Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/392

348 the lower growths and it roosts for preference in dense secondary scrub or even in long sun- or elephant-grass. It indulges in the quaintest of attitudes when feeding and is a very active and restless bird. At one moment it will hover like a Sun-bird in front of a flower, at another it clambers along the lower surface of a thin branch and sometimes it will swing itself round and round in somersaults, a trick it carries with it into captivity. It is a most charming cage-bird, very easily tamed and a sweet songster. Its note, most often used in the cold weather when feeding in company, is a low " cheep," like that of a chicken calling for its mother, but it has an immense number of notes and is an excellent mimic. It feeds on insects, seeds and fruit and I have seen it feeding on bananas, oranges and peaches which had burst over-ripe on the trees. They are extremely quarrelsome birds and will allow no others to feed near them.


 * Chloropsis mirifrons davidsoni, Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C, xli, p. 8 (1910) (Malabar).
 * Chloropsis malabarica. Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 235.

Vernacular names. Chota Harriel (Hind.).

Description. — Adult male. Differs from C. a. aurifrons in having the chin and throat black instead of blue without the surrounding gold collar. The moustachial streak remains blue.

Colours of soft parts and Measurements as in the last.

The female has but little signs of the golden forehead or blue moustachial streak and has the chin and throat pale green.

The young bird, as in the last, is all green.

Distribution. West coast of India, Khandala to Ceylon.

Nidification. A nest with eggs sent me from Eatnapura, Ceylon, is exactly like that of the Gold-fronted Chloropsis and was placed in an outer small branch of a tree about 20 feet from


 * Turdus malabaricus Gmel., S. N., p. 837, is preoccupied by the same author, p. 816, and cannot therefore be used.