Page:Stray feathers. Journal of ornithology for India and its dependencies (IA strayfeathersjou11873hume).pdf/444

416 there are a quantity of small light streaks all round the eye extending to the ends of the ear coverts: there is a large patch of dull greyish white on the abdomen, the color of the white on Merula boulboul; lower part of abdomen, black, like the breast, but streaked with rulous, and this rufous increases in extent till the lower tail coverts are nearly entirely of that color; bill, black; legs, feet, and claws, very dark brown.

Length of skin,6-4 inches, and in the flesh will probably measure 6.5 inches or more; wing, 2.7 inches; tail, 2.65 inches; bill at front, .8 inch; depth at base, 3; width at base, 2 inch; from gape to tip, about 1 inch \; tarsus, 1:07; mid toc, 8; its claw, 27; hind toe, 18 inches; its claw, 4 inch.

Three specimens obtained from Native Sikhim in February last.

Description.—Top of head, reaching to upper part of back, rich olivaceous chestunt; remainder of upper parts, olive, with a rufous tinge; tail, dark reddish brown; wings, both coverts and quill feathers, olive brown, edged with reddish brown, over the eye a broad white supercilium continued to the ends of the ear coverts, and this is surmonnted by a broad velvet black streak, which extends across the forehead, and is continued over the eye till it reaches the shoulder: the white supercilium is narrowly continued across the forehead immediately under the black frontal band; the eyes are surrounded with a circle of bright white feathers, like those of Zosterops palpebrosus and Abroruis poliogenys : lores, greyish white; ear coverts, blackish olive, shaded off at the edges; beyond the ear coverts is a crescentic patch of bright fulvous white; chin, and extending slightly beyond, white; throat, dark rusty red; breast, smoke grey on the sides and fading to almost white on the centre; abdomen, white; flanks, dusky olive; vent and under tail coverts, bright ochreous; tibial feathers, olive, with a patch of bright fulvous on the inner side at the joint; bill, black, legs, feet, and claws, pale brown.

The feathers on the top of the head have a similar scaley appearance to those of Minla cinerea, and this peculiar character assisted me in placing this bird in the genus Minla.

I got one specimen from the Bhotan Doars in January last.

Length of skin, 4.6 inches; in the flesh will probably measure 5 inch; wing, 2.16 inches; tail, 2 inch; bill at front, 13; from gape, 6; tarsus, 83 inches; mid toe, .6; its claw, 17; hind toe, 36; its claw, 25.