Part 217

PALE THRUSH.

Turdus pallidus Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, 815; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 128; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 118, pl. 6, fig. 11; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 84. Merula pallida Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 273.

Calayan (McGregor). Japan and eastern Siberia; Formosa and Southern China in winter.

"In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is rich russet-brown, tinged with gray on the head; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts brown; no trace of eye-stripe; wings brown, the primaries, primary-coverts, and alula wing-feathers with the outer webs slate-gray, the secondaries, greater, median, and lesser wing-coverts with the outer webs russet-brown; tail dark brown, the outer webs of each feather margined with olive-brown; inner web of outside tail-feathers white for half an inch [13 mm.] at the tip; inner web of second outside tail-feather on each side with rather less white at the tip; more or less white at the tip of the third outside tail-feather on each side; throat and cheeks, breast and flanks slate-gray, shading into white on the belly and the center of the breast, and more or less irregularly shaded with brown on the lower throat, sides of breast, and flanks; under tail-coverts white, with the basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts pale slate-gray obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale slaty brown. Bill dark brown, yellow at the base of the under mandible. Wings with the third, fourth, and fifth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary intermediate in length between the fifth and sixth, bastard primary 19 to 12.7 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 129.5 to 119; tail, 99 to 84; culmen, 29 to 23; tarsus, 30 to 29.

"The female differs from the male in having the parts which are slate-gray replaced by russet-brown, and in having the center of the throat grayish white, and the cheeks and sides of the throat with brown fan-shaped terminal spots. Males of the year have the plumage of the female, and the greater wing-coverts with more or less conspicuous pale tips. Young in first plumage are unknown." (Seebohm.)

A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 122; tail, 87; culmen from base, 23; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 30.

531. TURDUS CHRYSOLAUS Temminck.

JAPANESE BROWN THRUSH.

Turdus chrysolaus Temminck, Pl. Col. (1831), 2, 537; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 213; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 139; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 119, pl. 6, figs. 15 and 18; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 84. Merula chrysolaus Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891), 5, 275.

Pir-pi-rú-ca, Calayan.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead). Japan, Hainan, and Eastern Siberia; in winter to Formosa and China.

"In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is russet-brown, tinged with gray on the head; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts brown; scarcely a trace of eye-stripe; wings brown, the primaries, primary-coverts, and alula feathers with the outer webs slaty brown; the secondaries, greater, median, and lesser wing-coverts with outer webs russet-brown; tail brown, the outer web of each feather margined with olive-brown; inner web of the outside tail-feathers narrowly margined with white; throat and cheeks sooty brown, shading into chestnut-brown on the breast, and into deep rich chestnut on the flanks, leaving the belly white; under tail-coverts white, with the basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts edged with pale slate-gray, obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale slaty brown. Bill dark brown, yellow at the base of the under mandible. Wings with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth, or fifth and sixth, bastard primary 18 to 16.5 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 127 to 117; tail, 91 to 79; culmen, 22.6 to 19; tarsus, 33 to 29.

"The female has no gray on the head or wings, the upper throat is nearly white, and the feathers of the cheeks and the center of the throat are white, with dark brown, fan-shaped terminal spots. Males of the year resemble females. Young in first plumage are unknown." (Seebohm.)

532. TURDUS OBSCURUS Gmelin.

DARK THRUSH.

Turdus obscurus Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 2, 816; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 212 (migration); Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 119; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 84. Merula obscura Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891), 5, 273.

Apo (Celestino); Calayan (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Cuming, Othberg, Whitehead); Mindanao (Goodfellow); Negros (Whitehead). Eastern Siberia, Japan, Eastern Himalayas and Malay Peninsula; in winter to China, Borneo, and Burma.

"In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is olive-brown, tinged with gray on the crown and nape; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts slaty brown; eye-stripe white, extending nearly to the nape; wings, wing-coverts, and tail brown, the outer web of each feather olive-brown, grayer on the margins of the primaries and primary-coverts; outside tail-feathers obscurely tipped with white on the inner web; throat and cheeks slaty brown, shading into olive-brown on the breast and into pale chestnut-brown on the flanks, leaving the belly white; under tail-coverts white, with basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts pale slate-gray, obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale brown. Bill with upper mandible dark brown; under mandible pale yellow, darker toward the tip. Wing with the third primary longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth, bastard primary, 15 to 13 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 127 to 112; tail, 91 to 76; culmen, 22 to 20; tarsus, 32 to 28.

"The female differs from the male in not having the slaty tint on the crown, nape, and sides of the head; the throat is white, obscurely streaked with brown, and the flanks are very slightly suffused with pale chestnut-brown. In spring the general color of the upper parts has faded from russet-brown into a grayer brown, which becomes still more gray during summer.

"Birds of the year do not entirely lose the marks of immaturity until their second autumn molt; the wing-coverts and innermost secondaries frequently retain the pale tips, though these are white rather than ochraceous; the throat and eye-stripe of the female are much suffused with ochraceous, and the throat of the male resembles that of the adult female.

"Young in first plumage have most of the feathers of the upper parts with pale ochraceous shafts, the feathers of the back have traces of dark-brown terminal bars, and the wing-coverts and innermost secondaries have pale ochraceous tips to the outside webs; on the under parts the feathers of the cheeks and breast have dark-brown tips, which become less conspicuous on the flanks; the throat and eye-stripe are suffused with ochraceous." (Seebohm.)

A male from Apo Island, near Mindoro, measures: Wing, 126; tail, 97; culmen from base, 22; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 30.

Genus GEOKICHLA "Boie" S. Müller, 1835.

Bill short and stout; bristles about bill short and weak; first primary a little shorter than primary-coverts; third to sixth primaries with outer webs emarginate; inner webs of quills light colored at base; axillars bicolored, the colors reversed on the under wing-coverts; tail short, about twice the tarsus. Under parts white, spotted with black.

Species.

a1. Head brownish chestnut; chin, throat, and chest black ... interpres (p. 550) a2. Head ashy gray; chin and throat white, spotted or barred with black.

b1. Median and greater wing-coverts with white tips forming two bars. ... cinerea (p. 551) b2. No white spots on any of the upper wing-coverts ... mindanensis (p. 552)

533. GEOKICHLA INTERPRES (Temminck).