1. GEOCICHIA. 157 



The Tasmanian Ground-Thrush is peculiar to the island of Van 

 Dieracn's Land, where it is a resident. 



a. b, c. Ad. sk. Tasmania. Ronald Gunn, Esq. [P.]. 



• 7. Geocichla heinii. 



Oreocincla heinii, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 6 (1850, locality erroneously 



given as Japan) \ id. Jourri. Orn. 1872, p. 2.37. 

 Oreocincla iodui'a, Gould, Ann. ^'at. Hist. 1872, ix. p. 401. 

 Tardus iodurus (Gonld), JS'eui. ed. Yair. Br. B. i. p. 256(1872); 



Giebel, Thes. Orn. iii. p. 713 (1877). 



This species, though a perfectly good one, is yerj- nearly allied to the 

 preceding, -with which it has been generally confused. It differs 

 in being a decidedly smaller bird with a longer second primary. 

 The markings on the plumage, both of the upper and under parts, 

 appear to be precisely the same, except that the white tip on the 

 outside tail-feather of the smaller bird extends for an inch or more 

 instead of being about a quarter of an inch in extent. The general 

 colour of the upper parts as far as the centre of the back is olive- 

 brown in both species, but in the smaller one it shades into russet- 

 brown on the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail. Wing with the third 

 and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary be- 

 tween the fifth and sixth. Length of wing 4-9 to 4-7 inches, tail 

 3-6 to 3-4, culmen ] -1 to LO, tarsus 1-18 to M5. 



Nothing is known of the changes in the colour of the plumage 

 attributable to sex, age, or season. 



The Xorth- Australian Ground-Thrush appears to be found 

 throughout Eastern Australia as far south as Moreton Bay, pro- 

 bably breeding in the mountains and migrating to the plains during 

 the cold season. 



a. Ad. St. N.E. Australia. J. Gould, Esq. [C.]. 



h. Ad. sk. N.E. Australia. Linn. Soc. [P.]. 



(Tvpe of T. vartus, Pall., apud Vig. and Horsf.) 

 r. Ad. sk. .N.E.Australia. H. Seebohm,Esq.[P.]. ■ 



d. Ad. sk. Queensland. Australian Museum [P.]. 



8. Geocichla nilgiriensis. 



Turdus varius, Pall, apud Jerd. Madr. Journ. xiii. p. 1(38 (1844). 

 Oreocincla neilgherrien.-iis, Bhfth, J. A. S. Bene/, xvi. p. 141 (1847); 



id.* Cat. B. Mus. As. .S'w.'p. 160 (1849); Morgan*, Ibis, 1875, 



p. .-i^O ; Hume, Stray Feath. 1876, p. 399. 

 Turdus nilgiriensis {Blyth ), Gray, Hand-l. 5. i. p. 254. no. 3692 (1869). 



This species is tolerably well defined, and appears to be inter- 

 mediate between G. dauma and G. heinii. The general colour 

 of the upper parts is russet-brown, with the usual black crescentic 

 tips to the feathers, and the usual markings on the wings and taiL 

 The feathers have aln.ost as few traces of the pale subterminal spots 

 as those of G. heinii and G. Jiinuluta, except on the head, where 



* Spelling altered to nilgiriensis. 



