many radiating roads which 
start from that pretty spot. 
Its diet is purely Insectivorous; and Layard remarks that it hunts in 
small parties, and traverses the branches up and down in a similar manner to 
the Tailor Bird. It often descends to the ground, and feeds among grass, an 
and when wounded I have seen it run with facility. I have usually seen It 
solitary, and it is rare to see more than two or three together. 
The lowest bird In the picture represents a figure of this species taken 
from a male shot in the Kalebokka district. Central Province. 
