Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/347

 ACTINODUllA, 303

Distribution. The Hills South of the Brahmaputra above 5,000 feet, Toropatu Peak, Dalla Hills. Nidification unknown.

Habits. This Sibia frequents only the higher ranges. Tji some parts of the Naga Hills at about 7,000 to 9,000 feet it is not rare and it wanders, ]>robably only in winter, into Cachar and the Khasia Hills on the peaks and ridges between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. God win- Austen says that it is found in companies of about half-a- dozen, haunting the tops of rliododendron-trees, the flowers of Avhich it searches busily for insects. The only call I heard was a very loud, shrill whistle, less musical than the notes of this genus generally are. They are extremely active birds like all the others. Genus ACTINODURA Gould, 1836. The genus Actinodura only differs from Leioptila in its shorter, less slender hill and in life they have a stouter, rather stronger tarsus, though this is not visible in dried skins. The bill is about half the length of the head, the rictal bristles are long and the tail is considerably longer than the wing and well graduated as in Leioptila. There are in India and Burma two species which vary con- siderably in different geographical areas. Key to Species and Sid)species. A. No white ring round eye. a. Forehead and fore crown chestnut; back reddish-olive A. egertoniec/ertoni, p. 303. b. Forehead rufous; crown like the back. a'. Back ochraceous A. e. Jchasiana, p. 304. b' . Back greyish-olive A.e. ripponi, p. ."JOo. B. A conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eye. [p. 305. c. Crown and back ashy olive- brown .... A. ranisayi rainsayi, d. Crown tinged with rufous; back more ochraceous A. 7 radcliffei, p. 306.


 * Actinodura egertoni Gould, P. Z. S., 1836, p. 18 (Sikkim); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. :201.

Vernacular names. Raimiio-pho (Lepcha).

Description. Crest rich ashy-brown; foreiiead, lores, round the eye, cheeks and chin rufous; ear-coverts, sides of the neck and mantle brown, paler than the crest; smaller wing-coverts, rump, back and upper tail-coverts reddish brown; primar^-coverts almost entirely black; greater coverts chestnut; inner webs of primaries and outer secondaries brown, the outer webs ashy with chestnut