Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/277

Rh Description. " Upper parts, especially head, saturated; very dark brown, paling only on the rump. Chestnvit colour of wings darker" (Ticehurst).

Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the last.

Distribution. "Bhutan and Buxa Dooars, Sikkim" (Ticehurst). I cannot distinguish this bird from those obtained in Nepal and the whole of West Assam, North of the Brahmaputra. Birds from the South of this river and from Bengal and the Chin Hills are nearer the typical form.

Nidification similar to that of the typical race and 12 eggs in my collection average exactly the same as those of that bird.

Habits. This is a common bird in all the wide grass-covered areas from the foot-hills up to at least 6,000 feet. It has, of course, exactly the same habits as the last bird, from which it is only very slightly distinguished in colour.


 * Pyctorhis nasalis Legge, A. M. N. H., (5) iii, p. 169 (1879) (Ceylon); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 138.

Vernacular names. Yerra-Kali-jitta (Tel.).

Description. Differs from P. s. sinensis in having the exposed portions of the wing-quills concolorous with the back, and in having more white on the sides of the head.

Colours of soft parts similar to the typical form, but with very little or no yellow about the nostrils.

Measurements. A rather smaller bird than the Indian form; wing 59 to 63 mm. and other measurements in proportion.

Distribution. Ceylon only.

Nidification. Breeds from December (W. W. A. Phillips) to May (Legge), making a nest similar to that of P. s. sinensis but laying only two or three eggs. The few eggs I have seen resemble the most common type of egg described above for P. s. sinensis, but they only measure 17·5 × 13·8 mm. (19·4 × 14·4 mm., Hume).

Habits. The same as those of the preceding subspecies.


 * Chrysomma altirostris Jerd., Ibis, 1862, p. 22 (Thayetmyo).
 * Pyctorhis altirostris. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 139.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Forehead and a broad stripe to the eye hoary grey