502 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NA1 URAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



No. IV.— OCCURRENCE OF WHITE'S THRUSH (OREOCINCLA 



VARIA) IN ASSAM. 



I have this year obtained several specimens of Oreoeincla. The other day in 



goinij through these I noticed one which appeared to be very much larger than 



the rest. I accordingly sent the bird to Mr. E. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S., who 



identified it as being White's Thrush ^Oreoeincla varia), an unknown bird, I 



believe, within Indian limits. The bird was obtained on the 12th February 



1905, and was shot in Ekra jungle in the Dibrugarh District. 



Mr. E. Stuart Baker writes as follows : — 



" The above bird was sent to me for identification by Mr. Moore. It is 



undoubtedly a fine specimen of Oreoeincla varia, having a wing of 7-1" 



as against only 5*3" to 5*6" of Oreoeincla dauma. The only other 



specimen of the bird ever procured in British Indian limits is that 



mentioned by Oates ( "Fauna of British India "—Birds — Vol. II., p. 



153.) as having been procured by Wardlaw Ramsay at Toungngoo n 



1876. During the last 30 years I can find no record of its having been 



noticed. It is a fairly common Chinese bird extending to Japan." 



Wm. MOORE. 

 Dibrugarh, '2dth March 1905. 



No. V.— HEREDITARY MELANISM. 



We have a pair of black panthers here. They were purchased about 2£ 

 years ago from a man who said that he had brought them from North China ? 

 They are male and female and have twice bred together in captivity since 

 their arrival in Kolhapur ; on both occasions the cubs (two in number J were 

 quite black like the parents. 



On another occasion when the male black panther mated with a panther of 

 the ordinary variety there was only one cub as a result and he was very beauti- 

 fully marked, the spots being larger, blacker and more glossy than usual, and 

 the peacock-eyes altogether larger and more defined ; he is here still and quite 

 full grown. 



These panthers appear to me to be a distinct species and not a freak in mela- 

 nism. Ordinarily they appear quite black like the domestic cat. but if viewed 

 with the light shining on the coat, the spots and markings are distinctly visible. 



W. B. FERRIS, Lieut.-Col. 



The Residency, Kolhapur, S. M. Country. 



10th April 1905. 



No. VI.— CURIOUS FEROCITY OF 

 THE INDIAN TREE-PIE (DENDROCITTA RUFA). 

 Yesterday afternoon Lieutenant H. H. Smith, of the 10th Jats, saw an 

 Indian Tree-pie (Dendrocitta rufa), attack a young brown-backed Indian 

 Robin ( Thamnobiu cambaiensis) which was feeding on the ground. 



