Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/171

Rh 704. Zoothera monticola. The Large Brown Thrush.

Zoothera monticola, Vigor*, P. 7,. S. 1831, p. 172 ; Gould, Cent. pi. xxii ; Blyth, Cat. p. 100 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 102 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. SOU ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 33 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 49; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. ii, p. 72 ; Hume, Cat. no. 350.

Geocichla monticola (Vig.}, Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 161.

Coloration. The whole upper plumage dark slaty, each feather narrowly but distinctly margined darker, giving a scaly appearance to the feathers ; forehead and crown tinged with rufous ; wings dark brown, the quills margined with fulvous-brown and the median and greater coverts tipped with ochraceous ; sides of the head rufescent brown, with ochraceous shafts to the feathers ; chin and middle of the throat white, each feather with a triangular brown tip ; breast and sides of the throat dark olive-brown, with black subterminal spots, the feathers of the middle of the breast with a good deal of fulvous at their centres ; abdomen white, irre- gularly spotted and barred with brown ; under tail-coverts dark olive-brown, broadly tipped white ; sides of the body dark oliva- ceous ; axillaries basally white, then black, and narrowly tipped white ; under wing-coverts black, tipped white ; tail blackish, obsoletely cross-barred, and the outer feathers paler.

Fig. 40. Head of Z. monticola.

Legs and feet light brown ; iris dark brown ; bill dark brown (Hume).

Length between 11 and 12; tail 3'5 ; wing 5'5; tarsus 1'3 ; bill from gape 1*8.

Distribution. The Himalayas from the Sutlej valley to the Daphla hills in Assam, where this bird is a permanent resident up to 10,000 feet.

705. Zoothera marginata. The Lesser Brown Thrush.