Head, neck, and breast brownish black; body chestnut; silver-grey on the wings. Tail greyish with broad black band at the tip. During flight the tail assumes a curious shape owing to the fact that the feathers which compose it are graduated in length; the median pair is twelve inches long, the next pair is shorter, and so on, the outer pair being only about half the length of the median pair. This bird has a curious metallic call which may be syllabised coch-lee, coch-lee, or cogee, cogee. It also emits a great variety of harsh cries. Breeds from April to August. The nest is a large cup high up in a tree.
(Does not appear to occur in or about the towns of Bombay and Madras.) (Illus. B. C., p. 10, but the illustration is not a good one, a better idea is given in F. I., p. 10, where an allied species is figured.)
The Babblers, 6-10
[6]. Argya caudata: The Common Babbler, or Striated Bush-babbler, or Rat-bird. (F. 105), (J. 438), (II.)
A dingy brown bird; upper plumage darker than the lower. In each feather there is a dark line along the shaft which causes the bird to have a streaked appearance. It goes about in pairs, or in small flocks. It feeds largely on the ground. When it runs, its tail (which is about 4½ inches long, i.e. half the total length of the bird) seems to trail on the ground like that of a rat, hence one of its names. Its note is not unpleasant. It nests chiefly in the hot weather. The nursery is a neatly constructed cup, which is invariably placed in a low bush. Its eggs are pale blue.
Does not appear to occur in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, Bombay, or Madras. Addicted to arid parts of India.
7-9. The Crateropus Babblers, or “Seven Sisters.”
These are all untidy-looking, earthy-brown birds about the size of mynas. They go about in little flocks, whence the name “Seven Sisters,” or “Sath Bhai.” They feed largely on the ground, seeking for insects among dead leaves. While feeding they keep up a constant chatter which every now and then grows very loud, sounding like a combination of a squeak and the groans of a revolving axle that requires to be oiled. They continually jerk the tail, which has the appearance of being very loosely inserted. So untidy-looking are these birds that Eha likens them to “Old Jones, who spends the day in his pyjamas.” Their flight is feeble and laborious. Three species are common:
[7]. Crateropus canorus: The Jungle Babbler. (F. 110), (J. 432), (III.)
This bird is abundant in Northern India, and becomes rarer in the south, where it is largely replaced in the plains by the two next species. (Illus. B. C., p. 15.)