188. Turdus somervillei

(188) Turdus somervillei (Sykes).
THE BOMBAY BABBLER.
Turdus somervillei, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol. i, p. 194.
This Babbler breeds in the lower hills and broken country from near Bombay City to Travancore, breeding in open forest and scrub jungle but not in gardens or in and around villages.
Mr. Benjamin Aitken states that it is “plentiful on the slopes of Poorundhar Hill, eighteen miles South of Poona. This species is decidedly fond of hilly country. It is common on the two ranges. of low hills that run along the East and West shores of Bombay inland of Bombay, but never shows a feather in the gardens and groves on the level ground ..... the birds breed in the date-trees." A nest found by Mr. E. Aitken (“Eha”) was “in a small spreading tree in level open forest country. The situation was just such a one as A. malcolmi generally chooses—the end of a horizontal branch with no other branches underneath it ; but it was not so high as those of A. malcolmi usually are, for I could reach it from the ground. This was at an elevation of about 2000 ft.”
Betham, who took many nests round Khandalla in April and August, describes them as rough untidy cups of twigs, roots and grass of the usual Babbler type, neatly finished off inside with fine grass and roots. Nearly all his nests were placed quite high up in Mango-trees, nearly at the top of small ones. He never found any nest built low down in bushes but Mr. T. R. Bell sent me a clutch of eggs said to have been taken from a cane-brake.
Like the rest of the tribe, they seem to breed at almost any time, but to have two fairly marked seasons, the first in April and May, the second from August to October.
The eggs number three or four, of the usual glossy blue and of the usual broad dumpy oval in shape. Eggs rather paler than normal are more commonly seen among this bird’s eggs than in those of any of the Babblers already dealt with.
Thirty-six eggs average 24.2 x 19.5 mm. : maxima 26.1 x 19.4 : and 25.8 x 20.8 mm. ; minima 22.8 x 18.3 and 22.9 x 18.0 mm.