Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/173

Rh Key to the SPECIES. a. Crown of head lavender-blue C. purpurea, p. 159. b. Crown of head cobalt-blue C. viridis, p. 1(50.

706. Cochoa purpurea. The Parole Thmsli.

Cochoa purpurea, Hodys. J. A. S. B. v, p. 359 (1836); Bhjth, Cat. p. 195 ; Horsf. Sc M. Cat. i, p. 390 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 243 ; Hume, N. # E. p. 338 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 337 ; Hume, Cat. no. 607 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 3 ; Gates, B. B. i, p. 136 j id. in Humes N. $ E. 2od ed. ii. p. 110.

The Purple Thrush-Tit, Jerd. ; Cocho, Nep. ; Lho-nyum-pho, Lepch.

Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, and nape lavender-blue ; a narrow frontal band, lores, and sides of the head black, this colour extending narrowly round the hind neck ; the upper plumage ashy purple; wing-coverts, wiuglet, tertiaries, and the basal half, or more, of the outer webs of most of the primaries and of all the secondaries dull lavender; primary-coverts and remainder of wing black; tail lavender-blue, the inner webs of all but the median pair of feathers mostly black, and all tipped black ; the whole lower plumage purplish brown, inclining to black on the chin and throat.

Female. Forehead, crown, and nape lavender-blue ; a narrow frontal band, lores, and sides of the head black, this colour extending narrowly round the hind neck ; upper plumage reddish brown ; wing-coverts, tertiaries, and the basal half, or more, of the outer webs of the secondaries reddish brown ; the basal portion of the outer webs of the primaries blue ; remainder of the wing dark brown ; winglet and the larger coverts near the edge of the wing and the bases of the primary -co verts suffused with blue ; tail as in the male ; lower surface reddish brown, paler than the upper plumage.

The young male has the wings and tail like the adult male ; the forehead, crown, and nape black, barred with white ; the upper plumage black, with fulvous streaks on the scapulars and lesser wing-coverts ; the sides of the head black, with a white patch on the ear-coverts ; the whole lower plumage bright reddish brown cross-barred with black. A young male in August has nearly lost the fulvous streaks on the scapulars and lesser wing-coverts; the back is turning to ashy purple ; the head is still barred with white, aud the lower plumage is still barred as in the young bird above described. This plumage is probably retained throughout the winter.

The young female has the wings and tail like the adult female ; the forehead, crown, and nape black, each feather with a broad Bubtermiaal white band; the upper plumage reddish brown, with pale fulvous stripes, which become elongated drops on the scapulars ; sides of the ho;id black; ear-coverts centrally white: lower plumage reddish brown cross-barred with black.