Part 219

VARIED THRUSH.

Turdus varius Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso-As. (1811), 1, 449. Geocichla varia Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 151; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 212. Oreocichla varia Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 136; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 84.

Luzon (Whitehead); Mindoro (Porter). Japan and Siberia, accidental in Europe; China and Burma in winter.

"In the adult male in spring plumage the general color of the upper parts is ochraceous brown, each feather having a transverse terminal crescent-shaped black band; most of the feathers have pale shafts and a more or less distinct ochraceous transverse subterminal band, very conspicuous on the head and neck; lores grayish white; no trace of eye-stripe; wing-coverts and innermost secondaries shading from dark olive-brown on the inside webs to ochraceous brown on the outside webs, but, with the exception of the primary-coverts, wanting the black terminal bands; quills brown, the outside webs ochraceous brown; four central and terminal portion on two outside tail-feathers on each side ochraceous brown, the remaining three on each side very dark olive-brown; five outside tail-feathers on each side more or less distinctly tipped with white, and all more or less obscurely barred; under parts white, with a more or less distinct tinge of ochraceous on the breast, each feather with a transverse terminal crescent-shaped black band, nearly obsolete on the chin, center of belly, and under tail-coverts; axillars, basal half white, terminal half black; under wing-coverts, basal portion black, terminal portion white; basal half of inner web of secondaries and basal portion of many of the primaries pale buff. Bill dark brown above, basal half of under mandible pale yellowish brown. Wing with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth; bastard primary, 26.6 to 23 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale yellowish brown. Length of wing, 162.5 to 150; tail, 114 to 105; culmen, 33 to 28; tarsus, 35.5 to 33.

"It is not known that there is any difference in the color of the plumage of the sexes, or in consequence of the autumn molt. Birds of the year and young in first plumage are unknown." (Seebohm.)

Genus PETROPHILA Swainson, 1837.

Rictal bristles weak, less than bill from nostril; first primary slender, equal to primary-coverts; outer webs of third, fourth, and fifth primaries sinuate; tarsus little longer than middle toe with claw; tail three times the tarsus. Males largely blue and chestnut; females dull gray or brown, barred with blackish brown; under parts washed with ocherous buff.

538. PETROPHILA MANILLENSIS (J. R. Forster).

EASTERN ROCK THRUSH.

Turdus manillensis J. R. Forster, Ind. Zool. (1781), 41. Turdus manilla Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 39. Monticola cyanus solitaria Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 318. Petrophila solitaria Oates, Fauna Brit. India (1890), 2, 145. Monticola solitarius Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 214 (winter migration). Petrophila manilla Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 144; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 130; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 85.

Sol-i-tá-ri-o, in general use; yu-ta-yú-ta, Siquijor.

Agutaya (McGregor); Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp.); Batan (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Schmacker, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, Keay); Palawan (Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panaon (Everett); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp.); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor); Y'Ami (McGregor). Japan and eastern Siberia; in winter to southern China, Burmese Provinces, and Malay Archipelago.

Male.--Upper parts, sides of head and neck, chin, throat, and chest blue, this color much obscured by gray, brown, and blackish tips to the feathers; lower breast, abdomen, crissum, and thighs deep chestnut, obscured by whitish tips and blackish subterminal bars; axillars and wing-lining chestnut; wings and tail black, the feathers edged with blue and tipped with white. Length, about 215; wing, 125; tail, 81; culmen from base, 21; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 27.5. This plumage is the one usually found in winter birds in the Philippines. "At the end of winter the white fringes and subterminal black bars on the blue parts of the plumage are entirely lost, and the marks on the chestnut parts are also removed by abrasion in great measure, but never entirely." (Oates.)

"The female much resembles the autumn plumage of the male, except that the blue of the upper parts is much duller and the whole of the under parts are pale whitish brown, suffused with pale buffish brown on the axillaries and under wing- and tail-coverts; each feather on the under parts has a dark brown subterminal transverse band, which on the throat is continued on the margins of the feathers; the axillars and the under tail-coverts have several transverse dark bars. After the autumn molt the only perceptible difference in the female is that the pale brown margins of the feathers are somewhat longer. Males of the year scarcely differ from adult females, excepting in having the ground-color of the under parts, especially on the breast and belly, tinged with blue. Females of the year have the ground-color of the upper parts brown, only slightly tinged with blue on the wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts. Young in first plumage differ very slightly from the females of the year, but have scarcely a trace of blue." (Seebohm.)

A young female from Calayan is brown, slightly washed with dull blue on mantle and back; feathers of mantle, back, and tail-coverts with subterminal blackish bars and gray tips; under parts ocherous buff the feathers with subterminal blackish bars; wings black, the feathers tipped with white and edged with gray, tail similar; wing-lining, axillars, and crissum richer ocherous barred with black.

"Curiously enough this bird is called 'solitaria' by the natives of Negros on account of its habits. Always seen singly or in pairs. Common in the villages, especially about old churches. Also abundant on the rocks along the seashore and in open country in general; never found in the forest. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails black; food, insects.

"Six males average, 210 in length; wing, 111; tail, 85; culmen, 23; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 26. Four females, length, 210; wing, 111; tail, 84; culmen, 23; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 27." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

A specimen from Bataan Province, Luzon, appears to be much nearer Petrophila cyanus (Linnæus) than P. manillensis; the under parts are blue with the chestnut restricted to the axillars, wing-lining, crissum, and a few feathers in the middle of abdomen.

Subfamily RUTICILLINÆ.

Nearly all the members of this subfamily are considerably smaller than any of the Turdinæ. There is much diversity in the color pattern as well as in the length and shape of the tail. The species are mostly terrestrial.

Genera.

a1. Tail rounded and decidedly shorter than wing.

b1. Without a white eyebrow; plumage dark blue and chestnut. ... Chaimarrornis (p. 557) b2. With a distinct white eyebrow; chin and throat bright red in the male, white in the female, forming a conspicuous patch ... Calliope (p. 558)

a2. Tail-feathers strongly graduated, the longest equal to or longer than the wing; plumage mostly black, or black and white.

b1. Lesser and median wing-coverts mostly white, forming a large patch; abdomen and crissum white ... Copsychus (p. 558) b2. Lesser and median wing-coverts black; outer tail-feathers tipped with white, or else entire plumage black ... Kittacincla (p. 560)

Genus CHAIMARRORNIS Hodgson, 1844.

Bill small and slender; culmen from base about equal to hind toe with claw; first primary about one-half of second and a little shorter than tarsus; tail rounded, about two-thirds as long as wing, and scarcely exceeding the outstretched legs and feet. Colors dark blue and chestnut.

539. CHAIMARRORNIS BICOLOR Grant.