THE WHITE-RUMPED BABBLER.
THE WHITE-RUMPED BABBLER (Crateropus leucopygius).
The WHITE-RUMPED BABBLER (Crateropus leucopygius) is chocolate-brown on the upper part of the body; the top of the head, face, and rump are white; the feathers on the under side brownish grey, edged with white, this bordering presenting the appearance of crescent-shaped spots; the quills and tail-feathers are marked with a series of dark lines; the eye is deep carmine-red, the beak black, and the feet grey. These Babblers are social in their habits, and are always met with in small parties, numbering from eight to twelve birds. Their flight, which is performed by alternate rapid strokes of the wings and a hovering motion produced by broadly expanding the pinions and tail, is rarely sustained for any great distance, and has no pretence to either grace or speed. In the brushwood, on the contrary, they exhibit a wonderful power of climbing and creeping through dense foliage, such as will bear comparison with that of the Mouse Birds themselves. Few sights are more amusing than that presented by a party of these noisy chatterers, as they fly quite close together from bush to bush, settling on each one in turn, creeping through it in all directions, and screaming violently whenever anything attractive or unusual catches their eye, then, having snapped up as many insects and devoured as many buds and leaves as their appetites require, they re-assemble, and fly off in closely-packed array, to repeat the same process at another spot. We are entirely without particulars either respecting their nidification or manner of breeding.
THE WHITE-TUFTED LAUGHING THRUSH (Garrulax leucolophus).
The LAUGHING THRUSHES (Garrulax), inhabiting India and Southern Asia, resemble the above-mentioned group so closely in their general appearance as to render any detailed description of their habits mere repetition; we shall therefore content ourselves with the mention of but one species, as the mode of life and habits and general appearance of the group is very similar.
THE WHITE-TUFTED LAUGHING THRUSH.