Nidification. Breeds in forest, making a shallow cup-shaped nest of dead leaves, a scrap or two of moss, one or two tiny twigs, all carelessly and untidily bound together with cobwebs and lined, with fine roots and tendrils. The whole structure reminds one more of a Cuckoo-Shrike's nest rather than that of a Babbler. One found by myself was built in a small fork of a straggly bush, quite unconcealed and easily reached by hand. It contained four eggs with a pale yellowish ground-colour well covered with freckles, specks and blotches of reddish brown, numerous everywhere but more so at the larger end. They were much like large, dully coloured and brown eggs of Copsychus. They measured 23·1 × 17·1 mm., and were taken, very hard-set, on the 9th August.
Habits. This curious Babbler is found during the cold weather principally between 1,000 and 2,500 feet, frequenting bamboo-, bush- and grass-jungle and, less often, secondary growth. In the breeding season it is found nearly up to 4,000 feet, and then deserts the lighter form of cover for the densest and dampest forests. It is like the birds of the genera Garrulax and Trochalopterum in being very gregarious and very noisy, but, unlike them, keeps entirely to trees and bamboos and never works on the ground for its food. They are intensely curious and by no means shy, and will allow close observation without resentment. They fly fairly well and are much more active on the wing than most of the Timaliidæ.
(233) Gampsorhynchus rufulus torquatus.
The Ring-necked Shrike-Babbler.
- Gampsorhynchus torquatus Hume, P. A. S. B., 1874, p. 107 (Youngzalin River); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 136.
Vernacular names. None recorded.
Description. Differs from G. r. rufulus in having the upper plumage rufous-brown; the outer webs of the first primaries and the tips of all horny-grey; the tail is edged and tipped with white instead of buflf and the sides of the neck are marked with rufous and black.
Colours of soft parts as in the last bird, but the legs are described as "greyish white, slaty white or fleshy white with a blue tinge."
Measurements as in White-headed Shrike-Babbler.
Distribution. The Toungoo Hills and Karenni to Tenasserim.
Nidification unknown.
Habits do not seem to differ from those of the White-headed Shrike-Babbler. Davison procured them both in bamboo and evergreen forest.
