Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/343

 LEIOPTILA. 299

Measurements. Total length about :^35 to 245 mm.; wing 92 to 97 mm.; tail about 130 to 140 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; culmen about 20 mm.

Distribution. Hills South of the Brahmaputra, Mauipur and Chin Hiils.

Nidification. This bird breeds freely in the Ivliasia Hills, where it is common between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. In the early sixl ies Godwin-Austen took its nest in the Umiam Valley and the next nest was taken by myself in 1905 in the same spot; since then many nests have been taken, all in pine-trees and all built in the thick tufts at the ends of branches. They are made of green moss and lined with roots and are rather massive and well-built cups. The eggs are generally two only in number, sometin)es three and very rarely four. In appearance they are very like weakly coloured Blackbirds' eggs, pale greyish or greenish bhie, lightly freckled and blotched all over with pale reddish; a few eggs approach the Actinoddra type of egg with bolder markings and spots. tSixty eggs average 23"9x 17"7mm. The breeding season lasts from the middle of May to July and the birds may be found during these months anywhere between 4,000 feet and the highest peaks.

Habits. The Grey Sibia is essentially a bird of pine-forests, outside of which it is but rarely met with except in the cold weather months, when it wanders down to about 3,000 feet in any kind of tree-forest. It flies fairly well, haunting the tops of the pines in small flocks or pairs, working the branches for insects as assiduously as other species of this family. Its call is a tine, clear treble note but it has many others of a conversational character though it is not a noisy bird.


 * Sibia melanoleuca Tickell, Blyth, J. A. S. B., xxviii, p. 413 (18.59) (Muleyit Mt.).
 * Lioptila melanoleuca. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 198.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Ear-coverts very dark brown; forehead, crown, nape and rest of the sides of the head black; back, scapulars, lesser and median wing-coverts, ruuip and upper tail-coverts chocolate-brown, tinged with ashy on the two latter parts; wing- quills and greater coverts black; tail darlv brown, the outer webs edged black and all the feathers tipped with white; entire lower plumage white.

Colours of soft parts. Iris lake; bill black : legs and feet dark reddish-brown to dark purplish -brown or brownish black (Hume S,- Da v.).

Measurements. Length about 220 mm.; wing 87 to 90 mm.; tail about 120 mm.; tarsus about 28 mm.; culmen about 17 mm.