250 TUEMD.i:. 



chestnut-brown tips and shafts. Bill yellow. Wing with the third, 

 fourth, and fifth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary 

 equal to the sixth, bastard primary 0"7 inch. Legs, feet, and 

 claws pale yellow. Length of wing 4-0 inches (female 3*9), tail 3-0 

 (female 2-7), culmen 1-2 (female 0-8), tarsus 1-2. 



The female differs from the male in being very dark brown above 

 instead of black. The underparts are a still paler dark brown, but 

 have the same markings on the centre of the belly and under tail- 

 coverts. Birds of the year have traces of ochraceous tips to some of 

 the greater wing-coverts. Young in first ijlumage are unknown. 



The Mare Ouzel is confined to the island of that name, one of the 

 Loyalty Islands. It was originally described as coming from the 

 island of Vanikoro ; but the localities given for birds obtained on the 

 Voyage of the ' Astrolabe ' have been in some cases found to be incor- 

 rect, and it may prove to be so in this case. The type in the Museum 

 of the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, agrees exactly with a female in 

 my collection obtained by Layard on the island of Mare. 



(i,i- cJ $ ad. sk. Mare, Loyalty group, E. L. Layard, Esq. [C.]. 



October 1879. 



18. Merula nigropileus. 



Turdus (Merula) nigropileus, L(fresnaye, Delessert, Voy. de Vlnde, 



pt. ii. p. 27 (184.3). 

 Turdus nigropileus [Lafresn!), Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 523 (1862). 

 Merula nigropileus (Lafresn.), Gi-ay, Hand-l. B. i. p. 255. no. 3701 



(1869). 



In the adult male the head, nape, lores, and the upper part of the 

 ear-coverts are dark brown, nearly black ; the hind neck, wings, and 

 tail brown, shading into slate-grey on the back, upper tail-coverts, 

 outer webs of the wing-coverts, innermost secondaries, and margins 

 of the quills and tail-feathers. Chin and upper throat darkish 

 brown, shading into dull vinous brown on the breast and into dull 

 slate-grey on the axillaries, under wing-coverts, belly, flanks, and 

 under tail-coverts, shading into nearly white on the centre of the 

 belly ; traces of pale shaft-stripes on the under tail-coverts, sometimes 

 very conspicuous. Bill yellow. Wing with the third, fourth, and 

 fifth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary intermediate 

 in length between the sixth and seventh, bastard primary 1*2 to 

 0-82 inch. Legs, feet, and claws yellow. Length of wing 5-1 to 4*5 

 inches, tail 4-1 to 3-5, culmen 1-06 to 0-98, tarsus 1-3 to 1-2. 



The female differs from the male in having the head, nape, and 

 upper back an almost uniform brown, slightly darker on the head ; 

 the slate-grey of the rest of the upper parts is slightly duller. On 

 the underparts the dull white on the centre of the belly and on the 

 under tail-coverts is much more developed, and the throat is pale 

 brown obscurely streaked with dark brown. Young in first plumage 

 appear to be unknown. 



The Black-capped Ouzel inhabits South India and some parts of 

 Central India, breeding on the mountains and descending into the 

 plains during the cool season. 



