THAMNOBIA. 115 



Coloration. Male. When freshly moulted in September, the 

 whole upper plumage is sandy brown ; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 black ; wings dark brown, the lesser coverts and a portion of the 

 median ones white, the remaining coverts with bluish edges ; lores, 

 sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, breast, upper part of 

 abdomen, and the sides of the body glossy black with a few sandy 

 edges ; lower part of abdomen and the under tail-coverts deep 

 chestnut. 



The male continues in this plumage up to February, when the 

 feathers of the upper plumage become much darker in colour, 

 owing apparently to the wearing away or casting off of the tips. 

 During the summer the plumage resembles that of T. fulicata in 

 many respects, but is seldom or never so dark. 



Female. Ear-coverts and round the eye rufous, the former with 

 pale shafts; chin, cheeks, and a frontal band over the lores pale 

 fulvous ; with these exceptions, the whole plumage is sandy brown, 

 tinged with ashy below ; tail and wings dark brown ; middle of the 

 abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts chestnut. 



The young are rufous, the feathers of the back obsoletely barred 

 and the wing-coverts and quills broadly edged with brighter rufous ; 

 upper tail-coverts smoky brown ; tail very dark brown ; lower 

 plumage ashy brown tinged with rufous and slightly mottled ; 

 under tail-coverts, vent, and middle of abdomen pale chestnut. 



Iris dark brown ; legs, feet, and bill black {Hume Coll.). 



Length about 6*5 ; tail 2*7 ; wing 3 ; tarsus l - 05 ; bill from 

 gape -75. 



Distribution. A resident in a very large portion of India proper. 

 On the west this species extends to Sind and the Punjab ; on the 

 north to the lower ranges of the Himalayas, ascending them at 

 times up to 5000 or 6000 feet ; on the east to the Rajmehal hills 

 and Midnapur, and on the south to Abmednagar and the Godavari 

 valley. 



Habits, Sfc. Breeds from March to August, constructing a flimsy 

 nest of miscellaneous materials in holes of walls, banks, &c, and 

 laying four to six eggs, which are greenish white mottled with 

 reddish brown, and measure about -79 by '59. 



6G2. Thamnobia fulicata. The Black-backed Indian Robin. 



Motacilla fulicata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 336 (1766). 



Thamnobia fulicata (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. p. 165 ; Horsf. 8? M. Cat. i, 



p. 281 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. ] 21 ; Hume, N. 8f E. p. 307 ; id. Cat. no. 479 ; 



Lec/f/e, Birds Ceyl. p. 440 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 54 ; Davison, 



S. F. x, p. 388; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 198; Gates in Hiuiiex 



N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 76. 



The Indian Black Robin, Jerd.; Kalchuri, Hind.; Nalanchi, Tel. j 



11 'a/i/iati-kuravi, Tarn. 



Coloration. Male. When freshly moulted in September, the 

 whole plumage is glossy black except the lesser wing-coverts and 

 a portion of the median, which are white, and the under tail- 



i2 



