Birds in Southern Ceylon . 
17 
angle of a horizontal fork or on a branch high np from the 
ground. The eggs are two in number, of a fleshy white 
ground-colour, clouded at the obtuse end with faint lilac and 
blotched over that, principally at the same part, with light 
brown; axis 11 lines, diameter 8 lines. D. edoliiformis 
(Blyth) and Edolius malabaricus (Scop.) are both found in 
the district; they are both inhabitants of forest entirely, 
extending from the Kottowe hills towards the Morowa-Korle 
mountains, the former ranging up to the highest points, and 
the latter confined, so far as I have been able to trace it, to 
the heavy lowland forests. The song of D. edoliiformis is 
powerful and melodious, but not so spirited as that of its 
long-tailed congener, and is generally uttered when the bird 
is disturbed or flying from tree to tree. It perches mostly on 
the upper limbs of trees, and sallies forth at passing coleo¬ 
pterous insects, very often returning to the same place and 
elevating its tail on alighting. On comparing a number of 
specimens I find that females are the smallest; my finest spe¬ 
cimen measures 12*6 inches, with a tail of 6*7 inches, while 
males attain a total length of 13’9 inches. Immature birds 
have the under tail-coverts barred with white, and the under 
wing-coverts white-tipped. Edolius malabaricus is an ex¬ 
tremely shy bird, and frequents deep tangled nullahs in the 
forest, being consequently very hard to procure. One indi¬ 
vidual in my collection, procured in the Kottowe forest near 
Gralle, has the long tail-feathers only 5'2 inches longer than 
the rest, the bare portion of the t( stemmeasuring only 2| 
inches; there is no appearance of these feathers being in the 
growing-stage; but Jerdon gives the length as 11 inches more 
than the others. Although this bird and the last mentioned 
appear to be sometimes confounded when the tail is not in 
the racket-stage, surely the two species ought to be distinguish¬ 
able at all ages, on account of the crest of E. malabaricus 
falling back over the forehead, whilst that of D. edoliiformis 
projects forward over the bill; the long-tailed bird is also of 
slenderer frame, its rictal bristles are shorter, and the fea¬ 
thers of the neck are more hackled. 
Of Muscicapidse, the elegant Tckitrea paradisea arrives in 
see. hi.— VOL. iv. 
c 
