GEOCICHLA. 



137 



683. Geocichla wardi. The Pied Ground-TJirush. 

 Turdus wardii, Jerd. J. A. S. B. xi, p. 882 (1842) ; id, III. Inch Om. 



pi. viii ; Leqge, Birds Ceyl. p. 453. 

 Merula wardii (Jerd.), Blyth, Cat. p. 103; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, 



Turdulus wardii (Jerd.), Jerd. B. I. i, p. 520 ; Hume, Cat. no. 357 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 172. 

 Cichloselys wardii (Jerd,), Hume, N. # E. p. 231. 

 Oreocincla pectoralis, Legge, 8. F. iv, p. 244. 



Geocichla wardi (Jerd,), Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 1/8; Oates m 

 Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 97. 

 Ward's Pied Blackbird, Jerd. 



Coloration. Male. The whole head, neck, breast, upper plu- 

 mage, wings, and tail black; the lesser and median wing-coverts 

 very broadly tipped with white; the greater wing-coverts and 

 quills tipped with white, except the earlier primaries, which, with 

 the primary-coverts, are partially margined with white ; the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts with crescentic white tips; tail with a con- 

 siderable amount of white, increasing in extent from the middle 

 feathers to the outer ; a white supercilium to the nape ; abdomen, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts white; sides of the body aud the 

 axillaries white, each feather with a subterminal black bar ; under 

 wing-coverts black tipped white. 



Female. Upper plumage and mugs olive-brown, all the wing- 

 coverts and tertiaries with buff tips, the outer webs of the quills 

 suffused with russet, the longer feathers of the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts tipped with dull white ; tail olive-brown, the portion 

 next the shafts darker, the four outer pairs of feathers tipped 

 white ; a broad buff supercilium to the nape ; sides of the head and 

 of the throat mixed buff and black ; chin nearly plain white ; 

 middle of throat and the upper breast pale huffish white, each 

 feather margined with dark brown ; lower breast, upper abdomen, 

 and sides of the body barred with olivaceous and suffused with 

 ochraceous; middle of abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts 



white. 



Iris brown ; bill ochre-yellow, the tip of upper mandible black ; 

 legs and feet fleshy ochre (Hume). 



Length about 8-5 ; tail 3'3 ; wing 4-5 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from 



3 Distribution. Summers in the Himalayas from the Sutlej valley 

 to Sikhim aud the Bhutan Doars up to 6000 or 7000 feet ; winters 

 in Southern India and Ceylon. The chief winter-quarters of this 

 species appear to be the Nilgiris and other hill-ranges clown to 

 Cape Comorin and Ceylon. It must necessarily occur over a great 

 part of India when migrating, but it has seldom been observed at 

 that period. Major Lloyd records it from the Konkan, and Jerdon 

 from Nellore in the Carnatic. 



Habits, 4-c. Brooks remarks that this species has a strange song 

 of two notes and quite unmusical. It breeds in the Himalayas 

 from May to July, constructing a nest of moss and fibres, with or 



