. Birds. Birds. :204 :. (198) Acanthoptila nipalensis. The Sp£NY Babbler. Timalia tiipalensis Hodgs., lies., xix, p. 182 (1836) (Nepal). Acantho2}tila nejicdensis. Blauf. & Gates, i, p. 386. Vernacular names. Xoiie recorded. Description. The whole upper plumage, tail and visible portions of the wings rich olive-brown, the feathers of the head and back with stifp, black shafts; tail cross-rayed darker; lores and the feathers behhid and below the eyes whitish; ear-coverts bro\\n, mixed with white ; lower plumage rufescent, each feather ^vith a dark brown shaft-stripe, these in
. Birds. Birds. :204 :. (198) Acanthoptila nipalensis. The Sp£NY Babbler. Timalia tiipalensis Hodgs., lies., xix, p. 182 (1836) (Nepal). Acantho2}tila nejicdensis. Blauf. & Gates, i, p. 386. Vernacular names. Xoiie recorded. Description. The whole upper plumage, tail and visible portions of the wings rich olive-brown, the feathers of the head and back with stifp, black shafts; tail cross-rayed darker; lores and the feathers behhid and below the eyes whitish; ear-coverts bro\\n, mixed with white ; lower plumage rufescent, each feather ^vith a dark brown shaft-stripe, these increasing in size on breast and ^ibdomen ; under tail-coverts and flanks plain rufescent Fig. 33.—Head of >4. nipalensis. Some birds, including specimens killed in summer, have the lower part of head, chin and thi'oat white with glistening shafts, and the lower plumage is paler. According to Oates this is the summer plumage, but there is too little evidence at present either to contirni or refute this suggestion. Colours of soft parts. Bill dusky brown; legs dull Heshy- brown ; iris smoky-brown {Hodgson, IIS.). Measurements. Length about 250 to 260 mm.; tail about 125 to 130 mm. ; wing 85 to 90 mm.; tarsus about 30 nun.; culmen about 18 to 19 una. Distribution. Xepal and Sikkim and ? N. W. Himalayas. Nidification. According to Hodgson this Babbler makes a loose, shallow grass nest, about 5" in diameter by about 2" deep, which it places in a fork of a tree. Tlie eggs are said to be verditer-blue and to measure about 2S x 16-5 mm. Eggs in my own collection reputed to be of this bird are quite different and in type more like those of Megaluras. The ground is white and they are pro- fusely speckled and spotted with brown and underlying spots of pale neutral tint on purplish lavender. They measure about 22x17 mm. Their identification is not satisfactory and more information is \ery badly required about the bird and its life- history. Habits. Hodgson says that
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1922
