[Illustration: 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.
[Illustration: 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.