146 tubdidjE. 



The nestling resembles the adult female, but has the margins of 

 the feathers more extended, causing a squamated appearance. The 

 young male assumes the chestnut of the adult very rapidly aud 

 acquires the greater part of it before the autumn moult. 



The females and young of this and the next species cannot be 

 discriminated with certainty ; but the females of P. solitaria are 

 generally suffused with rufous on the under wing- and tail-coverts. 



Length about 9-5 ; tail 3*4 ; wing 4*9 ; tarsus 1-2 ; bill from 

 gape 1*2. 



Birds of this species in typical plumage are only found in Japan 

 and the islands of the China seas. Further west the males always 

 exhibit some admixture of blue with the chestnut of the lower parts. 

 The only bird killed within Indian limits that I have been able to 

 examine at all approaching a typical Japan bird is from the Anda- 

 mans. On examining all the available specimens of Blue Rock- 

 Thrushes killed in the Indian Empire, I find that out of 102 birds 

 from the west of the longitude of Calcutta only 8 exhibit a trace 

 of red ; of 30 specimens from Assam clown to Rangoon, only 7, 

 and out of 72 Tenasserim birds only 27 show any red. This red 

 is generally present on the under tail-coverts, and only in a few 

 cases extends to the abdomen in varying quantities. The cause of 

 this variation is unknown, but may be attributed either to climatic 

 causes or to the interbreeding of P. cyanus with P. solitaria. 



Distribution. Birds exhibiting red in the lower plumage are 

 found in Nepal, Sikhim, Dacca, Cachar, the whole of Burma and 

 the Andamans. This species visits the Empire in the winter only, 

 and at this season is found also in Southern China, extending down 

 to the Malayan islands. It breeds in Japan and Northern China. 



693. Petrophila cyanus. The Western Blue Rock-Thrush. 



Turdus cyanus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 29G (1766). 



Petrocinela pandoo, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 87 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i. 



p. 186. 

 Petrocinela cyaneus (Linn.), Blyth, Cat. p. 164. 

 Petrocinela affinis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 177* (1843) ; id. Cat. 



p. 164 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 187. 

 Petrocossyphus cyaneus (Linn.), Jerd. B. 1. i, p. 511 ; Hume fy 



Henders. Lah. to Tark. p. 190. 

 Oyanocincla cyanus (Linn.), Hume, N. 8f E. p. 226 ; Hume Sf Dae. 



S. F. vi, p. 247 ; Hume, Cat. no. 351. 

 Monticola cyanus (Linn.), Anders. Yunnan Exped., Ares, p. 611 ; 



Leyye, Birds Ceyl. p. 460 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v, p. 316 ; Oates, 



B. B. i, p. 11 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 169. 

 Petrophila cyana (Linn.), Oates in Hume's N. Sf E . 2nd ed. ii, p. 105. 



The Blue Rock- Thrush, J erd. ; Shama, Hind, in the South; Pandu, 

 Mahr. ; Poda kuchi pitta, Tel. ; Nmyri-pho, Lepch. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the whole plumage 

 is bright blue, most of the feathers with white fringes and sub- 

 terminal dark bars ; a supercilium, the cheeks, throat, and ear- 

 coverts brighter than the other parts ; lores blackish ; wings and 



