Description. Differs from the preceding bird in being a richer olive-brown above and in having the rufous head-patch streaked with white, the streaks increasing in size and extending on to the rufous of the neck and shouklers.
Colours of soft parts. The legs and feet vary a good deal, being pale bluish green, very pale brown, or pale whitish blue; the upper mandible pale brown, the lower mandible pale whitish blue; iris pale to dark brown and brownish red; naked patch behind the eye flesh-colour, more or less strongly tinged blue (Hume & Davison).
Measurements as in P. h. hypoleucus.
Distribution. Tenasserim.
Nidification. Mr. C. Hopwood describes its nest as like that of the Arrakan Scimitar-Babbler, but placed in clumps of bamboo and made of tendrils, twigs and roots. It breeds apparently from January to March, and lays two or three white eggs measuring about 30·2 × 22·7 mm.
Habits. Davison remarks that this Babbler keeps much to thick undergrowth, either in pairs or small parties, keeping to the ground more exclusively than any of the other Scimitar-Babblers known by him.
Genus XIPHIRAMPHUS Blyth, 1843.
The genus Xiphiramphus differs only from Pomatorhinus in having a much longer, more slender and still more curved bill. It contains but one species.
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Fig. 37—Head of X. superciliaris.
(226) Xiphiramphus superciliaris.
The Slender-Billed Scimitar-Babbler.
- Xiphiramphus superciliaris Blyth, J. A. S. B., xi, p. 175 (1842) (Sikkim); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 128.
Vernacular names. Karriok-tamveep (Lepcha).
Description. Lores black; chin and throat white streaked with ashy; a white supercilium, the rest of the head slaty-grey; upper plumage bright rufous-brown; tail dark brown or blackish, the
