THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 355 



At the type locality I collected it in the dense evergreen of the crater- 

 like valley at the western base of the southwestern pinnacle and again 

 in the thickets of gnarled shrubs growing among huge, broken rocks 

 at the summit of the same pinnacle. 



Prenuptial molt of the feathers of head and neck is shown in ex- 

 amples taken on March 19 and 20. 



G. e. schistaceus differs from melanostigma in having the general 

 coloration, above and below, deep mouse gray, instead of grayish olive ; 

 the under parts almost without tawny suffusion ; the maroon-chestnut 

 of the throat more restricted in extent ; the bill slightly longer. 



GARRULAX ERYTHROCEPHALUS SUBCONNECTENS Deignan 



Phu Kha Chestnut-capped Laughing-thrush 



Garrulax erythrocepJialus subconnectens Deignan, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 

 vol. 51, 1938, pp. 90-91 (Phu Kha, Nan Province, North Thailand). 



The subspecies subconnectens is known, within our limits, only from 

 Phu Kha, where it is common in the heavy evergreen between 4,500 

 feet and the summit (5,500 feet). 



Specimens of April 6, 7, and 9 are undergoing prenuptial molt of the 

 feathers of head and neck. 



This form resembles melanostigma in having the general coloration 

 grayish olive but differs widely from both melanostigma and schista- 

 ceus in having the feathers of the breast broadly edged with brownish 

 gray to give a distinctly scaled appearance. From connectens of 

 Laos, which has the breast similarly marked, it is separable by having 

 the primary coverts black, instead of dark golden-green. 



GARRULAX MERULINUS LAOENSIS de Schauensee 



Shan Spotted-breasted Laughing-thrush 



Garrulax (Stactocichla) merulinus laocnsis de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Philadelphia, vol. 90, 1938, p. 27 (Doi Pha Horn Pok, North Thailand). 



This form, described from a series of three (one male, two females) 

 taken by de Schauensee's collectors on Doi Pha Horn Pok, 6,000 feet, 

 January 21 and 31, 1938, is not at all likely to occur at any other Thai 

 locality. 



It has the entire upperparts olivaceous-brown, except for a narrow, 

 white postocular streak; the underparts, except for the olivaceous- 

 brown flanks, buffy white, boldly marked on the throat and breast with 

 guttate black spots ; the under tail coverts rufous-buff. 



The validity of laoensis, named after comparison of fresh material 

 with "foxed" obscurus and merulinus, is by no means established, and 

 the name is here adopted only with reservations. 



