Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/270

230 and again in June and July, but in S. India it appears to breed principally in the to latter months. It is found from the level of the plains up to at least 3,000 feet, making a little ball-shaped nest of grass about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and without any lining. It may be placed on any kind of grass, weed or scrub-jungle, the first being the favourite and either on the ground or, more often, wedged in amongst thorns and grass. The full clutch is either three or four and the eggs are miniatures of those of Timalia and hardly distinguishable from those of the last bird. Fifty eggs avernge 17·8 × 13·5 mm.

Habits. The White-throated Babbler may be found in almost any kind of cover other than actual forest. Like the last bird, it associates in small parties, which feed either on the ground or low down in the bushes and grass, skulking about much in the same way as Turdoides and Argya, constantly uttering a low chattering call with an occasional louder whistle or chirp. Like the others of the genus, they are almost entirelv insectivorous, and are peculiarly fond of ants and termites. Their flight is weak and ill-controlled.


 * Dumetia albigularis abuensis Harington, J. B. N. H. S., xxiii, p. 429 (1915) (Mt. Abu).

Vernacular names. Pandi jitta (Tel.).

Description. Differs from the last bird in having the whole crown chestnut and ihe under parts much darker.

Colours of soft parts as in the last, but the iris dark brown.

Measurements the same as in the last.

Distribution. The country round Mt. Abu, Deesa, and down to Mahabaleshwar.

Nidification and Habits as in Dumetia a. albigularis. Three eggs taken by Lieut. H. E. Barnes in Deesa measure about 17·6 × 14·0 mm.

This genus contains but one species, races of which are found from Sikkim to the Malay Peninsula.

They are birds of rufous or golden-brown plumage with white heads and breasts, but the young differ from the adults in having the white replaced with the colour of the upper parts, a feature in which they differ from nearly all the other Timaliidæ.

The tail is longer than the wing and much graduated, the outer feathers being less than two-thirds the length of the central pairs. The bill is about half the length of the head and very Shrike-like in appearance; the rictal bristles are very long. The tarsus is typically stout, but rather short in comparison to the size of the bird.