Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/255

Rh when feeding. It is to be met with both in pairs and in small parties, silent as a rule but occasionally bursting into a chorus of rather sweet, full notes when anything of special interest is seen or if suddenly disturbed. They slink about in a very rat-like manner on the ground under the bushes but move from one piece of cover to another in big bounds, only taking to wing when actually forced to do so. They fly much like the Laughing-Thrushes, alternate sailings and furious flappings, tail bent up or down and wide-spread and legs carried well forward and down unless the flight is prolonged. They are not shy birds and are very inquisitive and cannot resist a closer acquaintance with any novel sight or sound. I have seen these birds mobbing a civet; cat much as the birds of the genera Turdoldes and Argya will mob a village cat which invades their territory.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. .Similar to the Coral-billed Scimitar-Babbler, but the crown is very little darker than the back. A black line extends above the white supercilium. The breast and abdomen are a very pale ferruginous, or pale buff with a faint rufous tinge.

Colours of soft parts. Iris creamy- white to bright yellow; legs and feet pale greenish or yellowish brown; bill deep vermilion or coral-red.

Measurements. A rather larger bird than phayrei, with shorter bill; wing about 95 to 100 mm.; bill about 24 to 25 mm.

Distribution. Mountains of Tenasserim South to Tavoy and North to Karen Hills.

Nidification. Mr. K. Macdonald fonnd it breeding on the Taok plateau 60 miles east of Prome. The nest was of the usual type, and the eggs, two or three in number, measured about 24·6 x 18·4 mm.

Habits similar to those of the other races.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. This is a pale form of albigularis, and the under parts are very pale buff with no tinge of rufous.