Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/243

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POMATORHINUS.
205

bushes, flies very badly and unwillingly, and that it feeds entirely on the ground. He also says that it is found by bushy rills and is a shy, skulking bird. On the label of a Pinwill specimen is a remark that this bird is a fine songster.

Genus POMATORHINUS Horsf., 1821.

In this genus the principal distinguishing feature is the long, slender bill, either as long as, or longer than, the head, much curved downwards and always compressed. The nostril is bare and exposed, whilst the feathers of the forehead are short, rounded and close. The tail is longer than the wing and much, graduated, the outer feathers never exceeding three-quarters the length of the central pair.

The young of the genus generally have more rufous or dark colour on the breast and abdomen than the adults. The bill is. not fully grown for some months. Keif to t:ipecies. A. With a white supercilium. a. Bill cumparatively short, about equal to head. a'. Breast, throat and abdomen white. a". Sides of ueck cliestnut, contrasting witii upper plumage. a'". Cliestnut of neck produced as a band down Hanks, a'. Cliestnut band streaked with white P. schidiceps, p. 205. b^. Band not streaked P. nuchalis, p. 208. b'" . Chestnut confined to ueck P. olivaceus, p. 209. b" . Sides of neck not chestnut P. Jiursjieldi, p. 210. b'. Throat white; brea.st ferruginous, not striped P./eiTia/hiosus, p. 213. c'. Throat white; breast striped with olive- brown P. riijicollis, p. 21G. b. Bill more slender and about half as long again as head P. ochraceiceps, p. 217. B. No white snpercilium. c. Bill not longer than head and slender .... P.en/t/n'of/enj/s,p. 219. d. Bill longer than head and very coarse. ... P. hi/puleucus, p. 222. Pomatorhiims schisticeps. Kt'i/ to Subspecies. ' A.. Chestnut band deep maroon-chestnnt. a. Wing over 4 inches. a'. Darker and more olivaceous above . . P. s. schisticeps, p. 206. b'. Paler and more rufous above P.s. cryptant]ius,i. 207. b. Wing under 4 inches P. s. pimoilli, p. 208. B. Chestnut band uuicli paler P. s. mearsi, p. 207.