Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/22

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Siphia strophiata, Hodgs. 2nd. Rev. i, p. 651 (1837) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 171 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 293 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 479 ; Stoliczka, J.A.S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 32 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 47 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. ii, p. 72 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 620 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 232 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 455 ; Hume, Cat. no. 319 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 278 ; Gates, />'. n. i, p. 290.

Siphia rufigularis, Scully, S. F. viii, p. 279 (1879). X/y hija, Nep. ; Phatt-tayrak-pho, Lepch.

Fig. 4. Bill of 8. strophiata.

Coloration. Male. Upper plumage olive-brown, tinged with fulvous on the back and rump ; upper tail-coverts black ; lores, cheeks, chin, and throat black; forehead and a short eyebrow white ; ear-coverts and feathers above the eye deep slaty ; a large oval patch below the throat bright chestnut ; breast and sides of the neck slaty ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts white ; flanks olive-brown; lesser wing-coverts slaty; the other coverts and all the quills brown, edged with fulvous ; tail blackish ; the pair next the middle pair with a patch of white on the outer web ; the others with a larger white patch on both webs : under wing- coverts and axillaries light buff.

Female. Similar in style of coloration to the male, but the orange gular patch paler and smaller, the white on the forehead of less extent, and the black of the face and throat replaced by slaty.

The young bird is brown all over, closely streaked and mottled with fulvous ; the tail is marked with white as in the adult, but there is no indication of the gular patch. Bill black'; gape fleshy-rwhitish ; iris dark brown; feet dark horny-brown ; claws black (Scully}.

Length nearly 5-5 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape '65.

It is not unusual for the female to have the throat to some extent orange-rufous, and it was to a specimen exhibiting this peculiarity that Scully assigned the name of Siphia rufyularis.

Distribution. The Himalayas from Eastern Kashmir to the Daphla hills in Assam up to 12,000 feet in summer, and descending to the lower valleys in winter; the Khasi and Naga hills; Manipur ; the neighbourhood of Bhamo ; Arrakan ; Muleyit mountain in Tenasserim. This species extends into China.

Halits, fyc. Nothing is known of the nidincation of this Ely-catcher. According to Jerdon it frequently alights on the ground