344 Mr. P. L. Sclater on Turdus javanicus of Horsfidd, 



XXVIII. — On Turdus javanicus of Horsfield, and its allied 

 form Turdus schlegeli. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., F.R.S. 



(Plate VIII.) 



In my article on the geogi'apliical distribution of the genus 

 Turdus, published in this Journal in 1861, I took occasion to 

 state the synonyms of Turdus javanicus of Horsfield as being 

 Turdus fumidus, Miiller, and Turdus hypopyrrhus, Hartlaub, 

 and at the same time to describe a new and nearly aUicd 

 species from Timor as Turdus schlegeli, after the eminent di- 

 rector of the Ley den Museum, where I had met with the typi- 

 cal specimen. In his excellent work on the Birds of Borneo, 

 lately published, Count Salvadori takes a different view of 

 this matter. Misled apparently by Gray^s ' Hand-list,^ he 

 treats of Turdus javanicus and Turdus hypopijrrhus as distinct 

 species, and unites Turdus schlegeli to the latter. I am a 

 little surprised, I must own, to find that Count Salvadori 

 should prefer to follow the late Mr. G. R. Gray's compilation 

 on this point rather than my article, founded, as it was, on 

 the examination of actual specimens of a group of birds to 

 which I had paid special attention. As, however, he has 

 done so, I have felt bound to go into the matter again, and 

 beg leave to offer the results of my renewed investigations to 

 the readers of 'The Ibis.* 



Turdus javanicus is very incorrectly described, like many 

 others of the species characterized in Dr. Horsfield's memoir 

 on the Birds of Java. Fortunately, however, two of the ty- 

 pical specimens are still extant — one in the India Museum, 

 and one in the British Museum, received from the India Mu- 

 seum in 1860. I have examined these, and compared them 

 with the type of Turdus hypopyrrhus. The mounted speci- 

 men in the India Museum has been nearly altogether eaten 

 up by moth ; but part of the ferruginous colour on the belly is 

 still recognizable, and I think there can be no doubt to what 

 species it belongs. The skin in the British Museum (which 

 was received from the India Museum in 1860) is that of a 

 young bird, and is of a nearly uniform brown ; but there are 

 traces of the rufous abdomeu quite apparent, and I have no 



