Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/155

Rh flesh-colour ; inside of mouth flesh-colour ; eyelids slate-colour ; iris dark hazel ; legs fleshy pink ; claws pink.

Length nearly ; tail 3 ; wing 4'6 ; tarsus 1-3 ; bill from I'l.

Distribution. Found in summer throughout the Himalayas from Murree to the extreme east of Assam up to 5000 or 6000 feet. At other times of the year this Thrush occurs sparingly in the plains of India, extending occasionally to Ceylon, but it has not been known to occur in the Punjab, Eajputana, Sind, or (Tiizerat, and it appears to be extremely rare in the west and south of the peninsula. This bird is more abundant to the east, being found throughout the whole country stretching from Assam to Tenas- serim, where a considerable number remain the whole year and breed. This species extends down the Malay peninsula as far as Tongkah, but does not otherwise occur outside the limits of the Empire.

Habits, $'c. Breeds on the Himalayas and also in Burma from April to July, constructing a large nest of coarse grasses, roots, and fibres, in a bush or low tree, and laying three or four eggs, which are greenish white freckled with rufous, and measure about 1 by -77.

687. Geocichla innotata. The Malay Ground-Thrush. Geocichla innotata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 370 (1846), xvi, p. 146 ; id. Cat. p. 103 ; Ball, S. F. i, p. 69 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 250 ; Hume, S. F. viii, p. CO ; id. Cat. no. 355 ter ; Scebohm, S. F. ix, p. 99 ; id. Cat. B. M. v, p. 176.

Coloration. Eesembles G t citrina, and differs only in entirely wanting the white tips to the median wing-coverts.

Iris intense rich brown ; bill black, whitish plumbsous at base of lower mandible ; legs dull white tinged with pink, especially on the feet (Wardlaw Ramsay).

Of the same size as 0. citrina.

I look upon this species as quite distinct from G. citrina. In the large series of this latter bird in the British Museum, I fail to find a single specimen from any part of India or Burma north of Amherst without the white tips to the wing-coverts. From Amherst southwards to Malacca spotless birds occur as far as Tongkah in company with G. citrina, but south of that place by themselves.

Distribution. G. innotata occurs at Amherst, Toungya, Bankasun, and Malawun in Tenasserim ; in Karennee ; and down the Malay peninsula as far at least as Malacca. There are no grounds for the belief that this species occurs in the Andamaus or Mcobars.

Young birds shot in Tenasserim in September and October show that this species breeds in Burma.